We are farmers in the US. We decide which crop we are going to grow, then get our soil professionally tested. We only add what we need to grow that crop well. Just adding a general purpose anything to fields is way too expensive.
it’s great to hear from an experienced and informed gardener on this topic! isn’t it so silly how, as gardeners, we are sold SO many different products that we really don’t need? a good mulch seems to cover most of the bases for soil health. this year I am experimenting with wettable sulphur to prevent fungal attack in my small urban garden, which has been quite bad in the last two years. I’m also removing a few plants which were crowded and possibly contributing to inadequate airflow. any tips or advice for dealing with these problems would be really welcome, especially for powdery and downy mildew in our increasingly unpredictable summers!
I have never fertilized my garden. I just mulched the perennial beds with finely shredded leaves as part of my cleanup routine in the fall. All the plant debris was composted along with household organic waste to be used in the vegetable raised beds. This all worked very satisfactorily,however it was a different story for my container plants. Even with using my compost to pot up every year they were always seriously underperforming by the middle of summer. Time release fertilizer solved the issue; a quick fix. I’m curious to know if there is another option……diluted urine would be a hassle, but free. Time to do the experiment.
Brilliant! I agree with all of this ❤️ I had a garden for over 30 years. Build it up from nothing but weeds and terrible, if any soil at all! I just made a compost where I wanted a bed and with patience I had everything flourishing and beeing so healthy that magazines wanted to come and take photos (Sweden). I didn’t know anything when I started but had the philosophy of; as little in and out as possible & use what you have. So if I could do it anyone can do it! ❤️
I think that's a remnant of the _Better Living Through Chemistry_ era. Although I only use disodium phosphate/dysodium hydrogen phosphate for my laundry detergent. I never use more than 2Tablespoons and it works (unlike the skin-irritating petrochemical sludge they sell as laundry detergent today).
I've been moving away from fertilizers as well over the last few years. I have a large number of shrubs and trees that produce a lot of leaves and twigs. If I can catch weeds before they form flowers, I'll put them in the compost, but have also done the bucket of water thing. I have two large compost barrels that sit sideways on stands, so they can be rotated to mix the contents. A job for hubby, lol. The kitchen waste goes in each week and he gives it a turn. Repeat planting of tomatoes results in nematodes, as well as depleted soil. I change out the soil in containers or move to a different spot each year. Yes, here in S. California Plumbago goes rogue as well, forming plants that are bigger than a Range Rover. So much great advice, Bunny. The overall philosophy is let nature do HER thing. :)
That's so well said. I mulch with a grass clips and some my own horse rotten manure, only few weeds who seems to me do not bother food plants & soo less watering. No artificial needed.
I was really happy to hear your expert knowledge on this topic. so pleased you talked about how it can pollute water ways.. I use compost and organic sheep poo. I have three compost bins with lids and never turn them, , so it was good to know it doesnt matter. Then organic pea straw to top the layer . Lemons are another thing altogether and I do see yellowing of leaves so water with seaweed liquid. I found Black Grit from an AU garden supplier really good once a year.
Smiling at the thought of a plumbago being tender. In the tough, hot Johannesburg biome I think of it as a rogue plant. Thriving in the heat, along with the agapanthus. Deities grandiflora are dessicating in situ so I feel may be fungal from heat/rain ratio. Letting go, letting nature...
Wonderful advice as always Bunny nature knows best, these garden centres would have us believe we need all these products ! I think the great tit was trying to outdo your commentary early in the video.Thanks for valuable insights.
Unknowingly I had rose replant disease after continuously losing newly planted rose bushes. Hopefully something will become available because I miss not having my beautiful David Austin Roses to enjoy year-round.
Hi, What about growing high-bush and low-bush blueberries in an area where the local soil ph is around 6.8, it is clay loam and some plants are in local soil and others are growing on top of geotextile, sand and peat moss layer with pine bark? I have been using Jack's Acid Special when the plants look like they need it. They are all producing lots of great tasting berries and are disease free. What would you recommend as an alternative for using a synthetic fertilizer? I'm in zone 5b, Wisconsin, USA. Thanks for the tips on fertilizer so far!
Seems to be a similar theory of overdosing with vitamin supplement. Dare we remind ourselves that less is more. Biodynamic farming discussion/opinion piece from you Bunny would be interesting.
