Whether you’re growing roses or radishes, when it comes to home gardening there’s one important ingredient that can make all the difference between success and failure and that’s fertiliser.
What are Plant Fertilisers?
Fertilisers are a concentrated source of plant nutrients that are usually supplied as powders, liquids, pellets or granules. You’ll find a wide choice for sale at garden centres or online gardening stores.
As well as requiring water and sunlight to grow, plants also require the correct amount of nutrients. Most plants get their nutrients from the soil and if your garden has healthy soil, you might not need to use a commercial fertiliser. However, many gardeners find that the plants they grow do benefit hugely from the use of a fertiliser.
Why Use Fertilisers
Fertilisers are an important ingredient for gardeners as they provide nutrition for plants and are used to improve the growth of plants and maximise the yield of flowers, fruit, or vegetables. Some plants, for example those that grow more quickly than others, will particularly benefit from fertilisers.
How to Choose the Right Fertiliser
Step inside any good garden centre and you’re likely to find a wide choice of different fertilisers. Choosing the right one is usually straightforward as the packaging will tell you what plants the fertiliser has been designed for. For example, you can choose a fertiliser that has been specifically developed for roses or one that is tailored towards vegetable growing. You can also check the ingredients listed to find out which nutrients are included and in what ratio and then choose the type of fertiliser that is most appropriate for your garden.
The most common nutrients found in commercial fertilisers are nitrogen (N) which helps promote green leafy growth, phosphorus (P) which helps develop healthy roots and shoots, and potassium (K) which is important for flowering and fruiting plants. You may find that the nutrients are listed on the packet using their chemical symbols – NPK. A general purpose fertiliser will usually contain these three nutrients in equal amounts whereas a specialist fertiliser will contain varying proportions depending on its purpose. For example, a tomato fertiliser usually contains more potassium to help the plant produce large, healthy fruit.
Organic Fertilisers
If you are taking an organic approach to gardening and prefer to use natural products then you will want to choose an organic fertiliser. These are formulated using plant or animal sources rather than artificial forms of plant nutrients. However, it’s worth remembering that inorganic fertilisers tend to act more quickly than their organic equivalents.
How to Use Fertilisers
There are several different methods for using fertilisers depending on the type of plant you are growing and the fertiliser product you are using. In the spring you may wish to use a slow-release fertiliser to help flower beds and borders get off to a healthy start. When sowing or planting new seeds and seedlings, you can incorporate fertiliser into the soil. Meanwhile established flowers and vegetables can benefit from regular fertilising throughout the growing season. However, it is important not to over-use fertilisers so always check the instructions to find out how to use your particular fertiliser.
For more advice on all aspects of successful gardening, visit: www.gardenersworld.com
