List of NPK Values for Organic Materials--Make Your Own Nutrients or Designer Compost

If you've ever thought about making your own nutrients, there are lots of ways to go about it...teas, compost, vermi-culture, fermented plant extracts, etc.

Here is a list of NPK values for organic materials. A lot of this stuff is just kitchen or farm scraps, so you'd be saving money WHILE helping the earth.

If anyone has anything else not on the list that they would like to add, that'd be awesome!

Also, if anyone has any good ideas on how to use any of these as a fertilizer, please feel free to share as well!! +rep for good ideas!




Material
Nitrogen
Phosphoric acid
Potash


Alfalfa hay
2.45
0.5
2.1

Apple fruit
0.05
0.02
0.1

Apple leaves
1
0.15
0.35

Apple pomace
0.2
0.02
0.15

Apple skin (ash)
-
3.08
11.74

Banana skin (ash)
-
3.25
41.76

Banana stalk (ash)
-
2.34
49.4

Barley (grain)
1.75
0.75
0.5

Bat guano
6
9
-

Bean and pod
0.25
0.08
0.3

Beet waste
0.4
0.4
3


Beet waste (root)
0.25
0.1
0.5


Blood meal
15
1.3
0.7

Bone (ground and burned)
-
34.7
-


Bone meal
4
21
0.2


Brewer's grains (wet)
0.9
0.5
0.05


Brigham tea (ash)
-
-
5.94


Cantaloupe rind (ash)
-
9.77
12.21


Castor bean pomace
5.5
2.25
1.13


Cattail reed & water lilly
2.02
0.81
3.43


Cattail seed
0.98
0.39
1.71


Chicken manure
1.63
1.54
0.85


Coal ash (anthracite)
-
0.125
0.125


Coal ash (bituminous)
-
0.45
0.45


Cocoa shell dust
1.04
1.49
2.71


Coffee grounds
2.08
0.32
0.28


Coffee grounds (dried)
1.99
0.36
0.67


Corn (grain)
1.65
0.65
0.4


Corn (green forage)
0.3
0.13
0.33


Corncob (ash)
-
-
50


Corncob (ground, charred)
-
-
2.01


Cotton seed
3.15
1.25
1.15


Cotton waste
1.32
0.45
0.36


Cottonseed meal
7
2.5
1.5


Cottonseed-hull (ash)
-
8.7
23.93


Cow manure (fresh)
0.29
0.17
0.1


Cowpea, green forage
0.45
0.12
0.45


Cowpes, seed
3.1
1
1.2


Crab (common)
1.95
3.6
0.2


Crab (king, dried and ground)
10
0.25
0.06


Crab (king, fresh)
2.3
-
-


Crabgrass
0.66
0.19
0.71


Cucumber skin (ash)
-
11.28
27.2


Dog manure (fresh)
1.97
9.95
0.3


Duck manure (fresh)
1.12
1.44
0.49


Egg
2.25
0.4
0.15


Eggshell
1.19
0.38
0.14


Eggshell (burned)
-
0.43
0.29


Feather
15.3
-
-


Felt hat factory waste
3.8
-
0.98


Field bean (seed)
4
1.2
1.3


Field bean (shell)
1.7
0.3
1.3


Fish scrap (fresh)
6.5
3.75
-

Fish scrap (red snapper)
7.76
13
0.38


Gluten feed
4.5
-
-


Grape leaves
0.45
0.1
0.35


Grapefruit skin (ash)
-
3.58
30.6


Grapes (fruit)
0.15
0.07
0.3


Greasewood (ash)
-
-
12.61


Greensand
-
1.5
5


Hair
14
-
-


Hare and rabbit waste
7
2.4
0.6


Hoof meal and horn dust
12.5
1.75
-


Horse manure (fresh)
0.44
0.17
0.35


Incinerator ash
0.24
5.15
2.33


Jellyfish (dried)
4.6
-
-


Leather (acidulated)
7.5
-
-


Leather (ash)
-
2.16
0.35


Leather (ground)
11
-
-


Lemon cull
0.15
0.06
0.26


Lemon skin
-
6.3
31


Lobster (refuse)
4.5
3.5
-
Lobster (shell)
4.6
3.52
-


Milk
0.5
0.3
0.18


Molasses residue (brewing)
0.7
-
5.32


Moss
0.6
0.1
0.55


Mud (fresh water)
1.37
0.26
0.22


Mud (harbour)
0.99
0.77
0.05


Mussel
0.9
0.12
0.13


Mussel mud (dried)
0.72
0.35
-


Oak leaf
0.8
0.35
0.15


Oats grain
2
0.8
0.6


Olive pomace
1.15
0.78
1.26


Olive refuse
1.22
0.18
0.32


Orange cull
0.2
0.13
0.21


Orange skin (ash)
-
2.9
27


