How to Fertilize Vegetable Seedlings
The thrill of watching your vegetable seedlings emerge is one of the best things about gardening. Once those leaves appear, it is important to make sure that your vegetable plants get the best start possible. If using a starting mixture, the seeds have already received the nutrients necessary to begin the growth process--now it is up to you to keep them growing well. The best time to fertilize vegetable seedlings is when you transplant them into the ground. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Hand gardening tools
- Bucket
- Compost
- Water Hose
- Vegetable fertilizer (optional)
Instructions
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Fertilize Seedlings While Planting
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1
Dig the hole to plant your vegetable seedlings in. Place the soil you removed in a bucket.
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2
Mix the contents of the bucket with compost to create a 50/50 mixture. Compost will benefit seedlings of all types. You can also add an organic vegetable fertilizer, such as Sustane 8-4-4.
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3
Place a handful of the mixture from the bucket into the hole. Gently place the seedling into the hole and fill in with more of the bucket mixture. Tamp down firmly and your seedling is ready to thrive.
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4
Water thoroughly to help the seedling absorb the nutrients and to help prevent transplant shock. If your seedling appears somewhat wilted or lackluster for a few days that is to be expected, being transplanted into the ground is an adjustment for the small plant. After a few days the nutrients and compost will have the seedling growing healthily.
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5
As your seedling matures into a full plant, you can apply compost around the base. You can also use a compost tea to give it a boost.
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Resources
- Photo Credit salad and vegetable plants growing in allotment image by scalesy from Fotolia.com
