Topic: What's in the Plant Food 0 - 0 - 0

[duh]

What do the numbers mean on the plant food and fertilizer you buy?  The first number stands for Nitrogen.  The second number stands for Phosphorus.  The third number stands for Potassium. 

And what do these things do for the plants?

Nitrogen helps the plant turn sunlight into energy and will make it grow.
Phosphorus encourages bloom and root growth.
Potassium helps with fruit production and protection from diseases.

Is this all there is to giving plants what they need?

No there are other necessary nutriments as well but they are needed in much smaller quantities.  They are:

Magnesium, Boron, Copper, Iron, Maganese, Molbderium.

What do they do you ask?

Magnesium  is a part of the chloraphyll like the nitrogen is but in much smaller quantities.  It also helps start many plant enzymes that are needed for plant growth.

Boron helps with keeping your plant from experiencing bloosom drop and having small leaves, This also helps the plant to produce fruit and seeds.

Copper important for reproductive growth.  But becareful it is toxic so do not harvest within 24 hours of use.  Is frequently found in folar sprays for use as a fungucidal soap.
A sign of it's absense is browning of leaf tips.

Iron  helps form chloraphyll.  A sign that it is missing or in to small of a quantity is a yellowing of leaves everywhere but in the veins of the leaves.

Maganese works with the enzymes to breakdown the carbohydrates and nitrogen.

Molbderium helps the plant to use the nitrogen.

And is this all you ask?  Of course not lol.

There is also the pH level of the soil.  That is how acidic or alkaline the soil is.  This affects how much of the nutriments the plant can get from the soil.

To increase the alkaline content of the soil use lime.
To increase the acidic content of the soil use sulpher.

Remember it takes about 6 months to change the pH of the soil so you have to do this sometime before you plant your flowers.

[Pharmerphil]

example:

10-10-10

in 100 pounds of a particular fertilizer..
10 pounds Nitrogen
10 pounds Phosphorus
10 potassium

The rest,  70 pounds is inert filler that you're throwing money away on

We have spent 10 dollars on two bottles (quarts) of fish emulsion...
some of that is used to "feed" the compost, our garden is supported by organic tea, and manure tea only.

Magnesium is supplied by epsom salts

Boron,  is directly proportional to the amount of organic matter in the soil
Organic content in our garden is Very high

If you're not as fortunate...GET COMPOSTIN'
Naw, just joshin' ya...
You can do this,
Apply household borax at a rate 1 tablespoon borax to 12 quarts of water. This amount will treat a 100 foot row of vegetables or 10 square feet of soil. Apply two times 2-3 weeks apart.

Moly..usually not a problem with this trace element, unless of course sometime brocolli, cauliflower, brassicas in general..
Add lime to soil before planting or sowing seeds.

Whatever you add, My Best Advice ,always..

Get a soil test first

Most county extension services (Master Gardeners) can get the test for you at a very low cost, and in some areas...FREE

[Dianna]

Way to go, Duh and Phil. We have needed this information here!

[Jim]

This is some fantastic information.    Great job duh and thanks Phil for adding the organic alternative.  Some great advice on the soil test too.  For those of us in SC you can take you soil sample to your County Extension office, and pick up a box to send it in to Clemson University.  The cost is $6.  You will get a report back within 6-10 days.   

I'm sure it's a similar procedure in our other states.

[duh]

soil test results can be confusing but if you make an appointment with the coop they have master gardeners that will happily explain the results.  So don't be scared off when you see the test results and don't understand what it all means.

[Pharmerphil]

thanx duh for throwin' that in,
 yes, beyond the general info they can be confusing, and Yes, your master gardener from your county extension can walk you through it.
A more complex test is available for a considerably higher cost..it's not a bit less confusing, and probably even moreso!

[duh]

i'm good at confusion...I experience it everyday lol