Oyster shell
0.36
10.38
0.09


Paint processing waste
0.02
39.5
-


Pea pod (ash)
-
1.79
9


Peach leaf
0.9
0.15
0.6


Peanut (seed & kernel)
3.6
0.7
4.5


Peanut shell
0.8
0.15
0.5


Peanut shell (ash)
-
1.23
6.45


Pig manue (fresh)
0.6
0.41
0.13


Pigeon manure (fresh)
4.19
2.24
1.41


Pigweed (rough)
0.6
0.16
-


Pine needle
0.46
0.12
0.03


Potato (leaf and stalk)
0.6
0.15
0.45


Potato (tuber)
0.35
0.15
0.5


Potato skin (ash)
-
5.18
27.5


Poudrette
1.46
3.68
0.48


Powderworks waste
2.5
-
17


Prune refuse
0.18
0.7
0.31


Pumpkin (fresh)
0.16
0.07
0.26


Pumpkin seed
0.87
0.5
0.45


Rabbit brush (ash)
-
-
13.04

Ragweed
0.76
0.26
-


Redtop hay
1.2
0.35
1


Rhubarb stem
0.1
0.04
0.35


Rockweed
1.9
0.25
3.68


Rose (flower)
0.3
0.1
0.4


Salt mud
0.4
-
-


Salt-marsh hay
1.1
0.25
0.75


Sardine scrap
7.97
7.11
-


Seawood
1.68
0.75
4.93


Sheep manure (fresh)
0.55
0.31
0.15


Shoddy and felt
8
-
-


Shrimp head (dried)
7.82
4.2
-


Shrimp waste
2.87
9.95
-


Silk mill waste
8.37
1.14
0.12


Silk worm cocoon
9.42
1.82
1.08


Silt waste
9.5
-
-


Sludge
2
1.9
0.3


Sludge (activated)
5
3.25
0.6


Sludge from sewer beds
0.74
0.33
0.24


Soot from chimney fllue
5.25
1.05
0.35


Starfish
1.8
0.2
0.25


Sugar (raw, residue)
1.14
8.33
-


Sunflower seed
2.25
1.25
0.79


Sweet potato
0.25
0.1
0.5


Sweet potato skins (ash)
-
3.29
13.89


Tanbark (ash)
-
0.34
3.8


Tanbark ash (spent)
-
1.75
2


Tankage
6
5
-


Tea grounds
4.15
0.62
0.4


Tea leaves (ash)
-
1.6
0.44


Timothy hay
1.25
0.55
1


Tobacco leaves
4
0.5
6


Tobacco stalk
3.7
0.65
4.5


Tobacco stem
2.5
0.9
7


Tomato fruit
0.2
0.07
0.35


Tomato leaves
0.35
0.1
0.4


Tomato stalk
0.35
0.1
0.5


Wheat grain
2
0.85
0.5


Wheat straw
0.5
0.15
0.6


Wheat, bran
2.65
2.9
1.6


White clover (green)
0.5
0.2
0.3


White sage (ash)
-
-
13.77


Wood ash (leached)
-
1.25
2


Wood ash (unleached)
-
1.5
7


Wool waste
5.5
3
2

Excellent! +rep

Now, if you could post the breakdown/decomposition rates .............

LOL, Jk.

Wet

Wetdog said:

Excellent! +rep

Now, if you could post the breakdown/decomposition rates .............

LOL, Jk.

Wet

Click to expand...

Hey, thanks! Apparently you can't get enough of that +rep around here lol.

And worm-compost! I believe I read worm compost has 3 times the amount of nutrients than regular compost, and the plant can uptake them faster.

I'm under the impression that by putting all of my high N compost in one bin, and all my high PK scraps in the other bin, that I can use these separately as a veg and flower boost without any other N or PK sources. I just ordered another stackable system and some more worms, so I'll start the high PK bin next week.

Of course if it works I'll have to figure out how much to use in my mix, and how much to use in the teas, and so on...but I'm excited to try it.

+1 for more worms. Homemade castings are high in EC if they were fed quality food that is the way to go.

Nice, thanks man.....................

Just remember to keep things simple. Every mans compost is different. Find what works best for you. Don't be discouraged by failures. Learn from them and move forward.

I prefer to make my compost on the ground not in raised bins. On the ground invites worms and other microbes to join the party!

