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I know the norm is to use rock phosphate or bone meal but I can't find rock phosphate in my area and it's expensive to ship because of the weight. I'm not able to use an animal product like bone or fish emulsion.

It's there anything else that is readily available?

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    Bat guano's expensive, but it's a 3-10-1 fertilizer (see here).
    – J. Musser
    Oct 2, 2014 at 9:38
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    what kind of fruiting plants, where do you live, why do feel the plants lack adequate phosphorous, what kind of soil do you have?
    – kevinskio
    Oct 2, 2014 at 10:19
  • I'll echo Kevinsky's question - phosphorus shortage usually only occurs on agricultural land, but it might be that wherever you are, its naturally short in the soil.
    – Bamboo
    Oct 2, 2014 at 17:28

5 Answers 5

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According to this site, urine contains 2/3 of the phosporous expelled from the body and it is also high in nitrogen:

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In a healthy population, just dilute and distribute, if there are infections (UTIs are specifically mentioned) you will want to sterilize further. This is a lesser concern for applications around trees and bushes vs annual vegetables.

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  • I dont know how to embed link on mobile, Ill come back later or some kind soul could help me out : )
    – Alex
    Oct 3, 2014 at 12:45
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    That may be true, but the actual amount of phosphorus in urine per fertilizer application is low, especially compared with nitrogen. Due to the high nitrogen and potentially high sodium levels, you probably wouldn't want to use enough to get lots of phosphorus to your plants. Nevertheless, you can get some phosphorus to plants via urine. Sep 4, 2016 at 4:12
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Starting your own compost is one option for cultivating your own high P fertilizer. Adding egg yolks, animal bones, fish waste, and anything that has a higher P ratio will increase the P ratio of the compost. When dealing with material prone to disease, it's best to use a high heat composting approach to sterilize the end product. There are various yard tumblers that make this rather easy.

Primary purchasable sources from (http://www.grow-it-organically.com/organic-phosphorus-fertilizers.html):

  • Soft Rock Phosphate 0-18-0
  • Bat Guano (High-P) 3-10-1
  • Steamed Bone Meal 3-15-0
  • Fish Bone Meal 3-18-0
  • Rock Phosphate 0-33-0
  • Rock Dust (Crushed Granite) 0—3-5—0, trace minerals

Additional composting sources for P:

Some food sources have pretty high levels of phosphorus naturally - banana peels, crab shells, shrimp peelings, most grains and nuts - and these should all be added to compost when available. Meats, poultry, eggs and dairy products are also phosphorus-rich, but you'd want to avoid adding those to your compost. (source)

The reason they mention avoiding the disease prone materials is because there isn't necessarily an easy way to verify that the end product is indeed disease-free. A heat thermometer should be enough to confirm that the center is at least cooking adequately however you will need to be sure that the entirety of the batch is mixed and turned so that every bit of it is cooked.

Since you can't use animal products or fish emulsion (do however note the above paragraph on compost heat-sterilizing), and you don't want to spend more on shipping, your left with:

  • banana peels
  • most grains and nuts

Extended looser definition of animal products would additionally include:

  • egg shells
  • crab shells
  • shrimp peelings
  • bat guano
  • fish bone meal
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    Could you add more detail on how to get your compost to be high in phosphorous?
    – Philip
    Oct 2, 2014 at 16:32
  • The OP specifically asks for non-animal/fish, and no rock phosphates. Of the six items in your bulleted list, four fall into one of these categories. Please update.
    – J. Musser
    Oct 2, 2014 at 21:22
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    I am unclear on the accurate definition of animal products here since technically fish meal and bone meal are essentially animal products (after having been composted) IIRC. It would be beneficial to know why the OP cannot use these things as under most circumstances (with proper care) they can be used readily (for composting anyways).
    – Enigma
    Oct 2, 2014 at 21:30
  • Isnt urine high in phosphorous? He could just dilute his own urine or directly apply in some sort of pattern.
    – Alex
    Oct 3, 2014 at 12:37
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    @Enigma: Animal waste products don't qualify as animal products. Out of egg shells, crab shells shrimp peelings, bat guano, and fish bone meal, only bat guano and eggshells would qualify. Products that were manufactured using any part from an animal is an animal product.
    – J. Musser
    Oct 3, 2014 at 19:39
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Comfrey, nettles and kelp are all you need.

Once or twice a season let the crops get a douse of sea water for good trace elements. In the fall bury fish in the garden beds.

Old timers used this with excellent effect

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Check out wheat bran. Ordinary bakers grade wheat bran contains over 2 1/2 % phosphorus by weight. Horse owners often feed it. Because of this feed stores often carry 44 pound bulk bags as do bakers wholesale supply stores. The bran also contains a balanced supply of nitrogen and potassium. It breaks down readily in the soil. Accordingly I apply it the fall before at 1 pound per 4 square ft area every year.(20 pounds to a 4'x20' bed.

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I use pheasant manure- and it stinks to high heaven! I have to leave it for several months before I can use it, rats love it! but the phosphorus content is supposedly quite high and its organic and readily available/renewable source of good stuff for the garden.

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