Wonders of fertilizer
Earlier this summer, I spent very little time outdoors, because road construction was going on under our noses from the beginning of May through the end of June (maybe more).
So, my "garden" consisted mainly of
Yesterday, I offered water with commercial plant food in it, and already today the petunia has perked up a little and shot out some new blooms. The pansies are still blooming like mad.
So, my "garden" consisted mainly of
- a few sorry houseplants I took outside for "summer camp,"
- the hanging basket of petunias referred to in the prior post as avian hospital;
- a couple of planters filled with pansies that I put out when it was still too cool for much else, and
- some tubs out back with herbs and flowers planted in them.
Yesterday, I offered water with commercial plant food in it, and already today the petunia has perked up a little and shot out some new blooms. The pansies are still blooming like mad.
posted by Palema at 6:22 PM
4 Comments:
I have been needing to fertilize my gardens both in southern and northern New England! I am so glad you brought this up, especially with the results!
The one perk-up I did notice for myself was that my herbs did not grow a spec the entire month of July until I finally weeded, watered deeply, and mulched them. Both my thyme and basil doubled and my second-year sage finally started looking healthy.
I would love to read more. I have a feeling that while I am busy writing PAPERS for school, I will be too busy to blog much. I plan to live vicariously through Riverantic, The Blog, if you are inspired to keep posting!!
Your loving fan,
Kate
http://unitypond.net
In my opinion the best mulch,if available, is something like compost or grass clippings that will break down (and of course have to be replaced) but which feeds the soil both nutrients and texture.
The sort of mulch you buy in a bag, like orange bark chips, will eventually break down, but I believe is selected for NOT breaking down right away,k but merely to minimize weeds for those to whom gardening chores are onerous, rather than a main point of having a garden.
I forgot to say, fertilizer in a bottle, which you put a few spoonsful of into a gallon of water and water the plants with, works ok in a pinch, especially for things in pots. It's better than nothing (unless you overdo it) and quicker than anything. I usually keep some of that on hand for houseplants.
Weeding and feeding at the same time. A fine idea! I do have to say that I enjoy using my garden a tad more than weeding ;-)
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