I would only like to think that there are more natural ways to fertilize plants

I would only like to know that there are more natural ways to fertilize plants than patented chemicals . I did write an article titled 'Fertilize causes paronia not THC' . I do notice that alot of people at this web site complain about headaches, backpain what causes that ?

Headaches... stress, dehydration, getting bonked with a mallet, a tuuu-mah, talking to ones mother in law on the phone, etc.

Back pain... Poor spine alignment, bartending, lifting using improper lifting technique, getting bonked with a mallet, being hit by a car, hitting something with your car, sleeping on an aging futon, etc.

That wasn't exactly an 'article'... it was, simply, incorrect.

Fertilizers are made of simple compounds such as potassium phosphate, potassium nitrate, urea, etc... and no one holds patents on these simple, naturally occurring compounds that the plant NEEDS.

hey -- this got kinda long... hope it's helpful.

Are you saying that you see a lot of people reporting that mj is giving them headaches & back pain? Cause I see more people using weed to help alleviate those symptoms... Flushing the fertilizers out during the last week or two before harvest is a good thing to do (so is the consensus), and does remove any built up fertilizer salts.

There are lots of different fertilizers you can use. Some are organic. I use the botanicare line and like it a lot. It is usually described as mostly organic. I don't have experience with others like Earth Juice, but I know that there are plenty of people around that use them.

The fact is that in order for plants to grow, they need nutrients. Nitrogen is used in amino acids. Phosphates are used in cell membranes (phospholipids) and energy storage (ATP/ADP cycle). Potassium is an electrolyte that is used in many signaling pathways. [Note that I am not listing all of the uses for these nutrients, such as DNA/RNA, chlorophyll, etc.]

Plants need these 3 macro nutrients along with a bunch of secondary and micro nutrients. A wild plant growing outside in soil will have access to the things it needs because the soil is replenished via several biogeochemical cycles. Also, in the wild, there are a variety of plants growing. Some plants use symbiotic relationships with bacteria (? maybe prokaryotes -- I don't remember anymore?) to produce usable nitrogen from the air.

Anyway, growing the same crop in the same piece of ground for years on end without the addition of fertilizers doesn't work. Eventually that same crop will deplete the soil of the necessary nutrients. This is why farms used to be setup with a rotating crop schedule, with multiple fields. Each year one of the fields would be left fallow. That fallow field would become host to many plant species. Often grazing would be allowed on that field, too. The combination of the different plants and the animal excrement, over a year or two, will help to restore the depleted nutrients in the soil.

There are ways to farm without using any bottled fertilizers. But it involves more work, and access to the appropriate kinds of supplies. A properly maintained compost pile (with the correct proportions of leaves, grass, coffee, lime, and I don't know what else) can go a long way to giving your plants what they need.

But in the end, no matter if you are using manure & compost or a bottled mix, the active forms of the nutrients are the same (mostly :) ). I'll agree that I'd rather use something more natural than not (and I do). But you've gotta use something...

Peace.
Grow

None of any of this info helps if you're talking hydro.....and it's just a silly way to approach growing imo. Somebody here said something great (oldsandclem?) about advancing techniques in growing.....not going backwards. Sure I can walk around, collect the wood, get my stick and stone to light the fire etc to keep warm.....or I can go turn on the heat. Wake up Friday......it's 2007.

This is just getting silly.
Friday, take a hint. Please if you are going to continue to post on this line of reasoning, do it elsewhere- If you want to have a serious discussion of organic vs. chemical fertilizers, please do so in a more appropriate venue- the Cultivation area.
Thank you.
This is now LOCKED.