Add Potassium to an Organic Garden

In order to grow, all plants need some level of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Potassium plays an active role in the synthesis of plant protein and helps regulate the flow of water through the plant. It is essential for overall plant health. Potassium is available in many chemical products, but if you have an organic garden, there are also a number of organic products you can turn to, as well.

Steps

  1. Add compost with fruit and vegetable waste. Compost is rich in nutrients, and potassium is no exception. To create a compost with an even higher content of potassium than usual, throw fruit and vegetable waste into the compost pile. Produce that is naturally high in potassium makes the best choice. Think banana peels, orange rinds, lemon rinds, beets, spinach, and tomatoes.
    • Note that the unfortunate part about using compost to supply potassium is that potassium compounds found in compost are usually water soluble. While this makes the nutrient available to your plants, it also means that it is more likely to wash out of the compost pile during periods of heavy rainfall.
  2. Bury citrus rinds directly in the soil.[1] If you do not have compost readily available or do not want to mix fruit waste into your compost pile, you can bury fruit waste directly into the soil at the base of your plants. Lemon and orange rinds are especially high in potassium, and the potassium they contain is easily transferred over. While not a citrus fruit, you could also try using banana peels in the same manner.
  3. Mix wood ash into the soil. Ash from burnt hardwood is one of the most time-tested methods of adding potassium to an organic garden. You will need to add about 1 lb. (450 g) of wood ash to 10 square feet (1 square meters) of soil to enrich the soil with an adequate amount of potassium.
    • Keep in mind that wood ash raises soil pH. If you use wood ash to supply the garden with potassium, you will also need to regularly test the pH to make sure that the soil is balanced.
  4. Try kelp meal or seaweed. Kelp and other types of seaweed are all rich in potassium, and the potassium is readily transferred to the soil of your garden. You can add kelp by either burying a few handfuls of dried kelp meal into the soil or by spraying the soil with a liquid seaweed spray.
  5. Use greensand. Deposits of greensand are mined from sedimentary rocks found in former sea beds. Greensand contains several minerals, and has a potassium content of about 6 percent. When dug into your soil, it also works as a long-term soil conditioner. The downside of greensand is that it provides potassium at a very slow rate. To ensure that your garden receives enough potassium when using greensand, you should use about 5 lbs (2250 g) per 10 square feet (1 square meters) of soil.
    • In addition to digging greensand into your soil directly, you can also add it to your compost pile to improve the potassium content of your compost.
  6. Mix in muriate of potash or sulfate of potash.[2] Muriate of potash, or potassium chloride, is a natural mineral mined from very old stone deposits. Sulfate of potash, or potassium sulfate, is also mined from old deposits. Muriate of potash tends to be cheaper, but the chlorine it contains can hurt the helpful microbes living in your garden's soil. Sulfate of potash is safer, but it is also more expensive.
    • When buying a "potash" product, make sure that it is certified as being organic by the Organic Minerals Review Institute. Many of these products are organic, but some are not.
  7. Try Sul-Po-Mag. Also called langbeinite or sulfate of potash-magnesia, Sul-Po-Mag is a natural mineral rich in potassium. Since the mineral is water soluble, the potassium is readily available for your plants. The downside, however, is that the sulfur and magnesium content in Sul-Po-Mag could damage your plants unless the soil is unnaturally low in these minerals.
  8. Add granite dust. Granite dust is mined from natural granite quarries and is fairly inexpensive. It contains a number of minerals and has a potassium content of about 5 percent. The ground up rock does not release potassium quickly, though, so it will not work well if you need to add potassium to your soil quickly or if you need to use it for vegetables. If using granite dust, you should use about 5 lbs (2250 g) per 10 square feet (1 square meters) of soil.
  9. Layer on the manure.[3] Manure is nutrient-rich in general. If using poultry manure, 1 bushel will add a sufficient dose of potassium for 100 square feet (10 square meters). For any other type of manure, you will need 4 bushels to cover 100 square feet (10 square meters).

Warnings

  • Do not use charcoal ash to add potassium to your plants. While it contains a decent amount of potassium, it is also likely to contain high levels of sulfur that could kill your plants.

Things You’ll Need

  • Shovel or garden trowel
  • Compost
  • Citrus rinds
  • Wood ash
  • Kelp meal
  • Greensand
  • Potash product
  • Granite dust
  • Manure

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/the-organic-garden/soil-requirements-for-a-successful-organic-garden.html
  2. ↑ http://www.dannylipford.com/organic-sources-of-potassium-for-your-lawn-or-garden/
  3. ↑ http://www3.ag.purdue.edu/counties/allen/Documents/Hort%20ACH%2010%20Organic%20Garden%20and%20Soil.pdf

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