Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question?

Jamie p · 05-16-2015, 09:57 PM

Is potassium sulfate a good product to have on hand for banana plants? Or is it simply to high of a number?

Richard · 05-16-2015, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie p

Is potassium sulfate a good product to have on hand for banana plants? Or is it simply to high of a number?

The number is concentration in percentage by weight. It is an inexpensive source of potash if you are making your own fertilizer.

Jamie p · 05-16-2015, 10:28 PM

Thank you Richard ! I know bananas need a lot of potassium so I thought I might keep some on hand just in case of a deficiency, or maybe use as a supplement.

Richard · 05-16-2015, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie p

Thank you Richard ! I know bananas need a lot of potassium so I thought I might keep some on hand just in case of a deficiency, or maybe use as a supplement.

As in all nutrients, there are limits. For a banana plant past the juvenile stage, it's not going to utilize much more than net 1.5 lbs potash per year -- and somewhere above that level (perhaps double) it will suffer from potassium phytotoxicity and die. In terms of K2SO4 (potassium sulfate): net 1.5 lbs/yr potash is gross 3 lbs/yr.

Jamie p · 05-16-2015, 11:10 PM

You have a lot of knowledge concerning plant nutrients, that is an area I need to study more. It is very interesting, but I'm not about to even try quantum mechanics! Lol

I'll keep what you said in mind. A little can go a long ways when it comes to nutrition.

jeffaroo · 05-17-2015, 12:26 AM

Sounds like I'm doing it backwards. I've been giving juvenile plants 1/2 dose and adult plants full dose. Sounds like the young ones need a hotter dose. This is what I hate about the internet, ask 1 question and get 27 opinions and your lucky if 10% are remotely right

Richard · 05-17-2015, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffaroo

Sounds like I'm doing it backwards. I've been giving juvenile plants 1/2 dose and adult plants full dose. Sounds like the young ones need a hotter dose.

No.

Jamie p · 05-17-2015, 02:24 AM

Gotta love Missouri! Tornado time!! And I was sleeping so good. Just hope my fellow Missourians make it through ok.

Olafhenny · 05-17-2015, 09:57 PM

As Richard said you have a fertilizer component that measures 50% potassium by weight.
However you should never fertilize with only one of the three. All should be represented in
each application. Keep in mind, that if you blend your 0-0 50 potassium with say, 0-45--0
phosphates in equal parts, you will not get 0-45-50, but 0-22(.5)-25 and if you also add nitrogen,
(which you should), the formula changes again in accordance of the proportions of the various
fertilizers in the blend.

Actually that is exactly, what I do: I buy each of the three in high concentration, in bulk and then
mix them as conditions, plants and seasons require. That is much more economical than using
'Miracle Green' or 'Wonder Grow' premixed formulas.

If in doubt, go to the store, look at the label recommended for your use and then employ your
math skills to come up with something similar. It does not have to be exact, just try to be in
the ball park. The plant will then pick up, what it needs.

There is just one thing to pay attention to: Overdose of nitrogen burns the roots.

Good luck,
Olaf

Jamie p · 05-18-2015, 10:51 PM

I have a product at work called potassium magnesium sulfate. Sulfur 22 percent potassium 18 percent and magnesium 11 percent. Would this be good for make part of a fertilizer?

Jamie p · 05-19-2015, 12:13 AM

BTW thank you Olafhenny ! I appreciate the information you shared earlier.

Olafhenny · 05-19-2015, 12:41 AM

Hi Jamie,

well - not really, magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) is an additive used when planting
tomatoes, peppers and roses. It is recommended to use it only, when analysis has
proven the soil deficient in magnesium. It is used by some as an additive in the
bottom of a planting hole. In your case in combination with the root growth promoting
potassium, it is probably meant to do just that. In roses Epsom salt supposedly promotes
bloom and in tomatoes and peppers it is reputed to make the fruit sweeter. But that
appears to be mostly the case, if the soil was deficient of magnesium in the first place.

