Fertilizing: The basics for the beginners

All plants need nutrients, just like we do. However, lack of nutrients in the soil around your home may be damaging your garden crop. You wouldn't expect a baby to grow up healthy and strong on a diet that didn't include Vitamin C, calcium and protein, would you? For the same reason, you oftentimes can't expect your plants to grow well if you deny them the essential nutrients found in fertilizer.

There are 16 essential elements for plant growth. The primary elements are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium

K). The three numbers on the sides of fertilizer bags refer to those three macronutrients, in that order. All of the other 13 elements are called micronutrients. These 13 are very important also, just needed in smaller amounts.

The three-number formula on the bag represents the macronutrients' percentage of weight. For instance, if a bag said 10-10-10 and the bag weighed 100 pounds, there would be 10 pounds of N, 10 pounds of P and 10 pounds of K in that bag. The other 70 pounds consist of needed fillers and carriers. These make the fertilizer easier to spread and prevent the plants from getting burned from the fertilizer.

There are many different types of fertilizers on the market. Sometimes you will find some that are packaged for certain uses or types of plants. You can find fertilizer specifically for roses, or just for azaleas, etc. You will also find that different brands have different nutrient ratios for the same type of plant such as the rose.

To find out what type of soil you have - whether it is acidic, alkaline or neutral - you have to perform a soil test. Fertilizer is not cheap, so doing a soil test will help you get a better start. Find a soil test kit at your local garden shop, and follow the directions exactly to get an accurate reading.

When buying fertilizer follow the directions on the bag. If you use what you have available be sure you know if it is acidic or alkaline. For instance, many people use wood ashes on their gardens. Wood ashes are very alkaline, so if you have alkaline soil already, you don't want to add wood ashes. If your soil is more acidic, then you can add them to neutralize your soil.

The type of plant you're raising will also be a factor in choosing the right type of fertilizer. Root crops don't require as much nitrogen as leafy crops. Trees and shrubs are light feeders, and corn a heavy feeder, of nitrogen. Turf grasses are like corn and also require lots of nitrogen.

Here are some good rules of thumb:

+ Leafy plants need nitrogen.

+ Root and fruit plants need phosphorous.

+ For general durability, cold hardiness or disease resistance, use potassium.

- Courtesy of Essortment.com.