Are you bulking up on fertilizer due to projected shortages?

This Middle East war is said to affect fertilizer production worldwide. Are you bulking up on fertilizer due to projected shortages?

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already did 2 years ago

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I did yup

I have plenty of Comfrey, alfaalfa that I compost alongwith yard leaves. Make a lot of fermented brews too it is sufficient for my yard. I did buy up few years worth of chicken manures, humic acid pellets, limestone but that was before the war.

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We have about 600 square feet of weathered manures and quite a bit of more fresh manures. Plus 150-200 pounds of stored 10-10-10.

We are good for a while.

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Yes, did already. Would to the same with chicken feed, but think the shelf life is probably not good enough

plenty of nettle, comfrey and chic manure. alfalfa pellets are also great at building and fertilizing your soil and are cheap.

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How much synthetic fertilizer are people needing? I tiil a 20 lb. bag into our veggie garden each spring. That’s it. I don’t fertilize fruit trees. I do use synthetic fertilizer on foodplots for deer, but it’s less than 200 lbs. annually. I am not worried about what is likely a short term “blip”

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Dont forget KNF (Korean Natural Farming) and JADAM :grin:
Make your own FAA and FPJ fertilizer if times get tough

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No.

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Don’t forget that nitrogen fertilizer is super easy to come by for free: human urine is mostly urea, which is exactly the same chemical that is being extracted from fossil fuels to create commercial fertilizer. And urine contains no harmful pathogenic bateria, so it’s perfectly safe to put into your soil. Or into your compost pile, if you prefer. Just make sure you dilute it a lot, because it’s such a potent nitrogen source that you can easily overfertilize your plants if you’re not careful.

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With 2 cows and a dozen chickens, I think we won’t be having a fertilizer shortage anytime soon. :wink:

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Not likely short term IMO. I think that people are way too complacent. Severe energy shortages, translating in high prices for nitrogen fertilizer, plus disruption in sulfuric acid supply will translate into shortages for phosphate fertilizer. This, plus high prices for diesel will cause crop shortages worldwide and famine.

No, I use composted beef cattle manure if I need to bump up the veggie garden.

The fruiting trees and shrubs get my own compost if anything.

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Ok..I assume you are close with producers in your area.

Farmers here in central MN that I talk to aren’t worried about short term fluctuations. Most locked in prices last fall

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I don’t think there are supposed to be projected shortages of OMRI stuff sold in the US.

I’m 99% sure it is predicted that there will be shortages and/or higher prices on the commercial chemical fertilizers, namely Di-ammonium Phosphate.

I use true brand and Jobe’s brand OMRI granular fertilizer. I have a few bags here and there. plenty for my needs for the season.

I still need to get some ammonium sulfate for my blueberries.

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I have investments in a nitrogen fertilizer plant in the US, so I follow the sector closely. This plant pre sold all inventory for Q1 and 2, so any price increases would come from Q3 onwards. They are going to deliver, because they are in the US and use US feedstocks. But 18% or so of nitrogen fertilizer in the US is imported. So, farmers may have prepaid and not worry, but they should. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/0650d4fc-24d5-4b21-981c-eb0dc3e8a6f0#0

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These are not anymore short term disruptions. The world largest LNG export facility in Qatar was hit and is off-line due to significant structural damage. Repair is projected to take 3 to 5 years. (LNG is an important input worldwide into nitrogen fertilizer production via the Haber Bosch process).

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I fertilized less this year than ever.

No fertilizer at all on Goumi, Persimmons, Apples, Pears. Goumies provide their own N and mine put on 3-5 ft of growth each year that I prune off to keep them 8 ft tall or less.

Persimmons are known to drop fruit if provided too much N.
Apples and Pears are more prone to fireblight when you have lots of new growth.

Last year I started applying a mix of brown and green material to the mulch layer around my trees.

Woodchips, grass clippings, fall leaves, green chop and drop. I have started bocking 14 comfery this spring in the mulch ring of each fruit tree. That will be included in my green chop and drop mulch layer.

It all just turns into compost.

I hope to eventually wean all my fruit trees off store bought fertilizer… and feed them well enough thru mulch layer composting.

TNHunter

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Thankfully I lean on composted animal manure. Goat, bunny, and chicken. The chickens do double duty as egg providers so that’s a nice fringe benefit. But I imagine doing so at scale would be a bit tricky without the right equipment.

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