Nature provides its own food for plants by way of nutrient recycling via the soil food web. Photo Amanda Jarrett
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Fertilizers & Ratios
Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
Organic Plant Food
Fertilizers & Ratios
Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
Organic Plant Food
In this article
- Basic Do’s and Don’ts of Fertilizing
- To Fertilize or Not to Fertilize
- Why Use Fertilizers?
- Synthetic Fertilizers Vs Organic Fertilizers
- The Nutrients Plants Need
Selecting the correct type of fertilizer is often confusing, as there so many different types - and what do those three numbers on fertilizer labels mean? Here's some basic information, the pros and cons of organic and synthetic plant foods, as well as what those numbers represent.
Basic Do’s and Don’ts of Fertilizing
- Apply fertilizers around the plant’s dripline (where the canopy ends), not against stems and tree trunks.
- Avoid sprinkling granular types on fruit, flowers, foliage. on stems and tree trunks.
- Do not fertilize thirsty plants. Water and wait for the plant to recover.
- It is a good idea to water the day before applying fertilizer.
- Rake or in hoe granular fertilizers then water thoroughly.
- Don’t apply more than the recommended rate on the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers when flowers and fruit are desired.
- To encourage flowering, use high phosphorus fertilizer.
- Generally, don’t apply high nitrogen fertilizers, even organics, in late fall or throughout the winter as it stimulate new lush growth.
Click on the pics below for captions to pop up.
Crimson clover is a cover crop that benefits insects and the soil.
To Fertilize or Not to Fertilize
Healthy soil doesn't occur by applying fertilizers, it’s the result of a working soil ecosystem, called the soil food web. When working properly, the soil food web is a community of organisms that turns organic material into food and soil. The food is called humus and is the product of decomposed plants, insects and animals. It is responsible for maintaining active, healthy soil, as it feeds the insects and microorganisms, not just plants. It is a functional universe unto itself.
Humus is the perfect plant food as it contains all kinds of nutritional goodies, including nitrogen, micro and trace elements. A soil rich in humus is dark in colour; almost black and has a nice earthy smell.
To create a humus rich soil, add organic matter annually such as compost, composted wood chips and leaves, manure as well as the old fashioned standby - well-rotted, aged manures. Grow comfrey and other deep rooted plants to bring up minerals from the subsoil and as they do, their long roots also break up heavy soil. Grow potatoes to make unworked soil more easier to work with (friable).
Plant cover crops such as fall rye or crimson clover in fall and work into the soil in spring. Allow nature to do its thing by leaving leaf litter and other organic material on garden beds. An addition of a 3 inch layer of organic mulch on top of the soil surface is also an essential component to a self-sustaining soil system.
Too much rototilling also degrades soil. I just use a garden fork to barely turn the soil in spring. Rototilling, double digging and over cultivating aids in breaking down all the organic material, depleting the soil of nutrients.
Healthy soil doesn't occur by applying fertilizers, it’s the result of a working soil ecosystem, called the soil food web. When working properly, the soil food web is a community of organisms that turns organic material into food and soil. The food is called humus and is the product of decomposed plants, insects and animals. It is responsible for maintaining active, healthy soil, as it feeds the insects and microorganisms, not just plants. It is a functional universe unto itself.
Humus is the perfect plant food as it contains all kinds of nutritional goodies, including nitrogen, micro and trace elements. A soil rich in humus is dark in colour; almost black and has a nice earthy smell.
To create a humus rich soil, add organic matter annually such as compost, composted wood chips and leaves, manure as well as the old fashioned standby - well-rotted, aged manures. Grow comfrey and other deep rooted plants to bring up minerals from the subsoil and as they do, their long roots also break up heavy soil. Grow potatoes to make unworked soil more easier to work with (friable).
Plant cover crops such as fall rye or crimson clover in fall and work into the soil in spring. Allow nature to do its thing by leaving leaf litter and other organic material on garden beds. An addition of a 3 inch layer of organic mulch on top of the soil surface is also an essential component to a self-sustaining soil system.
Too much rototilling also degrades soil. I just use a garden fork to barely turn the soil in spring. Rototilling, double digging and over cultivating aids in breaking down all the organic material, depleting the soil of nutrients.
Why Use Fertilizers?
Veggies taste better when they have enough food to grow and develop.
Sometimes plants need help to flower, form roots and fruit, and for fruits to ripen. When soils’ are poor and plants become weak, yellow and fall prey to insects and diseases, plants can’t wait for the compost and other organic matter to become available to them. Use them to:
- stimulate flowering, foliage, fruiting and rooting
- increase vigour and health of sickly plants
- increase hardiness
- increase disease resistance
- rectify nutrient deficiencies
- feed container grown plants and houseplants
Synthetic Fertilizers Vs Organic Fertilizers
Look for fertilizers that contain micronutrients and trace elements.
