fertilizers in the garden
We use fertilizer to grow our plants well, but when is the best time to fertilize? And how much of what kind of fertilizer do we use? On one page, we will see the basics for applying fertilizer in your garden.
What is compost?
The soil is rich in organic matter (compost!) And fertilizers are often used to get the nutrients the plants need. Consider fertilizers as nutritional supplements. For example, tomatoes need to grow in soils high in calcium.
If you have grown and harvested plants in your garden in the past, these crops have taken up nutrients from the soil, and those nutrients need to be replaced before more plants can be grown in the spring. This is where compost (organic or processed) plays a role. Fertilizers replace the lost nutrients, which ensures that the nutrient content of the soil is at an acceptable level for healthy growth.
If you are a brand new gardener, the best first step is to do a basic soil test in the fall and see what type and amount of fertilizer to apply to the "basic fertility" level. (See more about testing below.) We know that not every gardener takes the time to test the soil, but we recommend it; You may find that the fertility level of your garden is already adequate.
However, use fertilizers with caution: the only thing worse than starving a nutrient-rich plant is accidentally over-fertilizing it. Plants use only the nutrients they need. Absorption more than necessary can lead to abnormal growth or adverse effects.
When to fertilize your garden
For edible crops, compost is usually applied in the spring and mixed into the garden soil before planting. If you have already sown your seeds or planted seedlings, you can still gently work around the plants in granular fertilizer (not liquid fertilizer, which can burn the young roots). It does not need to work deep into the soil - making the top 3 to 5 inches. Then water the manure.
For perennial flowering plants, fertilize before spring begins. Wait until the ground freezes and the date of your last frost is a week or more. This ensures that the soft new growth formed by the fertilizer is less likely to be killed by immediate frost.
Although spring application is a good general rule, understand that when plants are growing too much they really need help.
This precedes the spring planting of lettuce, arugula, kale, and other leafy greens.
Corn and squash grow rapidly in mid-summer. Therefore, for long-term crops such as maize, many gardeners apply a small amount of fertilizer at the time of sowing, and then in early summer, shortly before rapid autumn growth, adding more fertilizer.
Tomatoes and potatoes need extra fertilizer in the middle of the season because the plants are taking up and using existing nutrients. When tomatoes begin to produce flowers, switch to low nitrogen fertilizer to encourage more flowers and fruits than leaves.
For perennial plants, the time depends on the growth cycle of the plant. Blueberries, for example, are effective at fertilizing at bud break at the beginning of the season, while June-bearing strawberries are most effective at fertilizing after harvest.
Ornamental trees, shrubs, and perennials, at the beginning of their growing season, often become fertile when they break the dormancy.
Always test the soil!
The only way to truly determine the level of nutrients in your soil is through a "soil test". You will have plenty of time to get test results in the fall. Soil tests are usually available for free or at a reduced price at your local cooperative extension. You do not have to do this for a year. The goal is to understand your soil, create it, and then apply fertilizer to the soil each year to maintain basic fertility.
If your garden has been fertilized for many years, you may find that you have high levels of nutrients. If your soil already has high levels of nutrients, you do not want to add them; This can actually inhibit the growth of your plants. Read more about how to do soil testing.
What kind of fertilizer should I use and how much?
A fertilizer bag can be labeled with a combination of numbers such as 3-4-4 or 8-24-8 or 12-12-12. All three of these numbers represent three important nutrients that plants need: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The numbers indicate the percentage of the weight of each nutrient in the bag. If you add up the numbers, they are a percentage of the total weight of the bag (the rest will be filled in to make it easier to apply). Other nutrients may include calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese.
To start your garden, use a common vegetable fertilizer. For vegetables, we use herbal and vegetable plant foods with 3-4-4 oils. For tomatoes, we use a separate fertilizer with a 3-4-6 ration, which contains calcium, which helps prevent rot at the end of flowering.
Phosphorus is important because it is essential for root growth and development. Potassium strengthens the ability of plants to resist disease. Note that nitrogen (first number) is low. Have you ever seen a tomato plant with green leaves but no flowers or fruit? This is due to excess nitrogen, which promotes the growth of leaves.
Vegetable crops require most of their nitrogen after they have reached significant growth or have already begun to bear fruit. Excess nitrogen before this time delays maturation and reduces flowering and yield. Your plants will receive nitrogen from the decomposition of organic matter in your soil.
Later in the season, some plants benefit from nitrogen side-dressing (sprayed in the middle of the rows). The plant's need for nitrogen is often greater than that provided by the first two, and requires nitrogen side-wear. But it depends on the vegetable.
Cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli can benefit from more fertilizer three weeks after planting.
Peas, beans, cucumbers, and melons can benefit after flowering.
Peppers, Eggplant and Tomatoes Benefit After First Fruit Set Tomatoes can be used about two weeks after plucking your first tomato, and then again a month later.
When the plants are 8 to 10 inches tall, sweet corn will come in hand a week after the bud has appeared.
Lettuce, cabbage, mustard, and turnip greens are beneficial when one-third of the plants are growing.
Do not add nitrogen to these vegetables: sweet potatoes, watermelons, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, lettuce.
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