Need to Fertilize–Do This First!

When should I fertilize? How much should I fertilize?  Which fertilizers should I use?  What do the numbers on fertilizer mean?  Many gardeners and homeowners will frantically apply fertilizer to the yard.  Or they will randomly throw fertilizer on the garden. The more the better. The sooner the better. If a little is good, more is better! 

Whooow.  Back-up the horses! Take a deep breath, and have the soil tested. Don’t guess, get a test!


What a soil test will tell?   Soil tests determine the nutrients in the soil and levels of those nutrients.  If a nutrient is too high, the plants may suffer because they cannot take up or ‘bind’ other nutrient.  
Likewise, if a nutrient is too low in the soil, plant nutrition will not be adequate and the plant growth or crop from the plant will suffer.
A soil testing lab is best suited to determine the nutrient needs of the soil.  The test results will indicate what needs to be added to the soil, and the amounts that should be added. 

So how do I get soil tested?

Soil test -  Steps for an accurate soil test.

1. Get a clean, dry container to carry with you into the garden.
2.  With a clean trowel, soil probe,or auger and remove 6” – 8” deep of soil in 6 – 8 well-spaced sections of the area that is being tested.
 
3.  Deposit these 6 – 8 scoops into the container and mix them together.
4.   In a sample bag provided by the lab or a clean plastic sandwich bag, label the area of the garden on the bag.  This is important especially if more than one area is being tested.  (i.e. – lawn, perennial border, vegetable garden).
5. The lab I use, Spectrum Analytic has a form to be sent in with the soil sample.  They ask what the ‘crop’ is that will be growing in this area – and they have codes for such things as cool season turf, ornamentals, garden, fruit, perennials, roses, grapes, and others.  Be as specific as possible, to get the analysis that will enhance the soil requirements in your lawn or garden. Mail the sample by UPS or USPS.  I usually get a padded envelope to send the bag(s) of soil in along with the spec sheet(s) which can be downloaded online for most labs. 

Reading the results of a soil test.

The results are very easy to understand.  The results will tell you if you need to add any certain element, and the amount per 100 s/f, or 1000 s/f, or per acre.  Determining the space of your test area is a multiplication of the length times the width, in feet, for square feet. (i.e.  10’ x 30’ = 300 s/f).

One other piece of information the soil test will tell is the soil pH.  This will be difficult to modify, but choosing plants that like the conditions will be happier.
When choosing the amendments to supplement the soil, take the soil analysis to the garden center with you.  Or advise your lawn care provider of the results.  Both resources will aid you in applying the needed nutrient for a successful lawn and garden.
Fees range from $15 – near $50, depending on the detailed analysis you choose.  Believe me, the cost of amendments that are not needed can cost a lot more. And randomly throwing fertilizer onto the soil could be doing more harm than good. Local extension offices and garden centers should be able to give a list of labs in your area.  Check with local universities also.
 
It’s early spring, do the soil test now for a great growing season.

Organic Fertilizer–A Good Choice–Part 1

Good Choice for Our Lives 

This post on Organic Fertilizers is the first in a new series. Each of these seven posts will discuss 1) The Benefits of Organic Fertilizers, 2) The Sources of Organic Fertilizers, 3) Plants Used for Organic Fertilizers, 4) Animals Used Organic Fertilizers, 5) Ocean and Sea Products Used for Organic Fertilizers, 6) Other Sources for Organic Fertilizers, and 7) Minerals Used in Organic Growing,

I have been in the garden my whole life.  My grandparents had an extensive garden and I got to set out bedding plants, water them, and even climb the apple tree to pick as much as I could reach. 


In the early 1950’s, the garden and gardening practices were organic. Grandfather used mulch and decayed leaves (compost) for nutrients.

At that time commercial fertilizers started to come onto the market.  Wow, they were a hit!.  Fast growing plants, dark green color, and the smell ( ! ) let all the neighbors know that we were up on the latest and greatest!


The more I gardened I had the gradual awareness that something in the garden was different from when I was a child.  We were told to buy ‘veggie wash’ products for our food, water sources were having to be monitored for safety, and the cost of everything was going up, up, up. Feeling the need to be more environmentally responsible, I started to make changes in my own yard.  That’s when I discovered some very troubling things.





As Environmental Protection Agency standards came about, I found that many of the polluters were actually recycling. Wow! Could these rules really be helping?  Well, as it turns out many companies with toxic waste to dispose of were not properly handling this waste. Instead, they were using fertilizer production facilities to incorporate these toxic chemicals like lead, cadmium, dioxin and mercury.
The way these heavy metals got by this process is that only the top three elements of the fertilizer must be named. Labeling laws made this easy. Therefore the remaining or ‘other’ ingredients could be anything.  Consequently, millions of acres of farmland were spread with these toxins. 

Note : 85.05% of the ingredients in this bag are not specifically named and labeled ‘Other Ingredients.'
Many heavy metals stay in the ground and are taken up in crops used for animal and human consumption. Since chemical fertilizers are generally water soluble, they are taken up by plants rather quickly. And because they are water soluble, they leach out of the soil, into ground water or watersheds that feed our streams rivers, and lakes.