To sum it all up: You can use it as described above or spray it on foliage at a rate of
1 tbl spoon/gallon of water, but it probably 'ain't gonna' make a whole lot of difference,
unless your soil is lacking magnesium. For all I can figure out the main benefit of
the stuff is probably to the bottom line of its manufacturer.

Best,
Olaf

Richard · 05-19-2015, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie p

I have a product at work called potassium magnesium sulfate. Sulfur 22 percent potassium 18 percent and magnesium 11 percent. Would this be good for make part of a fertilizer?

Yes, that is commonly called Sul-Po-Mag and used in the design of some "complete" commercial fertilizers. Here is a blurb I wrote a while back on care of fruit trees. Check the "Feeding" section for some hints on designing your own: Fruit Tree Care & Feeding

Stonefox · 03-21-2018, 09:52 AM

Olafhenny
Were i live its is difficult to buy fertilizers because I stay in a remote area.
In South Africa in general i have not been able to find 10

10 or 19:19:19, or any balanced fertilizer, after months of searching. Best I can get is 3:1:5 or 3:2:3 etc. So I have been thinking of buying bulk bags from a farmers co op and mixing my own. For example the local farmers co op has Potash and ammonium sulphate & Potassium sulfate in 25kg bags, I just don't know how to combine them. Would mind you sharing what you mix, i.e. what are the bulk N:P:K products you mix.
Also are you mixing granular or water soluble?

what is the source of the 0-45-0 ? And what would be a N source (e.g. 40-0-0 )?

edwmax · 03-21-2018, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stonefox

Olafhenny
Were i live its is difficult to buy fertilizers because I stay in a remote area.
In South Africa in general i have not been able to find 10

10 or 19:19:19, or any balanced fertilizer, after months of searching. Best I can get is 3:1:5 or 3:2:3 etc. So I have been thinking of buying bulk bags from a farmers co op and mixing my own. For example the local farmers co op has Potash and ammonium sulphate & Potassium sulfate in 25kg bags, I just don't know how to combine them. Would mind you sharing what you mix, i.e. what are the bulk N:P:K products you mix.
Also are you mixing granular or water soluble?

what is the source of the 0-45-0 ? And what would be a N source (e.g. 40-0-0 )?

Ammonium sulphate has 21% nitrogen. But, the 24% sulphate (sulfur) would likely be a problem as it would cause a high acidic condition. ... Use Ammonium nitrate, urea, or may be composted chicken manure for a nitrogen source.

Akula · 03-21-2018, 06:01 PM

Urea (46-0-0) would be a good, cheap, nitrogen source to use in combination with potassium sulphate. I would apply each separately i.e. no mixing, unless you have a big plantation and then it would make sense to combine to save application time. Just use the appropriate application rate.

Stonefox · 03-22-2018, 06:05 AM

Great thanks for the replies!

N: urea [CH4N2O] (46-0-0)
P:????
K: potassium sulphate (K2SO4) (0-0-50-18S)

What is a cheap bulk source of phosphate?

edwmax · 03-22-2018, 10:50 AM

You need to locate fertilizer base stock material which available to you in South Africa. ... See this refference for how to calculate fertilizer formations and base fertilizers to use in the blends. ref: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...LVona4Cnu8W6BT

Also, this reference gives basic blend formulas & amounts. ref: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...COk70FlcsPBKVp

Both above reference list fertilizer stock materials needed or to use in making a blend formulation. ... Don't forget the micro elements needed! ... And, be careful using urea as it is not comparable with some fertilizer types.

The second reference shown above using 7 basic fertilizers (raw materials) gives the many different blends that can be formulated and the weight of each base fertilizer required.

Stonefox · 03-22-2018, 01:36 PM

Thanks for the tables, very useful and include examples.

Richard · 03-22-2018, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stonefox

... In South Africa ...

