Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Feeding Your Container Garden
Like everything else, plants have to eat. Since they get their food from the soil around them,
you have to make sure that the soil has everything in it the plant needs. This is where fertil-
izer comes in. But which one do you need?
Once again, you are faced with trying to find just the right fertilizer for your plant's needs.
In order to make the best decision, you have to know what it is that you are looking at while
reading fertilizer labels.
Anyone who has ever looked at a bag of fertilizer, whether it is for your plants or for your
lawn, will see that they come with three numbers. Each of these numbers corresponds with a
particular nutrient that is crucial for a plant's growth and overall health. Each number repres-
ents the percentage of a specific nutrient in the bag of fertilizer. For example, a 100- pound
bag of fertilizer labeled 10-5-10 would contain 10 percent (or 10 pounds) of the first nutri-
ent, 5 percent of the second nutrient and 10 percent of the third. What would the remaining
percentage of material be made of? Other nutrients and filler.
The three numbers always correspond to exact nutrients, in the same exact order:
Nutrient #1: Nitrogen.
Although over three-quarters of our atmosphere is comprised of ni-
trogen, it is still needed in the soil in order to ensure good plant growth. But the balance
of nitrogen has to be just right. Not enough and the plant suffers, too much and the plant is
more susceptible to certain weather conditions.
Nutrient #2: Phosphate.
Phosphate takes certain nutrients, including nitrogen, and turns it
into food for the plant. Phosphate is also responsible for taking the sun's rays and converting
it into food.
Nutrient #3: Potash.
Another word for potassium, potash increases the plant's ability to
utilize the available water. It also helps the plant to conserve its water supply.
