Beginning Garden Primer: Elements for First Garden Success → A Successful Garden Plot →Basic Gardening Tools - Fertilizers

Fertilizers - Organic and Inorganic Nutrients

In nature dead organic material forms a mulch layer and this layer of organic “waste” that is more than sufficient for most plants to thrive and survive on. All the nutrients from this layer are natural recycling products from dead their dead predecessors, manure and dead animals.

As gardeners we usually are rather tidy in our garden, and to make sure that the very strong Weeds don’t overgrow the weaker cultivars we choose to grow we have to keep the latter in as good a condition as possible.

Nutrients used with care ensure an abundant growth and a rich long blooming period. Overused they are both a danger for the environment as well as for the plants themselves.

There are two types plant foods available:

First we have the organic fertilizers that are produced on the basis of living organisms. This type of fertilizer, also takes care of a natural balance of living organisms in your gardens soil. It acts like the organic mulch layer, we talked about. Because worms and other organisms get into a natural balance they can do their works as improvement agents of the soils structure.

A good soils structure plus enough humus will act as a natural sponge for water and nutrients. And the roots of plants, bushes and trees find a good environment to grow to their fullest potential.

Inorganic fertilizers are manufactured in chemical plants, usually they consist of the chemical combination of the main nutrients a growing plant needs.

They are not good or bad in of themselves, but should be used in modesty. The main ingredients of these fertilizers are :

Nitrogen (N)

A nutrient that is particularly beneficial for the growth of leaves.

Too much Nitrogen
Symptoms: A lot of leaves and little flowers.

Lack of Nitrogen:

Symptoms
Yellowish leaves and slow growth

Phosphorus (P)

Especially needed for the healthy development of the root system. An overdose of this nutrient will slow the growth of the plant. A lack of it causes a red purple color of the leaves.

Potassium (K)

Is needed for the healthy growth of flowers, seeds and fruit. And the overall health and well being of the plant. A lack of it will cause a weak slow growing little fruit bearing plant.

Both varieties have their use, but when enough organic material is available there usually is no real need for additional feeding.

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