There is no need for you to buy N, P, and K separately. There are farm suppliers in South Africa that sell fertilizer mixes suitable for bananas -- for example 20-10-30 including micronutrients. Look for a store that sells the USA-made Grow More products or the Israel-made ICL/Haifa products, typically water-soluble in 10 or 20 kg bags.

05-16-2015, 09:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jamie p Location: Fair Grove Missouri Zone: zone 6/7 Name: Musamania Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 172 BananaBucks : 52,445 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 106 Times Was Thanked 240 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 12 Times	Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? Is potassium sulfate a good product to have on hand for banana plants? Or is it simply to high of a number?

05-16-2015, 10:28 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jamie p Location: Fair Grove Missouri Zone: zone 6/7 Name: Musamania Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 172 BananaBucks : 52,445 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 106 Times Was Thanked 240 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 12 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? Thank you Richard ! I know bananas need a lot of potassium so I thought I might keep some on hand just in case of a deficiency, or maybe use as a supplement.

05-16-2015, 11:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
Jamie p Location: Fair Grove Missouri Zone: zone 6/7 Name: Musamania Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 172 BananaBucks : 52,445 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 106 Times Was Thanked 240 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 12 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? You have a lot of knowledge concerning plant nutrients, that is an area I need to study more. It is very interesting, but I'm not about to even try quantum mechanics! Lol I'll keep what you said in mind. A little can go a long ways when it comes to nutrition.

05-17-2015, 12:26 AM	#6 (permalink)
jeffaroo Location: Lodi, CA Zone: 9b Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 258 BananaBucks : 71,634 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 70 Times Was Thanked 243 Times in 132 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? Sounds like I'm doing it backwards. I've been giving juvenile plants 1/2 dose and adult plants full dose. Sounds like the young ones need a hotter dose. This is what I hate about the internet, ask 1 question and get 27 opinions and your lucky if 10% are remotely right __________________ Keep shoveling on the potash till the ground bleeds

05-17-2015, 02:24 AM	#8 (permalink)
Jamie p Location: Fair Grove Missouri Zone: zone 6/7 Name: Musamania Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 172 BananaBucks : 52,445 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 106 Times Was Thanked 240 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 12 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? Gotta love Missouri! Tornado time!! And I was sleeping so good. Just hope my fellow Missourians make it through ok.

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05-17-2015, 09:57 PM	#9 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 245,938 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? As Richard said you have a fertilizer component that measures 50% potassium by weight. However you should never fertilize with only one of the three. All should be represented in each application. Keep in mind, that if you blend your 0-0 50 potassium with say, 0-45--0 phosphates in equal parts, you will not get 0-45-50, but 0-22(.5)-25 and if you also add nitrogen, (which you should), the formula changes again in accordance of the proportions of the various fertilizers in the blend. Actually that is exactly, what I do: I buy each of the three in high concentration, in bulk and then mix them as conditions, plants and seasons require. That is much more economical than using 'Miracle Green' or 'Wonder Grow' premixed formulas. If in doubt, go to the store, look at the label recommended for your use and then employ your math skills to come up with something similar. It does not have to be exact, just try to be in the ball park. The plant will then pick up, what it needs. There is just one thing to pay attention to: Overdose of nitrogen burns the roots. Good luck, Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them. Last edited by Olafhenny : 05-17-2015 at 10:00 PM.

05-18-2015, 10:51 PM	#10 (permalink)
Jamie p Location: Fair Grove Missouri Zone: zone 6/7 Name: Musamania Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 172 BananaBucks : 52,445 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 106 Times Was Thanked 240 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 12 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? I have a product at work called potassium magnesium sulfate. Sulfur 22 percent potassium 18 percent and magnesium 11 percent. Would this be good for make part of a fertilizer?

05-19-2015, 12:13 AM	#11 (permalink)
Jamie p Location: Fair Grove Missouri Zone: zone 6/7 Name: Musamania Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 172 BananaBucks : 52,445 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 106 Times Was Thanked 240 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 12 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? BTW thank you Olafhenny ! I appreciate the information you shared earlier.

