How to Buy Fertilizer

Plants grow best in fertile soil, and that means you must often help out nature by adding fertilizer. If you grow plants in containers, you have no choice: Healthy plant growth demands regular feeding. First you'll need a quick chemistry lesson.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Understand that plants require a basic diet of three main nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium or potash (K). Secondary nutrients, such as calcium, are necessary to a lesser degree.

2. Read a fertilizer label to determine its ingredients. The percentages of the three main nutrients--N, P and K--are listed, often in an abbreviated form, such as 6-2-4. You'll also see any trace elements included in the mixture.

3. Use a combination of N-P-K suited to the plants you're treating. All-purpose fertilizer (5-5-5 or 10-10-10) is good for general garden use, including flower and vegetable gardens. High-nitrogen lawn food (29-3-4, for instance) is designed to encourage quick green growth.

4. Consider specialty fertilizers for plants with special needs. For instance, azalea food is formulated for plants requiring acidic soil conditions.

5. Decide whether you want a chemical fertilizer or an organic fertilizer, derived from plant and animal sources such as kelp meal, cottonseed meal or blood meal. Chemical fertilizers generally provide more nitrogen and work more quickly; they can also burn plants more readily if directions are not followed carefully.

6. Choose a dry fertilizer to sprinkle on the ground for established areas of the garden containing trees, shrubs and flowers. The instructions will tell you if you have to work the fertilizer into the soil and water it in. Dry fertilizers also work well in a vegetable garden, where you can mix them into the soil before planting.

7. Use a liquid fertilizer for container plants (mix with water in a watering can for small applications) or if you want to spray the garden with fertilizer; some labels point out the value of applying liquid food to foliage.

8. Consider slow-release fertilizers to apply nutrients over a long season. The soil must stay moist for the fertilizer to work.

9. Always follow directions carefully. Excessive fertilizing can hurt your plants and the environment.

Tips & Warnings

• Test your soil to determine its nutrient levels. Kits are available at gardening stores and nurseries.
• Feed plants according to the package instructions. Applying too much fertilizer is wasteful and can actually harm plants instead of helping them.

[SunflowerOcity]

on 11/30/2007 Well done!
I enjoyed your article and rated it with five stars! Check out my fertilizer related articles at the following links.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2128658_use-foliar-fertilizers.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2109524_understand-fertilizer.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2109523_grow-great-plants-fish-fertilizer.html
Chris

[landscaperpro]

on 5/23/2007 After planting flowers, don't quit until you have fertilized. Triple Super Phosphate is the pros choice for bigger better blooms.