Fertilizer, Food for Your Garden
By 250 News
Things are really beginning to grow with the recent warm temperatures. Hopefully spring is here to stay. Now that plants are growing we can start fertilizing.
Lawns should be fertilized with a quick release, well balanced fertilizer first, such as 13-5-7 as this will promote strong root growth as well as green up the lawn. Then after 3-4 weeks you can switch to a slow release fertilizer such as 24-6-12 which is also higher in nitrogen (the first number of the three numbers found on all fertilizers) that will make the grass grow very green.
Cedars and other evergreens are fertilized with a fertilizer high in nitrogen as you want to have nice green growth so you could use a water soluble 30-12-12 which is very fast acting as it feeds the plant immediately. If using the water soluble fertilizer you will need to fertilize every 2 weeks during the plants high growing period. If you are looking for something that is a little less work you can use the granule 18-4-8 that is sprinkled around the trees roots. 
This is a slow release fertilizer and so only needs to be done twice during the season; once now and then one more time towards mid to late July.
A third method of fertilizing evergreens is using tree spikes. (photo at right shows a fertilizer spike)
These are hammered into the soil around the outside perimeter of the trees roots in May and then slowly break down throughout the summer continuously feeding the trees roots. Tree spikes can only be used in the spring because you want them to be all done by the end of the season when it is time for the tree to go into dormancy as it readies itself for winter.
Fruit trees and flowering shrubs are fertilized in the same manner as evergreens but you want to use a fertilizer such as one with a lower first number and a higher middle number as you want the plant to produce more flowers and fruit rather than leaves. The middle number is phosphorus which aids in the production of root development and flowers. You can use a 4-19-17 which is a berry and fruit tree fertilizer. This is also used for your strawberries, raspberries and other small fruits you have in your yard as soon as the plants show signs of live.
Perennials can be fertilized with 18-12-14 which is an annual/perennial fertilizer so save what you do not use for the perennials for the annuals which you will plant later.
Bulbs are fertilized with 4-14-8 as they are blooming so that they have enough nutrition to form next year’s bulb.
Vegetable gardens and flower beds where annuals are to be planted should be fertilized later when the plants are placed in them unless you plan on using manure which is applied to the soil before you work it so that you can work it into the soil when you till the garden. If you are not using the purchased bagged manure but are using manure from the farm, make sure that it is old manure that has been sitting for awhile. If you are using a granule fertilizer, apply 8-20-20 just before you are ready to plant. Some gardeners like adding wood ashes to the garden soil as this is said to help prevent onion maggots, but if you plan on using wood ashes you need to be careful not to put it in the area of the garden where you plan on planting potatoes as wood ashes cause scab on the potatoes.
Fertilizer is an important factor in growing healthy strong plants and using the proper fertilizer is also important. Many of the higher quality fertilizers contain added trace elements such as magnesium, sulfur, iron, calcium and zinc which are also very good for strong healthy plant growth. You often get what you pay for, so a less expensive bag of fertilizer may not contain all the trace elements so important for a plants health.
- Highway 97 North at NorthwoodPulpmill Road
- Highway 16 West at Kimball Road
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Posted by: tikipiki on May 12 2008 8:57 PM
What sort of gardener are you if your going to throw some fertilizer at your plants and drench them with cold water to get them to grow. Plants are living things why not treat them with love and get on your knees and help them grow by working organics into the soil around them.
Are you really trying to help people or are you just trying to get a few mor bucks for yourself by selling fertilizer.
Cheers