Fertilizers or fertilizing agents
It is necessary to regularly fertilize your soil, especially if the plants are close together and in reduced spaces like window boxes or flower pots.
Different Fertilizers
General fertilizers (8% N, 8% P, 8% K), whose composition is balanced for all plants.
Compost from a decomposition of vegetable mater rich in nitrogen.
Manure, which is an organic fertilizer rich in nitrogen and in trace elements.
There are different types of manure:
- fresh cow-dung improves light soils
- fresh horse-dung and donkey-dung, with its drying powers, improve heavy soils
- fresh sheep- and goat-dung are good for heavy soils. They are the richest in organic material.
- Poultry-dung is good for heavy soils.
- Composted dungs are usually well-balanced and don't require pre-composting like the aforementioned fresh dungs.
Specific fertilizers for tomatoes, strawberries, vegetables, fruit trees, roses....which are adapted to a given plant or type of plant.
Roasted horn is a fertilizer composed of organic nitrogen. Its a fertilizer which decomposes very slowly.
You can also find different organic fertilizing seeds like mustard, which can be sown in parts of your patch temporarly not in use. You just need to turn the soil over before before your plants flower. Spinach is a natural fertilizer in that it captures the nitrogen in the air. At the time of harvesting, cut it at soil level and leave the roots.
Organic fertilizers are decomposed slowly by the micro-organisms contained in the soil and will feed the plants little by little. For a thorough treatment, they should be introduced into the soil in Autumn, so that they can start their slow decomposition in order to be ready for the return of Spring, helped by the heat.
To guide you, here are the main basic ingredients which can be found in the composition of all commercialized fertilizers.
Nitrogen (N)
Nitrogen is the most important element for healthy leaf growth. Bad growth and yellow leaves is a sign of a lack of nitrogen.
Phosphorous (P)
Phosphorous is a tonic which brings sturdiness and resistance.
Potassium (K)
Potassium helps flowering and improves the taste of fruit and vegetables.
Magnesium (Mg)
Magnesium is an element of the chlorophyll. Stains on the leaves is a sign of a lack of magnesium.
Iron (Fe)
Along with other trace elements, iron is vital to the construction of the vegetal parts of the plant. Yellow leaves mean there's a lack of iron.
Other elements, although in smaller quantities, are also important in the proper development of plants.
Using fertilizers
Besides dung, fertilizers exist in different forms:
- pellets, liquids, in stick or soluble forms.
- Choose according to your needs - rapid action or long-term action.
Spring and Autumn are the best times to fertilize but follow carefully the instructions on the packet, as often fertilizer can burn the plant. You mustn't put it directly on the leaves (except for leaf fertilizer), and fertilize on wet days or on days when the soil is wet so as not to burn the roots. Avoid fertilizing very young plants, which are quite fragile.
It is important to store fertilizer out of the reach of children and domestic animals.