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Why do I need to fertilize?

Fertilizers

Fertilizers are the essential mineral raw materials from which plants make food.

The fertilizers in soil can be compared with a checking account in a bank.

  • Every crop reduces the amount of soil fertilizer just as writing checks reduces the amount in a checking account.
  • If the amount of the check is more than the amount in the bank, the bank will not accept the check. Growing crops affect the soil in the same way. Planting a large crop when the supply of fertilizer is too low will result in crop failure.
  • Applying fertilizer to growing crops is just like making a deposit to a bank account. Plants are just like people (and pets and animals)—they require balanced nutrition.

What nutrients do plants need?

Learn More

There are 16 essential plant nutrients. They include:

  • Airborne Nutrients
    • Carbon (C)
    • Hydrogen (H)
    • Oxygen (O)
  • Primary Nutrients
    • Nitrogen (N) Gives plants their green color, rapid growth, high protein, and yield.
    • Phosphorus (P) Affects early vigor, healthy roots, and quality.
    • Potassium (K) Produces healthy plants, high-quality seeds and fruit
  • Secondary Nutrients
    • Calcium (Ca) Promotes early root growth, high vigor, and seed formation.
    • Magnesium (Mg) Associated with chlorophyll formation and oil and fat formation.
    • Sulfur (S) Aids root growth, green color, and seed production.
  • Trace Elements
    • Boron (B) Increases yield in root crops, affects seed germination.
    • Copper (Cu) Affects the enzyme systems in new tissues.
    • Iron (Fe) Is associated with chlorophyll formation which give plants their green color.
    • Manganese (Mn) Aids seed germination and vigor.
    • Zinc (Zn) Aids chlorophyll formation.
    • Molybdenum (Mo) Plays a vital role in nitrogen fixation by microorganisms and nitrogen processes in plants.
    • Chlorine (Cl) Essential for plant growth.

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Tip of the Day

It's Fall and time to prepare your soil for winter! For those of you in the Northern hemisphere who have winters, October, November, and and early December are the time you need to be cleaning up your garden and preparing it for next spring's planting. You can even plant hardy garlic, which will overvegetable crops such as radishes, peas, cabbage and broccoli.

The freeze/tha-winter and get an early spring start. Before snow covers your garden mae sure all old materials are either removed from the garden, or if they are clean of weed seeds and disease, till them into your soil-beds. Also, when it's not too muddy, go in and give everything a good weeding with the 2-way hoe (see Tools). Weeding thoroughly in the Fall helps keep the weeds from getting a big head start on you before you can get into the garden in the spring, and is very important.

If you grew a Mittleider garden this year, your beds will benefit from tilling or digging. You can apply Pre-Plant and Weekly Feed to the bed area now, then till them in, or wait until early spring. Either way after tilling place strings on your stakes, and re-make the beds.

Be sure to re-check the level of each bed accurately, since they may have changed a little. Do not be satisfied with anything more than 1" fall in a 30'-long soil-bed. Good Gardening!

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