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When
And How Much Fertilizer?
One of the great myths
of gardening is that fertilizer is plant food. It's not. Plants
make their own food in their leaves and stems with the energy of
the sun.
A better way to think
of fertilizer is like a vitamin and mineral supplement. Plants need
the nutrients in fertilizer to grow and stay healthy, but will only
benefit from nutrients in the proper amounts. Fight the misconception
that "more is better" - a little fertilizer is much better
than a lot.
Here are a few rules
of thumb with fertilizing:
- Never fertilize dry
soil. Water all plants thoroughly the day prior to fertilizing.
Nutrients in contact with dry roots will burn sensitive root hairs.
- Wait 3 weeks before
fertilizing newly bought plants or transplants.
- Never fertilize your
plants on days when the air temperature is over 85 F.
- Different plants have
different fertilizer needs - find out what you plant prefers,
and keep a regular schedule.
If your plant seems unhealthy
- don't try to use fertilizer as medicine. There could be lots of
reasons besides lack of nutrients that cause a plant to be pale
or stunted.
Plants that are suffering
from disease, insect attack, or neglect will not benefit from extra
fertilization. Try to determine the problem, cure that, and then
continue the fertilizing program when the plant's general health
has been restored.
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