Which Liquid Compost Formula Should I Use?
Posted by Tom Thomas on Fri, Jun 03, 2011 @ 07:31 PM
We get a lot of questions about which one of our liquid compost formulas to use in the garden, especially when folks are growing lots of different kinds of plants. First of all, you can't go wrong with whatever choice you make.
We refer to our original formula, Great Big Plants, as our all-purpose product because it can be used for all kinds of plants and trees. The other products are this base formula plus a little something else or more of one of the existing ingredients. This all-purpose formula is the one that has been used for twenty years by commercial farmers for all kinds of crops.
Our Great Big Roses formula is the all-purpose plus a little more humic acid and kelp. Humic acid is known to encourage vigorous root growth and the kelp is bringing a little more potassium to help the stems be sturdier. One of our dealers also operates a commercial greenhouse where he grows all kinds of flowers and he suggested these tweaks.
Our Great Big Tomatoes formula is the all-purpose plus a special fermentation of a biotic microbial mix that has been proven in university studies to help resist soil-borne diseases. Our commercial tomato growers often follow their application of our all-purpose formula with an application of this special biotic mix. As you may know, tomatoes are pretty susceptible to disease. We just made it easier for home gardeners by combining the two.
Our Great Big Potted Plants is the all-purpose plus a little more kelp and more of the minor nutrient and trace mineral package we use. I use it on my houseplants and patio container plants and it does pretty well for me.
Honestly, a person could use any of these products pretty much interchangeably and have good success. Remember that you will need to add some regular NPK fertilizer (such as our Darn Good Fertilizer) at some point to your soil to give your plants enough of those major nutrients. When using our liquid composts, you can use less NPK.