Richard

Bob,
I did not mean to imply that you are hurting your plants or doing anything wrong. I was "trolling" for misunderstanding of "chemical salts" and found it.

I applaud what you are doing with your garden (for free!) and think more people should do it with their ornamental plants. The materials you are using initially supply about 400ppm (parts per million) of major nutrients to the plants at the first watering, then decreasing geometrically to near zero in 1 to 3 months. The nutrients contained in your materials are in the form of chemical salts. The remaining mass is about 95% fiber plus compounds ignored by plants.

Your materials are insufficient for my fruiting plants. I supply my subtropicals with about 100ppm of Nitrogen and 66ppm of Potash in the water supply, along with the other minor- and micro-nutrients found in your materials. These all come from naturally occuring compounds that have been concentrated into water-soluble salts. I use them because (1) the proportion of nutrients is known (2) they are not harmful to me or the environment as a whole when used responsibly (3) I don't have to deal with a cubic yard of fiber per plant -- which I would using your materials to obtain the desired dosage.

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