Synthetic plant foods are man-made and often contain only three major elements (macro nutrients): nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. Some may contain nutrients needed in lesser amounts such as iron and sulfur. They usually cost a bit more, but they are a better choice as plants don't just live on nitrogen, phosphorus and potash alone; they actually need 13 mineral nutrients.
Most synthetics are fast acting unless they are coated with a polymer, which releases the nutrients more slowly into the soil. Be cautious when using synthetics, even slow release ones, as they have the capacity to burn plant roots via the formation of salts - if over applied and used repeatedly.
Synthetic fertilizers are generally not beneficial to life in the soil. They upset the natural processes, making the garden more dependent on them. This is especially a concern if using fast acting fertilizer regularly. Plants will show their displeasure with brown leaf edges (margins) and wilting, followed by death. However, there are some advantages of synthetic fertilizers, but do use them only when necessary, judiciously and infrequently.
Most synthetics are fast acting unless they are coated with a polymer, which releases the nutrients more slowly into the soil. Be cautious when using synthetics, even slow release ones, as they have the capacity to burn plant roots via the formation of salts - if over applied and used repeatedly.
Synthetic fertilizers are generally not beneficial to life in the soil. They upset the natural processes, making the garden more dependent on them. This is especially a concern if using fast acting fertilizer regularly. Plants will show their displeasure with brown leaf edges (margins) and wilting, followed by death. However, there are some advantages of synthetic fertilizers, but do use them only when necessary, judiciously and infrequently.
Pros & cons of Synthetic Fertilizers
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Advantages of synthetic plant foods:
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Disadvantages of synthetic plant foods:
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Organic Fertilizers
Organic fertilizers, also referred to as 'soil conditioners', consist of products that have been minimally altered. They are derived from natural sources:
- seed meals ex: canola seed, cotton seed meal
- leaf tissues ex: alfalfa meal, kelp
- animal parts ex: bone, blood and fish meal
- animal excrement ex: bat guano, steer manure, llama beans
- rock dusts: ex: lime, greensand, langbeinite, glacial rock dust
- compost
Pros & Cons of Organic Fertilizers
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Advantages of Organic Plant Foods
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Disadvantages of Organic Plant Foods
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The Nutrients Plants Need
A complete plant food contains the primary nutritional elements to feed all plant parts. Weigela florida 'Rubidor'
Plants need 16 different nutrients for all different plant functions. They need lots of some nutrients and not so much of others. Three of those elements are oxygen, hydrogen and carbon, which are extracted from the air and water. The 3 primary nutritional elements are nitrogen, phosphorus and potash.
Nitrogen (N)
Potash encourages winter hardiness.
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Phosphorus stimulates flowers.
Phosphorus (P)
Potash (K)
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Secondary Nutrients
Blossom end rot on tomatoes is caused by a lack of calcium.
Secondary nutrients are needed in lesser amounts than nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. They are not included with the three main numbers on fertilizer labels, however, if they are present, they are listed in the ingredients.
- Magnesium (Mg):
- important in chlorophyll production
- helps absorb phosphorus and iron
- Calcium (Ca):
- improves vigor and is used for the formation of new plant parts
- aids in photosynthesis
- increases fruit set
- Sulfur (S):
- affects cell division and formation
- promotes nitrogen fixing bacteria on legumes
- assists in seed production
- required for chlorophyll formation
MICRONUTRIENTS
Don't be fooled by the word ‘micro’ and their lack of prominence on fertilizer labels, as micronutrients are just as important as the major and secondary elements. Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Boron (B), Molybdenum (Mo) and Chlorine (Cl), controls enzyme production, chlorophyll production and formation, calcium utilization, pollen and seed production and many other plant processes.
When a plant lacks any one of these minor elements, growth will be hindered, leaves become yellow with green veins and leaves become distorted, stunted, frizzled or cupped. Healthy soils, with good working ecosystems, rarely have micronutrient deficiencies. If they do occur, a good dose of compost certainly helps as well as other organic matter and a layer of mulch. You can also buy ‘trace nutrients’ and iron products where garden products are sold.
Don't be fooled by the word ‘micro’ and their lack of prominence on fertilizer labels, as micronutrients are just as important as the major and secondary elements. Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Boron (B), Molybdenum (Mo) and Chlorine (Cl), controls enzyme production, chlorophyll production and formation, calcium utilization, pollen and seed production and many other plant processes.
When a plant lacks any one of these minor elements, growth will be hindered, leaves become yellow with green veins and leaves become distorted, stunted, frizzled or cupped. Healthy soils, with good working ecosystems, rarely have micronutrient deficiencies. If they do occur, a good dose of compost certainly helps as well as other organic matter and a layer of mulch. You can also buy ‘trace nutrients’ and iron products where garden products are sold.
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