Tried and true garden soil preparation, fertilizer selection and plant careMy garden soil needs some attention. I’ve used fertilizer some years and rotated crops yearly but still have half of the plot that does not produce. Plant care 101, test the soil pH. As I stated in the Farm & Garden home page this is my year to plan and achieve solutions. Successful gardens I ‘ve had I tested for pH and the garden soil has been prepared to assist my plant care. In moving I misplaced my pH testing kits. I was sure they would show up after three years but I now know I’ll have to invest in another. A lot, but not all, fertilizer requirements can be solved by testing the pH of our soil. These recommendations are meant to be a very general reference. For specifics in your region check out the Extension resources of local universities and counties. For technical articles check out the links provided on garden soil, fertilizer and plant care on this page. One of the major retailers in my area recommended on their site to compare different fertilizers by applying different ones to your lawn and observing the results. This is a valid means of finalizing the method of plant care you end up using. Prior to final selection of fertilizer it is best to have prepared your lawn or garden soil cautiously. For the benefit of your plants and our environment it is best to use fertilizer, insecticides and herbicides judiciously. Read the instructions The test you do for pH will guide you in selecting the proper nutrients for your lawn and garden soil. The spreader or applicator for your fertilizer will provide instructions for calibrating your application of fertilizer. The fertilizer, insecticide or herbicide that you have will provide instructions. Please read and follow them. remember that lawn services may be primarily interested in their receipts. Organic additives such as manure and compost will not have instructions but you should have an idea of their contribution and adjust your fertilizer accordingly. Unneeded applications to your lawn or garden soil can have long term effects on our environment and your overall plant care. I think back to two summers ago when I stopped by my dads greenhouses. He had scheduled a fertilizer solution to be applied to two greenhouses, while he took off for three days. What he didn’t do was adjust the watering frequency for the fertilizer. With in a day thousands and thousands of plants died. Another consequence of over fertilizing is the growth of algae in our waterways. Nitrogen can take up to ten years to seep into some water systems, excess amounts will find their way. Organic or not Last year I tried an organic garden. The prior year I just picked up some seeds put them in, used fertilizer and picked some of the lush est vegetables I’ve ever grown (except in that half of the garden that needs to be tested). Well last years organic heirloom garden was a bust. The only thing that did well were cucumbers. The tomatoes were misshapen and bug infested, the beans all died. Except for cucumbers and a few gourds I wasted a lot of time. Granted it may have helped if I had had some manure to supplement my composting. It would have really helped if I’d used some fertilizer, insecticide and hybrid varieties of seed. I must admit I was a bit in the dark as to what constituted “organic” gardening. From my viewpoint the things I wanted to avoid were the insecticide residues. Most of what I read advocated organic fertilizers. I’ve had good luck with some of the plant based insecticides in previous gardens. Since I hadn’t had a problem with insects the previous two years I didn’t invest in any insecticide. I believe that it was a combination of the heirloom varieties, no fertilizer and no insecticide that resulted in such a lack luster garden. Until I am fully prepared I do not plan to attempt an organic garden. As far as the scientific technicalities of organic growing and plant care I suggest you check out this garden soil article. Continuing my research into organic garden soil preparation I see why I’ll buy more organic produce than I’ll grow. The University of Georgia Growing Vegetables Organically site is full of useful information. To condition the garden soil for a plot 25’ x 40’ they recommend a combination of 600 to 800 pounds of cow, horse, poultry, swine and sheep manure mixed with about 200 pounds of compost. That is just to condition. then annually you should apply another 1000 pounds of manure or the equivalent in an organic fertilizer. The smallest amount of equivalent product would be 25 pounds of blood meal. A few years back I stayed at an organic farm bed and breakfast with about 45 acres planted in organic crops. The size of the farm and animal mix was about the same as the one I grew up on. The cows, chickens and pigs provided plenty of organic fertilizer. In my opinion organic farming is a good sustainable agricultural practice best left to those committed to farming more than a few acres. Now for an outline of plant care most of us can use.
Well that’s it for my garden soil preparation, fertilizer and beginning plant care tips. The plant care, pulling weeds, watering and watching is the meditative part of gardening that I enjoy. I still have a few more items to do on this list before that happens.
|
