Fertilization Fun
Fertilization terminology, recommendations, and best practices for a beautiful garden.
Fertilization is to plants what a balanced nutritious eating schedule is to humans. I hear you people that say “why would I spend money on that?!?! My plants look fine.”
Does nutritious mean healthy? Healthy essentially means a type of food that stops you from getting sick and keeps you living longer. Nutritious means a type of food that fills you with a sufficient amount of nutrients including vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins your body requires to survive. When you give your plants the loving nutrition, they require they will have a better go at fighting off diseases, pests, and grow to their fullest potential.
When you have kids, you encourage them to eat their vegetables (or sneak them into your child’s smoothies). Deep root fertilization to deliver nutrients into the critical root zone of the tree or plant will help improve overall plant health and vigor and enhance growth. Spring and fall treatments are most beneficial.
Garden Girl suggests the below fertilizer brands for both the budget-conscious and those who don’t mind spending a little more to go the organic route. In Garden Girl’s private garden she uses predominately organic fertilizer and focuses on building up soil health with organic matter (aka: compost). This is also the time to buy some measuring cups from the goodwill as you want to be precise in what the packaging tells you for application rates. Do not go all willy nilly sprinkling here and there and everywhere. You can burn plants by over-fertilizing, and damage the surrounding soil as well. Instead, opt for the practice of less is better which can be very challenging for those of us that think some is great more must be better!
Products that contain neonicotinoids can be harmful to beneficial insects and pollinators, such as bees, and soil-dwelling creatures such as earthworms, which help to enrich and aerate the soil.
Non-organic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides can be difficult to store and dispose of safely. The production of such products is energy and carbon-intensive, and in many cases unsustainable. Overuse and misuse of such products can cause scorch, drift, and runoff, causing problems for plants, pets, and humans.
Fertilizer fun fact:
Remember you can always make your own with blood meals, bone meal, leaf mold (shredded leaves stored/aged 1 year). For those of you that don’t have access to grinders (or bones) or would prefer to just get it over with please remember to support your local garden nursery by purchasing your items there vs. the big box stores.
Fertilizer Terminology: What do those three numbers mean anyway and why should I care?
All fertilizer labels have three bold numbers.
The first number is the amount of nitrogen (N). Nitrogen (N) spurs vigorous, leafy growth and rich green color in lawn grasses and other plants. Without enough nitrogen, growth slows and lawns and plants turn pale. With too much nitrogen, flowering and fruit-bearing plants put their efforts into green growth and forfeit their blooms and fruit.
The second number is the amount of phosphate (P2O5). Phosphorus (P) focuses energy on strong root development and flowers, fruits and seeds, while also helping plants use other nutrients efficiently. A shortage of phosphorus leaves roots weak and flowers and fruit lacking. An ever-increasing number of states and counties restrict the application of phosphorus on lawns due to the environmental concerns of phosphorus runoff into waterways.
The third number is the amount of Potassium (K). Potassium enhances overall growth and helps regulate root and top growth. This keeps plants healthy and balanced. This affects all aspects of lawn and garden well-being, from cold and drought tolerance to disease and pest resistance
These three numbers represent the primary nutrients nitrogen(N) - phosphorus(P) - potassium(K).
Readers Note: Garden Girl does not receive any compensation from the below recommendations. We recommend specific brands as our personal favorites that come from years of gardening and working with many different products over the years. Remember instead of shopping on Amazon YOU can support your LOCAL garden nursery with your purchases. They will be a tremendous source of information for you and a good supplier of nursery stock that will grow in your specific region and micro-climates.
If you live near Snohomish WA please support Snohomish Garden Center, Sunnyside Nursery and McDaniel’s Do-It Center for your local fertilizer, nursery stock and the best local friendly help you could ever wish for. Tell em’ GardenGirl sent you!
Fertilizer Recommendations
Organic Fertilizers
Down to Earth Organic Bio-Fish Fertilizer Mix 7-7-2, 5 lb. A nutrient-rich fertilizer ideal for heavy feeders like corn, tomatoes, vegetable gardens, and all types of outdoor plants, trees, and shrubs. An excellent source of nitrogen (1st #) and phosphorus (2nd #) to use with vegetable gardens, flower beds, trees, shrubs, outdoor containers, row crops/acreage
Down to Earth All-Natural Tree & Shrub Fertilizer Mix 4-2-4, 5 lb. Garden Girl’s favorite as this product is enhanced with mycorrhizal fungi. Garden Girl designs for homeowners that want instant privacy and will have the landscapers bring in 10’ h trees and/or shrubs. This product is formulated for transplanting bare root trees, ball and burlap shrubs, container plants and is best applied by mixing into the soil at planting or by adding to small holes drilled into the soil. Helps promote the rapid establishment and ensure survival from transplant shock, drought, and other environmental extremes that can negatively impact a young plant's growth potent
Fertilizer Fun Fact
“Myco” – “rhiza” literally means “fungus” – “root” and describes the mutually beneficial relationship between the plant and root fungus. These specialized fungi colonize plant roots in a symbiotic manner and extend far into the soil.
Non-Organic Fertilizers
Lilly Miller All Purpose Planting And Growing Food 10-10-10. This will give your plants an equal balance of nitrogen(N) - phosphorus(P) - potassium(K).
Lilly Miller Rhododendron, Evergreen & Azalea Food 10-5-4. Different plants have different needs. Azaleas need more iron than many other plants, so specialty fertilizers such as this one contains extra iron. This amount of iron is shown in the ingredient panel of the product label, but not in the N-P-K ratio.
Lawn Fertilizers
What’s up with the neighbor’s lawn?
Have you ever seen a lawn that looked like it had different colored stripes? This was likely caused by spreading fertilizers the wrong way. To make sure that the color and growth of your plants are the same, fertilizers must be spread evenly.
The most popular types of fertilizer spreaders are the drop spreader and the cyclone spreader. Cyclone spreaders generally provide the best results. Make sure when you spread the fertilizer that you overlap your spread pattern by applying half the material in one direction and the remainder in the opposite direction. Break up any clumps so that the fertilizer won't get clogged in the spreader.
To all the lawn mower men out there tempted to save a few bucks. While you may save yourself a few dollars on the non-organic lawn fertilizers please take one moment to think about where does that water go? It goes to the same place you take your family on vacation…..the ocean. So, if you don’t mind your children swimming with the fishes and fertilizers all in the name of saving a few dollars…
Safer Brand 9334 Lawn Restore Fertilizer – 25 lb. Promotes a robust root system for a healthier lawn. Lawn Restore possesses an NPK balance of 9-0-2, a healthy balance for any lawn to grow into a thick, vigorous turf. The key to a truly great fertilizer is balance and a slow release of nutrients. Choosing a fertilizer with natural ingredients ensures you never shock your lawn with chemicals or harm the beneficial organisms in your soil. Fertilizers without harmful chemicals support long-term growth and contain no salts that could potentially cause burning or dehydration. Because the ingredients in Lawn Restore are naturally derived, there is no risk of harmful runoff polluting the environment.
Milorganite 0605 Garden Care Organic Fertilizer. Deep Green with 4 percent iron and some homeowners reported that it deters rabbits although the product itself does not endorse this claim.