If you ’ve ever held a bag of fertilizer in your workforce , wondered how much to utilise and simply spread and hoped , then you ’ve shared the plight of many gardeners . What pass on in your dirt that you desire to promote with plant food is not only out of survey but a secret to many people . apply the correct amount of plant food can not only improve your garden ’s health but preserve the health of your local environs , give the correct app of fertilizer a worthy endeavor .

Function

Fertilizers exert dissimilar effects on your soil , but their main purpose is to supply nutrients to your plants . Just like a day-by-day vitamin make up for what you do n’t get from meal , fertilizer corrects nutrient insufficiency in your soil and promote adept flora wellness . depend on the plant food you choose , it may also transfer the pH of your grunge or increase the constitutional matter , improving water retention and microbic bodily process .

Effects

Applied in the correct amount , fertilizer improves the maturation of your plant life . Your plant will grow bigger , substantial and develop more flowers and fruits . Correct applications of fertilizer also stick by to soil mote , making nutrients available to plant rather than running off to contaminate aerofoil water and groundwater supply .

Too Little

At best , inadequate diligence of fertilizer will lead in slight or no effect on your plants . However , if your soil is deficient in one or more ingredients , failure to properly fertilize your plants can cause alimentary want . According to the Santa Rosa County Extension Office , nutrient deficiency oftentimes results in discolored leafage , pathetic or distorted growth and bankruptcy to properly develop flower or fruit .

Too Much

accord to Dr. Charles Mitchell of the Alabama Cooperative Extension , many homeowners overdrive fertiliser , incorrectly believing that if a little bit does good , then a larger amount will do well . Overuse of fertilizer may cause an increase in flora growth , but it will also do unwanted issue on your plant . According to the University of Michigan Occupational Safety and Environmental Health internet site , too much fertiliser causes plant to develop shallow root , which jam their power to withstand drought and other tenseness . Too much fertilizer also risks " burn " plant , a precondition in which excessive fertilizer causes salt buildup in the soil , which eviscerate water from plant life and make them to look burn . Finally , as Dr. Mitchell points out , overuse of fertiliser pollute surface water and groundwater , which has dire consequences for the environment and human health .

Considerations

but dumping a udder of plant food on your lawn or garden is , at best , going to be uneffective and , at tough , could harm your plant life or local ecosystem . Before applying fertilizer , contact your local extension agency and have a soil test done . Not only will the test determine the accurate nutritional needs of your soil but will include information on what and how much fertilizer to apply for meet them .

References

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