Vegetable Fertilizers Help
There are 13 soil nutrients essential for plant growth and vegetable production. An absence or shortage of any one of these nutrients leads to problems in the vegetable garden. Does this Spark an idea?
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Nutrients
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Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, sulfur and magnesium are macronutrients, or nutrients that plants consume in large amounts. Micronutrients, or trace elements, are just as important to plants but they are consumed in small amounts. Copper, boron, chlorine, manganese, iron, zinc and molybdenum are micronutrients.
Soil Test
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Most of the necessary nutrients are available in average garden soils, but the quantities may not be sufficient for vegetable production, or they may not be in the proper form. Get a soil test to determine what elements your soil needs, and the amount and types of fertilizer and lime to apply. Soil tests are inexpensive, and save you the time and expense of trying to correct problems later on. Your cooperative extension service can tell you how to get a soil test.
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Complete Fertilizers
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Complete fertilizers contain nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. The series of numbers on the bag tell you the percentages of each element. For example, a complete fertilizer labeled 6-12-18 contains 6 percent nitrogen, 12 percent phosphorous and 18 percent potassium. In the absence of a soil test, 2 to 3 pounds of a complete fertilizer per 100-foot row is usually sufficient.
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