Hi Bunny, found your channel a few weeks ago and have binge watched, its just brilliant I admire your direct approach and honesty. I have only stated back at gardening after 20 years of paving blocks, now I've ripped them all up and am taking inspiration from your video of the brick wall in the vicarage,, have visited St Anne's Park in Dublin where I live, (it was owned by the Guinness family) and collecting leaves from under the trees to treat the soil. Would fresh seaweed work as I'm beside the beach ? Anyway love your channel, its my go to now for advice and visuals. Keep it up ❤
Wow, thank you very much for explaining the feeding of plants. You are fabulous because you explain so clearly and to the point. Have been searching utube for answers, and then you brought out this video. Wonderful
Waow Bunny, that’s pretty revolutionary. …and compelling! (I do wish you’d sign off at the end of your videos so I don’t feel you lost power or I’m not sure I heard the end of your sentence.
I agree with you Bunny and love your videos, except that "intensive, large scale" farmers don't need to either. Just read any books about regenerative farming.
I really like your channel, but I am not a native English speaker. Please optimize your sound quality - it's no fun at all to follow your channel as a practicing English speaker. It used to be better - what's wrong?
This is very interesting. I tried this last year and my roses didn’t lack any performance for first flush. However 2nd and 3rd flush my roses struggled compared to the previous few years. However, subsequently listening to others I think last year wasn’t great in terms of sunshine hours so perhaps that muddies the water some. Furthermore I did not use any liquid feed as the season progressed. My roses in pots definitely struggled without feed this was clear early doors. This year it’s too late I’ve put feed down but I may revisit this again next year as your words explain what I have seen many times. Gardens with no feed looking fantastic. Thanks
I toss everything into the hen run and let the chickens make my compost. They eat weed seeds and anything that does sprout in the hen run is scratched up and destroyed. Every fall I put in several big bags of leaves and by spring it is lovely black rich compost, mixed in with strawy manure and garden/kitchen waste.
Timely; thank you. I was going to buy a sack of FBB meal, as an alternative to artificial fertilizer - but from this, it doesn't seem the way to go. Would pelleted chicken manure work for the lawn I wonder ? I can't really mulch the lawn with compost. Scratching my head.
Care to elaborate? I think she makes very valid points, however, I also feel there's a lot more to it than she was able to fit in the video and it isn't as simple as it sounds. For example, many trees have relationships with microbes and fungi in the soil that are unique to those specific plants and their needs, such as a silver birch vs a red pine but are also different from other plants. The microbes and fungi are breaking apart the soil minerals into a form the plant then can utilize. The tree is giving the sugars and what not to the microbes and fungi to feed on. Therefore when you plant a tree in the wrong soil it takes time for that environment to grow into what the plant needs and the plant might suffer during the important early years of its life and be susceptible to disease and pest damage. If the soil doesn't have the resources for this to occur then it is also an issue, such as the wrong minerals or fungi and microbes there were beneficial to another plant, but not the new one. Furthermore if this plant doesn't have the fungi near it's roots or in them when it was planted to begin with, such as if it was propagated in sterile media, then where would they then come from if the local soil doesn't have them available either? One can always agree or disagree if the relationship between a plant and soil fungi and microbes is symbiotic or not, but nevertheless it is an important one for plant health to get it right. Where I think Bunny is correct is that we are trying to feed the plants with one size fits all solutions without taking into account that the actual answer to plant health isn't as simple as feeding the correct nutrients, but to not to make things worse it would be better to try to help the microbes and fungi thrive to keep it safe?
![State of Play | September 24, 2024 [ENGLISH]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fVs0suPHAX8/mqdefault.jpg)
We are farmers in the US. We decide which crop we are going to grow, then get our soil professionally tested. We only add what we need to grow that crop well.
Just adding a general purpose anything to fields is way too expensive.
I adore you Bunny. Your honesty is so refreshing!
Well said Bunny! Spread the word!
it’s great to hear from an experienced and informed gardener on this topic! isn’t it so silly how, as gardeners, we are sold SO many different products that we really don’t need? a good mulch seems to cover most of the bases for soil health.
this year I am experimenting with wettable sulphur to prevent fungal attack in my small urban garden, which has been quite bad in the last two years. I’m also removing a few plants which were crowded and possibly contributing to inadequate airflow. any tips or advice for dealing with these problems would be really welcome, especially for powdery and downy mildew in our increasingly unpredictable summers!
I grew up on a farm and I appreciate your honesty!
It's lovely listening to the birds in Bunny's garden.
