Organic Fertilizer and NPK what it is and how to calculate it

On todays episode we are going to talk about Organic Fertilizers and what and how to calculate NPK.

According to Colorado State University an organic fertilizer refers to a soil amendment derived from natural sources that guarantees, at least, the minimum percentages of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash.  Examples include plant and animal by-products, rock powders, seaweed, inoculants, and conditioners.

By definition these products have to guarantee at least a known amount of Nitrogen Phosphorus and Potassium or NPK

So what is NPK? NPK refers to the percent weight of that Nitrogen Phosphorus and Potassium makeup of the material in question. Generally the industry standard is to consider include the entire weight of the organic molecule as a part of this weight. Using Nitrate as an example the % weight includes the Nitrogen and three Oxygen atoms that make up N03

Nitrogen is available in three forms. Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite. NH3 NO3 and NO2
Phosphorus is most commonly found in P2O5 and Potassium in K2O.

So if you have results that represent the elemental numbers such as the lab results we have been presenting recently you will have to convert them to generate your NPK numbers so that you can compare then.

The first step to do this is to figure what percent the N P and K make up of their organic forms.

This is done using the atomic weight of the element in questions. The atomic weight generally represents the weight of the individual of each atom. Each atom on the periodic table has a different weight.

Meaning for K2O there is one oxygen and two potassium atoms to total weight of K2O is:

Total weight: (39.10*2) + 16 = 94.2

In order to figure out what % the nitrogen is simply divide potassiums combine atomic weight by the total combine weight.
Present weight of Potassium (78.2/94.2)*100 = 83.01%

The root equation here is K = 0.8301 x K2O

So to convert out K number to get the K2O we are seeking you divide our result by 0.8301

K = 0.8301 x K2O

K2O = K / 0.8301

And then divide by 10,000 to convert mg/kg (ppm) to percent (parts per 100)

Mg/kg / 10,000 = %

our final conversion of potassium:

(20000/.8301)/10000= 2.41

This represents our K number in NPK.

So as many of you know one of my goals this year is to test my own garden practices to see if the science holds true. In order to do this I have already presented the analysis of fall leaves and I have sent samples of coffee grounds, coffee, and comfrey to Maxxam analytics for assessment.

Over the next few weeks Ill be presenting these results for coffee grounds, coffee and comfrey to see if the results support my garden practices.

Ill be putting all of the results video in the Testing Garden Assumptions Playlist.

Colorado State University:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/234.html#terms

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of gardening with my parents and brothers. This channel is about low cost organic urban gardening in zone 3. I am by no means an expert gardener however I love to share my experiments and journey garden year round. Please feel free to join the conversation and if you think you might like this channel subscribe. Have a great day!

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What is REVERSE OSMOSIS? What does REVERSE OSMOSIS mean? REVERSE OSMOSIS meaning – REVERSE OSMOSIS definition – REVERSE OSMOSIS explanation.

Source: Wikipedia.org article, adapted under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ license.

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification technology that uses a semipermeable membrane to remove ions, molecules, and larger particles from drinking water. In reverse osmosis, an applied pressure is used to overcome osmotic pressure, a colligative property, that is driven by chemical potential differences of the solvent, a thermodynamic parameter. Reverse osmosis can remove many types of dissolved and suspended species from water, including bacteria, and is used in both industrial processes and the production of potable water. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the membrane and the pure solvent is allowed to pass to the other side. To be “selective”, this membrane should not allow large molecules or ions through the pores (holes), but should allow smaller components of the solution (such as solvent molecules) to pass freely.

In the normal osmosis process, the solvent naturally moves from an area of low solute concentration (high water potential), through a membrane, to an area of high solute concentration (low water potential). The driving force for the movement of the solvent is the reduction in the free energy of the system when the difference in solvent concentration on either side of a membrane is reduced, generating osmotic pressure due to the solvent moving into the more concentrated solution. Applying an external pressure to reverse the natural flow of pure solvent, thus, is reverse osmosis. The process is similar to other membrane technology applications. However, key differences are found between reverse osmosis and filtration. The predominant removal mechanism in membrane filtration is straining, or size exclusion, so the process can theoretically achieve perfect efficiency regardless of parameters such as the solution’s pressure and concentration. Reverse osmosis also involves diffusion, making the process dependent on pressure, flow rate, and other conditions. Reverse osmosis is most commonly known for its use in drinking water purification from seawater, removing the salt and other effluent materials from the water molecules.

Osmosis is a natural process. When two solutions with different concentrations of a solute are separated by a semipermeable membrane, the solvent has a tendency to move from low to high solute concentrations for chemical potential equilibration.

Formally, reverse osmosis is the process of forcing a solvent from a region of high solute concentration through a semipermeable membrane to a region of low solute concentration by applying a pressure in excess of the osmotic pressure. The largest and most important application of reverse osmosis is the separation of pure water from seawater and brackish waters; seawater or brackish water is pressurized against one surface of the membrane, causing transport of salt-depleted water across the membrane and emergence of potable drinking water from the low-pressure side.

The membranes used for reverse osmosis have a dense layer in the polymer matrix—either the skin of an asymmetric membrane or an interfacially polymerized layer within a thin-film-composite membrane—where the separation occurs. In most cases, the membrane is designed to allow only water to pass through this dense layer, while preventing the passage of solutes (such as salt ions). This process requires that a high pressure be exerted on the high concentration side of the membrane, usually 2–17 bar (30–250 psi) for fresh and brackish water, and 40–82 bar (600–1200 psi) for seawater, which has around 27 bar (390 psi) natural osmotic pressure that must be overcome. This process is best known for its use in desalination (removing the salt and other minerals from sea water to get fresh water), but since the early 1970s, it has also been used to purify fresh water for medical, industrial, and domestic applications.

Organic Fertilizer and NPK what it is and how to calculate it

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