base dressing for potting compost?

Heedtheadvice

I am making up potting compost for vegetables (seedlings) based on coir that I usually make with perlite, rockdust and commercial slow release fertilizer.
I forgot to buy the fertilizer!
Can I use fish blood and bone? If so how much? I do not want to add too much and scortch the plants. (No details seem available for use in making potting compost!)



Live a long way from anywhere that can supply organic fert for this purpose and time is pressing for distant deliveries! Fb&b is too hand.


Cheers

-taff

Are you potting on to final pots or just potting them up for more potting on later?
If the latter, I wouldn't bother with the BFB just yet, I'd add it to the final potting compost, if you read your instructions, or google amounts, work out your compost volume, add that much and then mix in

Heedtheadvice

Thanks Taff,
First potting up for later transplanting.
Undestand what you write...but...
The coir has no nutrients and really needs some to support plant growth for six weeks.


Have not yet found any info on amount of fert by volume, just by ground area which is not quite the same! Any ideas where to find it?

-taff

No idea where to find a comparison, but I would use the totally unscientific method of a handful and a half to a bag of compost.

Or however much commercial fertiliser you'd use converted to weight for the BFB.
Less is probably more in this case.


Someone else with more knowledge may be along soon

Heedtheadvice

Found a book we have taff for organic gardening that gives a general formulation for loam and coir compost so will use that as a basis. You were not far away with the standard handfull!


For info:
1:1 loam:leaf mold or coir
Per 30 litres add 200g seaweed meal, 100g bonemeal,80g hoof & horn, 50g limestone.
Ok not what I wanted but gives an approx max level for potting mix for established plants.
On that basis, for very young plants, it sill be a handfull each seaweed meal and fb&b per 30litres.


As you say less is more having frazzled seedlings before now!


Thanks

Apodemus

You could leave out the BFB just now and order a liquid feed to use for watering. That would allow you to plant now and still provide adequate feeding for growth.