For lush flowers, I not only carefully prepare the soil for cultivation, but also feed it all season long.Feeding already growing plants is called top dressing.As they grow, they consume the ingredients available in the ground and we have to provide them with more.
When feeding the plants, I always take into account the last time I used manure. I do not want to overload them.I adhere to the principle that better less than too much. Only compost can never be enough.Excessive amount of fertilizers causes soil salinity and degradation, and vegetables and fruit have a worse taste and aroma. I try to cultivate a natural garden, so I strive to produce as much fertilizer as possible on my own - compost, nettle manure, green manure, egg shells, coffee grounds.I buy manure and chicken manure. I use artificial fertilizers only for ornamental plants and turf.
Lawns need top dressing three times, especially if the mowed blades are removed for compost.In spring I spread nitrogen and potassium fertilizer on the grassland, in June only nitrogen fertilizer, and in autumn - potassium and phosphorus fertilizer.I feed ornamental plants at least twice. Those that bloom profusely require more frequent feeding.
For this purpose, I use a universal liquid fertilizer, which, after diluting with water, I water the flowers or - to intensify and speed up the action - I spray the whole plants. I use this treatment especially in periods of long-term drought, when it is difficult to collect nutrients from the soil.Foliar fertilization is much more effective than soil fertilization.Quickly heals plants from chlorosis, i.e. yellowing leaves.
I finish feeding with nitrogen-containing preparations in June, otherwise the plants will not have time to lignify before winter and may freeze.Nitrogen is responsible for the lush growth of the herbaceous mass, phosphorus enhances flowering and fruiting, and potassium strengthens the roots and plant resistance.In the second half of the year, when they start blooming and fruiting, I use fertilizers that contain a lot of potassium, phosphorus and trace elements.
I recommend a slow-acting fertilizer for balcony plants such as geraniums and surfinas. It is easy to apply because it is in the form of granules. A portion of the balls placed under the root ball during planting takes care of the problem of feeding until the end of the season.The ingredients are released over several months.
Acid-loving plants, i.e. rhododendrons, heathers, blueberries and cranberries, are fed with acidifying fertilizers - ammonium and potassium sulphates and urea.Coffee grounds, which are a universal fertilizer for all plants, will also do well for them.Comfrey leaves are also a proven, ecological fertilizer. They accumulate large amounts of elements. I use them to cover the whitewashed flowerbeds where I grow cabbage and squash.They can be lightly dug with the ground. And sowing comfrey on the composter prevents nutrients from being washed away.
