Fertilizers To Improve Your Garden Soil.

Over the years a huge mythology has grown up around the magic of fertilizers

. The head gardeners of the pre-war estates had their own unique secret potions. Today there are feeds that are claimed to be ideal for everything in the garden.

The fact is very much less thrilling. All nutrient-providing ingredients need to be reduced to the exact same simple compounds before the roots are capable of absorbing them. That means the nutrients in a liquid fertilizer containing organic salts may be immediately there for the plant roots, on the other hand the plant foods locked up in the coarsely-ground organic mix may need to wait months before release.

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

Every agriculture expert agrees that nitrogen, phosphates and potash needs to 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 needs to be changed into a simple inorganic form before it can be absorbed by the roots. This breakdown is performed by soil bacteria. It is important to keep in mind that these organisms are not usually active in cold, acid or waterlogged soils, so the speed of action depends on your soil condition.

Inorganic Fertilizers:

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

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

Solid fertilizers:

Garden shops display a wide selection of solid fertilizers, powders or granules which are sprinkled on top of 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 also available.

Liquid fertilizers:

Liquid feeding means applying fertilizer diluted with water all around the plants. In the beginning 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.

Straight fertilizers:

A straight fertilizer is based on an individual 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.

Compound fertilizers:

A compound fertilizer is based on a mixture of active components. 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 within in a couple of 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 growth is present and spray in the evening when rain is not forecast.

Steady release fertilizers:

Many standard 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. One of the best known example is Urea-formaldehyde.

by: Johan Monarrez

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