Wednesday, November 26, 2008

How to mix the Mittleider fertilizer

jim,

buying the micro-nutrients, i think, is the best approach for me. however, my location would make it impractical because the shipping alone would cost me an arm and a leg. also, i have a large area and the most economical approach is to make my own fertilizer.

papaya and banana. both my bananas and papayas are 5 month old and have an average of 3" trunks now. the expected first harvest for papayas is between the 6th and 7th month. as to my bananas, expected harvest is on the 9th month.

thanks

Following is a formula for making the Mittleider Magic Weekly Feed Mix from 16-16-16 or 14-14-14:

NPK 200#
Epsom Salt 33#
Zinc sulfate 2.250#
20 Mule Team Borax 2.000#
Manganese sulfate 1.125#
Iron sulfate .375#
Copper sulfate .375#
Sodium molybdate .188#
Calcium Sulfate Granules 9.#

The above formula is about enough to supply a garden of 25 30'-long beds for a year, assuming a temperate climate. This only requires a space 65' X 70'- 4,550 square feet, or just over 1/10th of an acre, and can feed a family for many months.

This can be achieved by purchasing the NPK and Epsom Salt locally, and ordering 6 packages of Micro-Mix (Only 6#+ shipping weight) from the Foundation's website at www.growfood. com.

Jim Kennard

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