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Are you fertilizing your soil? If you aren't perhaps you should consider doing so. Did you know that even though your initial preparation of your soil before you planted was very thorough, even with plenty of organic matter you still need to add more fertilizer to promote healthy growth? Some plants just need more help in their growth, especially those with a long blooming season, like chrysanthemums.
Are you aware that plants need at least sixteen elements for healthy growth and that only four of them are commonly applied as fertilizer? These four are calcium, phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. Your plants really need large amounts of oxygen, carbon, sulfur, magnesium and hydrogen. Usually these elements are already present in your soil.
The first thing you should do before deciding on the proper fertilizer is to take some soil to have it tested: take it to the county agent in your area. This way you'll be able to determine the pH scale of your soil's acidity or alkalinity. Now after having your soil tested be sure to follow the recommendations of the person who did the testing in deciding how much fertilizer to add. For an example, most garden plants will thrive when the pH is between 6 and 7 (close to neutral) and they will grow fairly well with a pH between 5.5 and 7.2. If your soil is
too acid in content after testing you will need to add hydrated lime or pulverized limestone to neutralize it.
Now surely as you go along fertilizing your plants and your garden you will hear a good deal about the benefits of one fertilizer and the benefits of another. You'll have to weigh all the information and decide on which ones you'll need. Your plants and garden crops sure don't care what you add as long as they thrive and are happy and healthy plants.
You can use organic plant foods such as compost, manure, tankage, blood meal, cottonseed meal, soybean meal or even sewage slude but sometimes you can spend more money getting these items I have just mentioned than if you bought them in the form of an inorganic fertilizers at the local nursery. Remember, with the exception of bone meal, nitrogen is the predominant nutrient in the plant foods. In bone meal, the phosphorus is dominant. When you use organic plant foods as fertilizers always keep in mind that the organic plant foods are insoluble and become available only as they decay in the soil. This is actually the best as they are the most long lasting and also slow acting. But sometimes organic fertilizers alone are not balanced enough for your garden and plant needs.
There are many forms of fertilizers, and from my vast experience in growing shrubs, plants and garden crops I have not found a particular advantage of using the liquid over the dry: it is perhaps a matter of personal preference. The dry forms of fertilizer seem to work best on starter plants and are also excellent for accurate application to houseplants and other container grown plants.
I would suggest you research each plant and its particular needs before planting: also consult your local nursery as they are skilled in the soil in your area. Make the best possible decision for your shrubs, plants and garden crops: you can readily do this with gathering information from various sources such as this article.
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