CAROL LINK: Make plans to fertilize your plants, flowers so they can live ...
Several times a year, a reader will call or email me to ask questions about fertilization. The best advice I have is for a gardener to take a soil sample every 3 to 5 years and send the composite sample to the soil testing laboratory at Auburn University for testing. Technicians in the lab will determine the nutritional makeup of the soil and send a report of fertilization applications to correct deficiencies. The off-season is a good time for sending a soil sample to the lab.
The first step is to go by the Etowah County office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System located at 3200A West Meighan Boulevard in Gadsden to pick up the necessary materials and instructions for taking a soil sample.
In addition to receiving a soil sample box for mailing, the material includes complete instructions for taking a composite soil sample and an information sheet for listing the intended plants to be grown. A check must accompany each soil sample to be tested. Extension office personnel will know the current cost of a test.
After determining the pH of a composite soil sample(s), lab technicians will use the accompanying information to make specific fertilization recommendations for each crop or individual plants listed. You will receive lab test results and recommendations by mail.
In Alabama, the majority of soils are acidic.
• A soil pH of 7.0 is neutral, which means the soil is neither acidic nor alkaline.
• A pH below 7.0 is acidic; the lower the number, the more acid present.
• A soil pH above 7.0 is alkaline; the higher the number, the more alkaline the soil.
Generally, garden plants grow best with a soil pH in the neighborhood of 6.5 to 7.0. On the other hand, blueberries, azaleas, gardenias, hydrangeas and rhododendron grow best in a more acidic soil, with a pH less than 5.5.
Additionally, because of my questions and answers column, I have discovered that many new gardeners do not understand commercial fertilizer labels or how to read them.
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Trying to determine what fertilizer to use can be an overwhelming task. Which formulation do you need for your particular situation? Should you get the bag of 18-9-9 or the bag of 5-10-5?
And what the heck do those numbers mean anyway?
It may seem intimidating, but you can figure it out. When selecting a fertilizer, the first question to answer is, "What analysis do I need?" The analysis is actually the three large numbers you see on every fertilizer label - put there by law - such as 10-20-10 or 10-10-10 or 18-46-0. These numbers represent the percentage (by weight) of the three major nutrients required for healthy plant growth, always in the same order: nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (N-P-K). Each of these nutrients affects plant growth differently, and the formulation you select should depend on your specific gardening needs.
The first number is the percentage of nitrogen in the bag. So a bag of 24-8-4 has 24 percent total nitrogen. Nitrogen provides plants with the ability to produce more chlorophyll, which in turn allows plants to grow quickly. With each additional nitrogen application, plants will grow taller and develop a darker green color. So if you want a dark green lawn, use a fertilizer that's high in nitrogen - but then expect to mow more often.
The second number in the analysis is the percentage of phosphorus in the mix. For example, a bag of 24-8-4 would contain 8 percent phosphorus. Phosphorous aids in root development and increases flowering ability and bloom size. The fertilizer industry smartly markets high phosphorus fertilizer as "Bloom Booster." High-phosphorous fertilizer should be used when plants are being established in your garden - when sowing a new lawn or planting new trees and shrubs, for instance.
The third number represents the percentage of potassium found in the product. A bag of 24-8-4 has 4 percent potassium in the mix. Potassium has many functions: It guards the plant against diseases and aids in drought protection and cold tolerance. It also serves a role in improving root development and helps in the process of photosynthesis. You might consider using a high-potassium fertilizer at the start of winter and summer to protect crops from temperature extremes or when insects and disease have caused damage to your plants.