I have never fertilized my garden. I just mulched the perennial beds with finely shredded leaves as part of my cleanup routine in the fall. All the plant debris was composted along with household organic waste to be used in the vegetable raised beds. This all worked very satisfactorily,however it was a different story for my container plants. Even with using my compost to pot up every year they were always seriously underperforming by the middle of summer. Time release fertilizer solved the issue; a quick fix. I’m curious to know if there is another option……diluted urine would be a hassle, but free. Time to do the experiment.
Brilliant! I agree with all of this ❤️ I had a garden for over 30 years. Build it up from nothing but weeds and terrible, if any soil at all! I just made a compost where I wanted a bed and with patience I had everything flourishing and beeing so healthy that magazines wanted to come and take photos (Sweden). I didn’t know anything when I started but had the philosophy of; as little in and out as possible & use what you have. So if I could do it anyone can do it! ❤️
I’m starting my first garden and this is so inspiring! Thank you for sharing your experience.
@@VelvetandToadsThank You! Good Luck!
I think that's a remnant of the _Better Living Through Chemistry_ era.
Although I only use disodium phosphate/dysodium hydrogen phosphate for my laundry detergent. I never use more than 2Tablespoons and it works (unlike the skin-irritating petrochemical sludge they sell as laundry detergent today).
Really fascinating. I’m going to change my practice!
She’s really fabulous, so down to earth with sound advice. Thank you so much.
I've been moving away from fertilizers as well over the last few years. I have a large number of shrubs and trees that produce a lot of leaves and twigs. If I can catch weeds before they form flowers, I'll put them in the compost, but have also done the bucket of water thing. I have two large compost barrels that sit sideways on stands, so they can be rotated to mix the contents. A job for hubby, lol. The kitchen waste goes in each week and he gives it a turn. Repeat planting of tomatoes results in nematodes, as well as depleted soil. I change out the soil in containers or move to a different spot each year. Yes, here in S. California Plumbago goes rogue as well, forming plants that are bigger than a Range Rover. So much great advice, Bunny. The overall philosophy is let nature do HER thing. :)
That's so well said. I mulch with a grass clips and some my own horse rotten manure, only few weeds who seems to me do not bother food plants & soo less watering. No artificial needed.
I was really happy to hear your expert knowledge on this topic. so pleased you talked about how it can pollute water ways.. I use compost and organic sheep poo. I have three compost bins with lids and never turn them, , so it was good to know it doesnt matter. Then organic pea straw to top the layer . Lemons are another thing altogether and I do see yellowing of leaves so water with seaweed liquid. I found Black Grit from an AU garden supplier really good once a year.
Really helpful. Thank you!
Really interesting - will save me plenty of money on plant feed!!
Smiling at the thought of a plumbago being tender. In the tough, hot Johannesburg biome I think of it as a rogue plant. Thriving in the heat, along with the agapanthus. Deities grandiflora are dessicating in situ so I feel may be fungal from heat/rain ratio. Letting go, letting nature...
I agree with everything! 🌱
Wonderful advice as always Bunny nature knows best, these garden centres would have us believe we need all these products !
I think the great tit was trying to outdo your commentary early in the video.Thanks for valuable insights.
Fantastic video!!!! Great information
Another excellent video!
Nice to see the Buzzard in the background.
Fascinating - thank you
Thank you. A really practical and useful video.
Thank you
Amen to all of that Bunny
I am enjoying my newly planted roses in cardboard. Thanks for that tip Bunny. Waiting for my two year natural growth period.
Unknowingly I had rose replant disease after continuously losing newly planted rose bushes. Hopefully something will become available because I miss not having my beautiful David Austin Roses to enjoy year-round.
Excellent explanation, thank you, Bunny. ~ Lisa
Do you recommend mixing digestate with your compost first before mulching, or isn't this necessary in your opinion? Thank you
Very helpful, thanks. I wonder if you ever add anything extra to roses? They are greedy little pigs.
Hi, What about growing high-bush and low-bush blueberries in an area where the local soil ph is around 6.8, it is clay loam and some plants are in local soil and others are growing on top of geotextile, sand and peat moss layer with pine bark? I have been using Jack's Acid Special when the plants look like they need it. They are all producing lots of great tasting berries and are disease free. What would you recommend as an alternative for using a synthetic fertilizer? I'm in zone 5b, Wisconsin, USA. Thanks for the tips on fertilizer so far!
😊
There is such dodgy science here - huge assumptions being made in this video
Thanks so much Ms. Bunny! To sum it up, some rich compost and mulch and plants are quite happy!
