Advantages When Adding Potassium to the Compost

What needs to be added to a Viragrow soil mix right at the start?

None to improve plant nutrition....at the beginning. Maybe six months to a year later.

Look at all those nutrients washed away from this compost pile! You can use this plant nutrient packed water as a fertilizer and plant protector called compost tea.

The compost is rich in nutrients. Compost also lowers the alkalinity or soil pH into a better range for plants. As long as you add decomposing or decomposted amendments to the soil about once a year the soil pH will be good for plants. The alkalinity of the soil will begin to creep up after the compost begins to disappear in the second and third year. I'm talking about Viragrow compost.

One major element that could be bumped up a little in our compost is potassium. For you organic gardeners Greensand is usually recommended. Everyone knows bananas and banana peels are rich in potassium but did you know that wood ashes, avocado skins, fish emulsion, lots of fruit skins added to your compost or mixed up in your blender and poured on your compost or the soil near your plants will also work. Just chop this stuff up in very small pieces so they rot easier and release the potassium faster. They rot faster in warmer temperatures.

But did you know that some seaweed extracts are naturally high in potassium? Check the label. If the seaweed extraction is done using potassium hydroxide as part of its extraction the extract may be very high in potassium. But the label will tell you.