Fertilizing Your Garden in the Fall
Question: What promoted the growth and health of a beautiful spring garden? Answer: Knowing how to fertilize and prepare it in the fall. Good gardening fertilization techniques in the fall is essential to a healthy garden come next spring. Know what the letters and numbers on the packaging labels mean is a good start and a fact that one should know.
Knowing that the N= represents the amount of nitrogen and that nitrogen promotes a good healthy growth of the plants foliage. P= represents the amounts of phosphorus which will aid stimulate and promote good root growth while K= represents the potassium levels for the cell functions and a healthy plant.
Sometime cooler weather will make plants seem dead or dormant when they are not, their roots are only growing and then is a good time to fertilize with a high phosphorus fertilizer to help assure yourself that your plants will have a strong root system next spring.
When there is an early frost in the fall this helps plants to produce higher levels of amino acids which will help them to resist freezing and making them hardier when the winter temperatures drop. As you start your fall fertilization remember that different plants have different needs such as perennials, your spring bulbs and your roses.
Perennials love a high phosphate fertilizer with a low nitrogen content and fertilizing with this type will give you an lovely array of blossoms at blooming time. In September or October plant your spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils and feed them with a phosphorus fertilizer at the root level to help get them established before the winter sets in.
As I plant I like to add a little compost as food while being sure to plant with the tips up and in a manner that the hole is at least 4 times the height of the bulb. Now is not a good time to fertilize roses, they should be fertilized before the winter set completely in and cut back after they have gone dormant for the winter.
Fertilizing in the fall only promotes and encourages new growth or simply cut them back and feed them well in the spring when new foliage begins to appear. After fertilizing with a granular time released fertilizer and raking it good into the ground it is a good idea to apply a layer of mulch, then water well allowing it to soak into the ground. A good fall fertilization of your garden will definitely pay off when next spring finally arrives.
[tags] Fall Gardening Tips]
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It is becoming ever more difficult to find fertilizers with phosphorus- like 8-0-8 has replaced 8-8-8. The only place I can find balanced fertilizers is at local feed & seed stores. The big chains have all but quit selling fertilizers with phosphorus.
What is a poor plant with ailing roots to do?
10 Nov 2009 at 9:36 am