Robert Pavlis is a wealth of information
Seems to be a similar theory of overdosing with vitamin supplement. Dare we remind ourselves that less is more. Biodynamic farming discussion/opinion piece from you Bunny would be interesting.
Hi Bunny, found your channel a few weeks ago and have binge watched, its just brilliant I admire your direct approach and honesty.
I have only stated back at gardening after 20 years of paving blocks, now I've ripped them all up and am taking inspiration from your video of the brick wall in the vicarage,, have visited St Anne's Park in Dublin where I live, (it was owned by the Guinness family) and collecting leaves from under the trees to treat the soil. Would fresh seaweed work as I'm beside the beach ? Anyway love your channel, its my go to now for advice and visuals. Keep it up ❤
I only get a little compost from the garden, but I have leaf mould too!💚
Wow, thank you very much for explaining the feeding of plants. You are fabulous because you explain so clearly and to the point. Have been searching utube for answers, and then you brought out this video. Wonderful
Waow Bunny, that’s pretty revolutionary. …and compelling! (I do wish you’d sign off at the end of your videos so I don’t feel you lost power or I’m not sure I heard the end of your sentence.
Love this video!
I agree with you Bunny and love your videos, except that "intensive, large scale" farmers don't need to either. Just read any books about regenerative farming.
Everyone needs to see this and listen!
I really like your channel, but I am not a native English speaker. Please optimize your sound quality - it's no fun at all to follow your channel as a practicing English speaker. It used to be better - what's wrong?
I think not helped by microphone picking up traffic noise😀
You do realize you can turn on automatic captions?
This is very interesting. I tried this last year and my roses didn’t lack any performance for first flush. However 2nd and 3rd flush my roses struggled compared to the previous few years. However, subsequently listening to others I think last year wasn’t great in terms of sunshine hours so perhaps that muddies the water some. Furthermore I did not use any liquid feed as the season progressed.
My roses in pots definitely struggled without feed this was clear early doors. This year it’s too late I’ve put feed down but
I may revisit this again next year as your words explain what I have seen many times. Gardens with no feed looking fantastic. Thanks
Why do we keep forgetting about calcium and magnesium?
I toss everything into the hen run and let the chickens make my compost. They eat weed seeds and anything that does sprout in the hen run is scratched up and destroyed. Every fall I put in several big bags of leaves and by spring it is lovely black rich compost, mixed in with strawy manure and garden/kitchen waste.
Timely; thank you. I was going to buy a sack of FBB meal, as an alternative to artificial fertilizer - but from this, it doesn't seem the way to go. Would pelleted chicken manure work for the lawn I wonder ? I can't really mulch the lawn with compost. Scratching my head.
@bunnyguinness Ooh! I’ve been dying to ask : is there any benefit to gathering a bit of the beautiful rotten fallen tree grounds from the forest??!
Bunny you have made some good informative videos in the past this one is not one of them is full of misinformation and errors.
I checked it all out and had in-depth discussions with soil scientists. Additionally I find it works in practice. Do you sell fertiliser?!🐇
Might have been more helpful to have actually said what you think is misinformation or error….
So glad you don’t need to turn your compost. Best news ever!
Care to elaborate? I think she makes very valid points, however, I also feel there's a lot more to it than she was able to fit in the video and it isn't as simple as it sounds. For example, many trees have relationships with microbes and fungi in the soil that are unique to those specific plants and their needs, such as a silver birch vs a red pine but are also different from other plants. The microbes and fungi are breaking apart the soil minerals into a form the plant then can utilize. The tree is giving the sugars and what not to the microbes and fungi to feed on. Therefore when you plant a tree in the wrong soil it takes time for that environment to grow into what the plant needs and the plant might suffer during the important early years of its life and be susceptible to disease and pest damage. If the soil doesn't have the resources for this to occur then it is also an issue, such as the wrong minerals or fungi and microbes there were beneficial to another plant, but not the new one. Furthermore if this plant doesn't have the fungi near it's roots or in them when it was planted to begin with, such as if it was propagated in sterile media, then where would they then come from if the local soil doesn't have them available either? One can always agree or disagree if the relationship between a plant and soil fungi and microbes is symbiotic or not, but nevertheless it is an important one for plant health to get it right. Where I think Bunny is correct is that we are trying to feed the plants with one size fits all solutions without taking into account that the actual answer to plant health isn't as simple as feeding the correct nutrients, but to not to make things worse it would be better to try to help the microbes and fungi thrive to keep it safe?