Types Of Fertilizers To Improve Your Garden Soil

Over the years a vast mythology has grown up around the magic of fertilizers. The head gardeners of the pre-war estates had their own secret potions. Today there are feeds which are claimed to be ideal for everything in the garden.

The truth is much less exciting. All nutrient-providing ingredients have to be reduced to the same simple compounds before the roots are able to absorb them. This means that the nutrients in a liquid fertilizer containing organic salts may be immediately available to the plant roots, on the other hand the plant foods locked up in a coarsely-ground organic mix may have to wait months before release.

There is no good or bad here, the desired speed of release and the ideal balance of nutrients will depend on the soil type, the season and the plant. No single fertilizer can be the best in all situations.

Every gardening expert agrees that nitrogen, phosphates and potash must be added to the soil. The fertilizers which provide these nutrients are described as either 'organic' or 'inorganic'. Most authorities agree that both kinds do important but rather different jobs.

Organic Fertilizers:
These materials are of animal or vegetable origin. Most of them provide nitrogen, and this organic nitrogen must be transformed into a simple inorganic form before it can be absorbed by the roots. This breakdown is performed by soil bacteria. It is important to remember that these organisms are not active in cold, acid or waterlogged soils, so speed of action depends on soil conditions.

Inorganic Fertilizers:
Some of these fertilizers are minerals extracted from the earth - Chilean Nitrate is every bit as natural as Bone Meal. Others are manufactured and have earned the titles of 'synthetic' or 'artificial' fertilizers. Plants are unable to tell the difference between plant foods from natural or synthetic sources - breakdown to the same nutrients occurs before uptake by the plant.

Inorganics are generally quick-acting, providing plants with a boost when used as a top dressing. They are usually less expensive than organics and have become much more popular than the old-time favourites. Just one organic fertilizer, Bone Meal, has kept its place amongst the best-selling plant foods.

SOLID FERTILIZERS.
Garden shops display a wide array of solid fertilizers, powders or granules which are sprinkled on the soil by hand or applied through a fertilizer distributor. Powders are dustier to use than granules but are generally quicker acting. Sticks of concentrated fertilizer for insertion in the soil are available.

LIQUID FERTILIZERS.
Liquid feeding means applying fertilizer diluted with water around the plants. It began with soaking bags of manure in a barrel of water, bottles of concentrated liquid fertilizer then became popular and in recent years soluble powders have taken pride of place. All are applied through a watering can or hose-end diluter.

STRAIGHTS.
A straight fertilizer is based on a single active ingredient. It nearly always contains just one major plant nutrient, although a few (e.g Bone Meal) contain a small amount of a second one.

COMPOUNDS.
A compound fertilizer is based on a mixture of active ingredients. It nearly always contains all three major plant nutrients, although a few contain only nitrogen and phosphates.

FOLIAR FERTILIZERS.
Several foliar feeds are solid, either as leaf-feeding fertilizers or mixed with pesticides as multipurpose products. When sprayed onto leaves the nutrients enter the sap-stream in a few hours, even where root action is restricted by poor soil conditions. A useful technique especially for Roses and sick plants. For maximum effect ensure that sufficient leaf is present and spray in the evening when rain is not forecast.

STEADY-RELEASE FERTILIZERS.
Many popular compound fertilizers contain both quick and easy slow-releasing sources of nutrients, so feeding goes on for some time. A true steady-release fertilizer, however, is a complex chemical which provides a prolonged supply of nutrients as it breaks down in the soil or as the outer coating dissolves. The best known example is Urea-formaldehyde.

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