How to Buy Fertilizer: Know What Your Plants Need!
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Since your plants will not always have sufficient nutrients in the soil by simply relying on sun and water, you will need to know how to buy fertilizer. To find out how much fertilizer your garden needs, do a soil test or have it done at your area’s extension service.
Watch Out For These Problems! The following soil conditions can lead to certain deficiencies that are harmful to your plants. Watch out for them!
Reminder In your effort to keep your plants healthy and you want to use supplements or additives, do not apply them all at the same time. If your plant develops a problem, you will not know which supplement or additive is doing damage. Forms of Fertilizer Liquid fertilizers are more expensive and must be applied about every two or three weeks, but they bring quick results. Most of them come in concentrated form and must be diluted with water. You will need a sprayer. The granular fertilizer form is applied in its original condition and has to be saturated with water. It can be either quick release or slow release. All slow-release fertilizers are granular and can be either water insoluble nitrogen (WIN) or soluble (WSN). The polymer coated lasts about four weeks longer than the sulfur coated, but it all depends on the amount of precipitation received. Some Members of the Fertilizer Family Included in the fertilizer family are all-purpose plant foods, which are available in granular, liquid, tablet, and spike forms. Some of these plant foods have been specifically formulated for African violets, roses, cacti, acid-loving plants, etc. Natural fertilizers such as blood meal, kelp meal, compost, etc. are excellent soil additives. When thinking of manure, remember that there are two types: the “hot” and the “cold.” Chicken and horse manures, for instance, will fall under the category of “hot,” which means that you need to compost them first or they will burn your plants. Cow and sheep manures are examples of “cold,” and can be applied directly without composting processes. Safeguarding the Environment When applying fertilizer, follow the package directions very carefully. Make sure that you do not over-fertilize to prevent any runoff that may affect the water supply. It is part of our responsibility to protect our environment, a necessary element of knowing how to buy fertilizer as well as how to use it.
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