ORGANIC SOURCES OF NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS, AND POTASSIUM

Material
Activated sludge
Animal tankage
Alfalfa hay
Apple fruit
Apple leaves
Blood meal
Bone meal
Bone meal (steamed)
Brewers grains (wet)
Cattle manure (fresh)
Coffee grounds (dried)
Corn stalks
Crabgrass (green)
Dried blood
Duck manure
Fish scrap (fresh)
Grass (immature)
Greensand
Ground bone, burned
Hair
Hen mature (fresh)
Hoof meal and horn dust
Horse manure (fresh)
Immature grass
Kentucky bluegrass (green)
Kentucky bluegrass hay
Milorganite
Lobster shells
Molasses (residue)
Oak leaves
Oat straw
Peach leaves
Pear leaves
Pig manure
Pine needles
Potato tubers
Rabbit manure
Raspberry leaves
Red clover
Seaweed
Sheep manure (fresh)
Sludge

N
5.00
8.00
2.45
.05
1.00
15.00
4.00
1.6-2.5
.90
.29
1.99
.75
.66
12-15
0.6
6.5
1.0

P
3.00
20.00
.50
.02
.15
1.30
21.0
21.0
.50
.17
.36
.40
.19
3.00
1.4
3.75
1.50
34.70

14.0
1.63
12.50
.44
1.00
.66
1.2
6
4.60
.70
.80
.90
.7
0.5
0.5
0.35
2.4
1.35
.55
1.68
.55
2.0

1.54
1.75
.17
.5
.19
.4
2
3.52
.35
.15
.12
0.3
0.12
0.15
1.4
.27
.13
.75
.31
1.9

K
2.10
.1
.35
.70
.20
.2
.05
.35
.67
.90
.71
15.00
0.5
1.2
5.00
.85
.35
1.2
.71
2.0
0
5.32
.15
1.5
.60
.4
0.5
0,03
2.5
0.6
.63
.50
5.00
.15
0.3

Sludge, activated
Swine manure (fresh)
Tankage
Tomato fruit
Tomato leaves
Tomato stalks
Tobacco stems
Urine, human
Wood ashes

5.0
.60
3-11
0.2
0.35
0.35
2.00
0.6

2.5-4.0
.41
2-5
0.07
0.1
0.1

0.6
.31
0
0.35
0.4
0.5
7.00

1.50

7.00

SOME IMPORTANT TRACE ELEMENTS AND THEIR SOURCES

The following chart includes some important trace elements and their
sources.
BORON: Granite dust, vetch, sweet clover, muskmelon leaves.
COBALT: Manure, mineral rocks, tankage, yeast, legumes, vetch, peach tree
refuse, Kentucky bluegrass.
COPPER: Wood shavings, sawdust, redtop, brome grass, spinach, tobacco,
Kentucky bluegrass, dandelions.
IRON: Seaweed, most weeds. Is usually available for plants in acid, organic soils;
the slight acidity dissolves and chelate iron. Humus is one of the best sources of
iron for your plants.
MANGANESE: Manure, seaweed, seawater, forest leaf mold (especially hickory
and white oaks), alfalfa, carrot tops, redtop, brome grass.
MAGNESIUM: Dolomite, high magnesium limestone, magnetite, silicate minerals,
soluble salts, lake and well brines, seawater.
MOLYBDENUM: Cornstalks, vetch, ragweed, horsetail, poplar and hickory leaves,
peace tree clippings. For deficiencies, experts recommend raising the pH of very
acid soils to 7 with ground limestone.
ZINC: Rock phosphate, ragweed cornstalks, vetch, horsetail, popular and hickory
leaves, peach tree twigs, alfalfa

The following chart includes some important trace elements, their sources, and
also the accumulator plants. When making compost, remember that a great
diversity of materials used will achieve a more balanced supply of nutrients.
BORON: Granite dust, vetch, sweet clover, muskmelon leaves.
COBALT: Manure, mineral rocks, tankage, yeast, legumes, vetch, peach tree
refuse, Kentucky bluegrass.
COPPER: Wood shavings, sawdust, redtop, brome grass, spinach, tobacco,
Kentucky bluegrass, dandelions.
IRON: Seaweed, most weeds. Is usually available for plants in acid, organic
soils; the slight acidity dissolves and chelate iron. Humus is one of the best
iron to your plants.
MANGANESE: Manure, seaweed, seawater, forest leaf mold (especially
hickory and white oaks), alfalfa, carrot tops, redtop, brome grass. Mulching
and applying ground limestone will reduce the poisonous effect of soils
containing too much manganese.
MAGNESIUM: Dolomite, high magnesium limestone, magnetite, silicate
minerals, soluble salts, lake and well brines, seawater. Add one-pound ground
magnesium stone, or one quart of seawater to every 100-chlorophyll molecule,
all green matter added to the compost heap is an abundant source of
magnesium.
MOLYBDENUM: Cornstalks, vetch, ragweed, horsetail, poplar and hickory
leaves, peace tree clippings. For deficiencies, experts recommend raising the
pH of very acid soils to 7 with ground limestone.
ZINC: Rock phosphate, ragweed cornstalks, vetch, horsetail, popular and
hickory leaves, peach tree twigs, alfalfa