05-19-2015, 12:41 AM	#12 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 245,938 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? Hi Jamie, well - not really, magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) is an additive used when planting tomatoes, peppers and roses. It is recommended to use it only, when analysis has proven the soil deficient in magnesium. It is used by some as an additive in the bottom of a planting hole. In your case in combination with the root growth promoting potassium, it is probably meant to do just that. In roses Epsom salt supposedly promotes bloom and in tomatoes and peppers it is reputed to make the fruit sweeter. But that appears to be mostly the case, if the soil was deficient of magnesium in the first place. To sum it all up: You can use it as described above or spray it on foliage at a rate of 1 tbl spoon/gallon of water, but it probably 'ain't gonna' make a whole lot of difference, unless your soil is lacking magnesium. For all I can figure out the main benefit of the stuff is probably to the bottom line of its manufacturer. Best, Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

03-21-2018, 09:52 AM	#14 (permalink)
Stonefox Find me on the map! Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 36 BananaBucks : 5,192 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 40 Times Was Thanked 16 Times in 11 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? Olafhenny Were i live its is difficult to buy fertilizers because I stay in a remote area. In South Africa in general i have not been able to find 1010 or 19:19:19, or any balanced fertilizer, after months of searching. Best I can get is 3:1:5 or 3:2:3 etc. So I have been thinking of buying bulk bags from a farmers co op and mixing my own. For example the local farmers co op has Potash and ammonium sulphate & Potassium sulfate in 25kg bags, I just don't know how to combine them. Would mind you sharing what you mix, i.e. what are the bulk N:P:K products you mix. Also are you mixing granular or water soluble? what is the source of the 0-45-0 ? And what would be a N source (e.g. 40-0-0 )?

03-21-2018, 06:01 PM	#16 (permalink)
Akula Location: Pensacola, Florida Find me on the map! Zone: Zone 9a Join Date: Jul 2017 Posts: 1,236 BananaBucks : 70,087 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,540 Times Was Thanked 2,381 Times in 809 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 128 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? Urea (46-0-0) would be a good, cheap, nitrogen source to use in combination with potassium sulphate. I would apply each separately i.e. no mixing, unless you have a big plantation and then it would make sense to combine to save application time. Just use the appropriate application rate.

03-22-2018, 06:05 AM	#17 (permalink)
Stonefox Find me on the map! Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 36 BananaBucks : 5,192 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 40 Times Was Thanked 16 Times in 11 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? Great thanks for the replies! N: urea [CH4N2O] (46-0-0) P:???? K: potassium sulphate (K2SO4) (0-0-50-18S) What is a cheap bulk source of phosphate?

03-22-2018, 10:50 AM	#18 (permalink)
edwmax Location: Cairo, Ga Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 2,891 BananaBucks : 88,613 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,741 Times Was Thanked 4,440 Times in 2,095 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 414 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? You need to locate fertilizer base stock material which available to you in South Africa. ... See this refference for how to calculate fertilizer formations and base fertilizers to use in the blends. ref: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...LVona4Cnu8W6BT Also, this reference gives basic blend formulas & amounts. ref: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...COk70FlcsPBKVp Both above reference list fertilizer stock materials needed or to use in making a blend formulation. ... Don't forget the micro elements needed! ... And, be careful using urea as it is not comparable with some fertilizer types. The second reference shown above using 7 basic fertilizers (raw materials) gives the many different blends that can be formulated and the weight of each base fertilizer required. __________________ Last edited by edwmax : 03-22-2018 at 11:03 AM.

03-22-2018, 01:36 PM	#19 (permalink)
Stonefox Find me on the map! Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 36 BananaBucks : 5,192 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 40 Times Was Thanked 16 Times in 11 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Potassium sulfate 0-0-50 question? Thanks for the tables, very useful and include examples.

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