SupraSPL said:

+1 for more worms. Homemade castings are high in EC if they were fed quality food that is the way to go.

Click to expand...

Definitely! I get more organic veg and fruit scraps from my juicer than anything. We make our own nut and bean milk too, so LOTS of good stuff.

InfidelUniversity said:

Nice, thanks man.....................

Click to expand...

You're completely welcome

Scoobydo said:

Just remember to keep things simple. Every mans compost is different. Find what works best for you. Don't be discouraged by failures. Learn from them and move forward.

I prefer to make my compost on the ground not in raised bins. On the ground invites worms and other microbes to join the party!

Click to expand...

Great advice! I've already learned it's a lot easier for me to compost indoors with a stackable unit, but I'm setting up my first big outdoor garden (for food lol) so I think I'll take your advice and try compost some outdoors on the ground.

Do you bury the compost a little?

+ WitchDoctor + said:

Definitely! I get more organic veg and fruit scraps from my juicer than anything. We make our own nut and bean milk too, so LOTS of good stuff.



You're completely welcome




Great advice! I've already learned it's a lot easier for me to compost indoors with a stackable unit, but I'm setting up my first big outdoor garden (for food lol) so I think I'll take your advice and try compost some outdoors on the ground.

Do you bury the compost a little?

Click to expand...

No bury. I use T posts with pallets for the sides and back. Chicken wire for the front. 3" PVC pipe with holes drilled sticking out of the top like a smoke stack. Gets ventilation to center of pile.

Awesome, I'll check out some ideas online for outdoor worm compost. We have over about 20 lbs a week now in food waste, so I might have to start composting some of it outdoors anyways.

very informative thanks for that

Ey, no problem. Have fun with the info!

Soil in most of the amazon in not good, but some how lush forest grow so dense and so fast it is said that a fresh cut path can close behind a man. The plants there however have evolved in such a way that they constantly feed on only the fresh organic carbon matter that is consistently replenished by a constant decay in plants. The soil is highly acidic and with heavy rain falls most nutrients left in the soil are leached away.

The plants survive off fresh organic matter in the soil, and I think from the wet air in the dense forest are kinda foiler fed the entire time


For more info read the last chapter in 1491, by Charles Mann 2nd edition.


My question, will our favorite plant benefit with a fresh mixture of stuff listed above and ewc in just about any kind of soil, ie you can grow it anywhere successfully if there is plenty of this stuff in the soil. The ideal would be a complete organic companion plot through each season gets better... Aging your plot? Does any of this register? Is this possible, cuz that would be a new take on sustainability.

I believe what you are asking about is green manure, which is pretty much what I'm doing except with indoor container gardening, and has actually been practice in Asia since...ancient times. And I'm sure other parts of the world as well. I thought I had something bookmarked about it but I don't.

But yes, that's my plan at least. I'm planning on using 50% composted decayed matter and wormcastings and 50% coco peat in a soil-less mix. As soon as the compost is ready this weekend I will start some fresh clones out in the mix and start a journal.

Yes, since ancient times.... We have plenty to learn from the past....

johnyutah said:

Yes, since ancient times.... We have plenty to learn from the past....

Click to expand...

Agreed!! We just need to make sure we learn from the HONEST past, and not the one that is typically written down in books lol.

My real goal is to be able to grow in a 99% ecologically friendly manner. I understand a lot of people grow with just teas, but I need to make strong medicine, so I still need to buy a few things in bottles or packaging, but I always recycled them lmao.

Right now I've already gotten all the animal-based products out of my grows, but I'm still using Rock Phosphate, which isn't a renewable resource. I've also stopped using more than 5% peat in my mix.

Hey, thanks! I already see a few things on here that I've been composting that weren't on my list. I'll edit them in to the first page later if I get a chance. +rep!!

Alexander Supertramp said:

http://www.onlinepot.org/grow/OrganicCompostNPKValues.htm

Click to expand...

So I finally got a free hour to sit down and go through the list you posted Alexander...it's the exact same list I posted at the beginning of the thread lol..did you even look at it??

I really want that hour of my life back lol....anyways, the reason it looked like there were things on your list that weren't on mine if because your list is out of aphabetical order for some reason...thanks for posting either way though.

Any way, if you find anything that's not on the list please come back and post it.

Yes I did read it. This list has been posted around this forum many times....and it contains some other interesting links...

Alexander Supertramp said:

Yes I did read it. This list has been posted around this forum many times....and it contains some other interesting links...

Click to expand...

Ok. Thanks.