Nitrates are particularly harmful to infants and other health risks are becoming more prevalent.  Since we have only been using these products for about 60 years, we may not have seen the worst yet.
 
Another environmental issue I have with chemical fertilizers is that in the process of creating synthetic nitrogen, natural gas is heated to combine atmospheric nitrogen with the hydrogen of ammonia. The amount of natural gas to make just 200 bags of fertilizer would heat a home for a year.  Fossil fuels in each 40 pound bag is the equivalent of 2.5 gallons of gasoline.
 
Organic fertilizers are made with minimal processing using natural sources.  Using plant parts that are left over from the food industry like the leaves and stems is a good use of all the plant.  Organic fertilizers use animal parts that are left over from processing food with little or no waste.
 
Using materials in this way is a good example of sustainability of this industry. Plants grow each year and animals breed each year so the supply continues.


Organic fertilizers work differently from chemical products. 

 
Micro-organisms in the soil feed on the organic material that organic fertilizers provide.  The micro-organisms create enzymes that allow the nutrients to be absorbed by the plant.  Chemical fertilizers, which are generally water soluble, are taken up directly by the plant and leave nothing in the soil for long-term feeding.  The chemicals can actually destroy colonies of micro-organisms and leave the soil dead.  Organic fertilizers feed the millions of microbes in the soil for a soil that is alive.

Since organic fertilizers feed the soil, the nutrients is more steadily taken up by the plants. Quick start and stop feeding of chemical fertilizers can actually weaken the plant’s health. (Some chemical fertilizers are being manufactured with a time-release formula for an extended feed. The feed is still a chemical one, however.)  Plants on an organic regime are healthier and healthy plants are more resistant to damage from insects and diseases.  This long-term feeding can save money by reducing the number of applications the garden needs each season.



These are 17 nutrients that organic fertilizers provide.  Trace elements are key to a healthy plant.  If even one element is missing, the plant can suffer.( This is evident in the case of blossom-end rot of tomatoes.  The nutritional deficiency of calcium is the cause of this disorder.)  The chemical fertilizers on the market have the N-P-K  in the amounts listed.  But a well balanced diet is not available in the chemical products and the other 14 nutrients are missing. 



One last problem with chemical fertilizers is that damage seen here.  The chemicals were put down too heavily, or were not watered in well and burned this yard. High salt levels are common in chemical fertilizers. The low salt levels of organic fertilizers compared to chemical products is safer, too. Organic fertilizers will not burn plants like this chemical fertilizer did.  Organic fertilizers can be applied at any time.  The microbe activity will be low in colder temperatures, but when the soil temperatures rise, and the spring rains come, the organic material will become food for the micro-organisms and make nutrients available to the plants as they begin to grow.  And again, the natural material decomposes – not like chemical products that dissolve.


Next post will discuss the sources of organic fertilizers.  If you have any questions regarding this article, please feel free to leave me a comment.  I will be happy to address any issues.  Thanks for your time today.

Worms – What Good Are They Anyway?

Worms Indicate Soil Health

The Earth worm – a garden partner that gets ‘no respect’.  As I was digging weeds and dividing perennials this weekend I gently returned the worms back to the soil. I also noticed little mounds of soil in the lawn and pine needles standing on end in the beds.






The mighty worm did this!  Some species of worms stay close to the surface of the soil.  They are the Epigeic species.  They are small worms that are not harmed when soil temperatures rise and moisture levels lessen.  The Epigeic worms are commonly found in the compost pile. The Endogeic species stay in the upper levels of soil, where their tunnels are more temporary.  The tunnels fill up with casts (poop) as they eat through the soil and deposit it as castings.  The deep burrowing species, the Anecic species are commonly know as night-crawlers, and they burrow vertically, sometimes as deep as 8 feet into the ground. The night-crawlers are the guys that leave the mound of debris at the mouth of the borrow.

Earth Worms have both male and female parts which is known as hermaphrodites.  Worms mate throughout the year.

After mating each worm constructs a cocoon and within a couple of weeks new worms are hatched.  The cocoons are only about 1/4”, and if I have seen one, I didn’t know it.  I’ll keep a watch out now!


The earthworms enhance the soil in four ways.
1) The enhance soil structure.

 
Pores in the soil hold air, and water - The basics for plant growth. If the pores are too small, oxygen cannot get to roots of plants.  If the pores are too large, water drains away from roots too quickly.


2) Worms enhance microorganism activity in soil.  As worms eat microorganisms, such as fungi, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes, the castings they leave are even more filled with active microorganisms.  As the worms digest their food, they produce castings that are already digested nutrients, which makes the nutrients  readily available to plants. Other microorganisms deposited  in the poop, create enzymes that plants also use to convert nutrients.

3) Earthworms mix the soil.  They push up the nutrient rich casting that give texture to the soil.  They also draw down into the soil, debris that will decompose, feed the microorganisms, and create usable nutrients for plants. It is estimated that worms turn over of the top six inches of soil every ten to twenty years. 

4) Earthworms increase water filtration by improving the porosity. This can reduce runoff and decrease pollution that drains into our watershed.
 
This picture shows the lack of organic material in the pale, dense soil.  Note the roots are barely penetrating the surface.  The second picture is one year after organic matter has been added.  The soil is darker, roots extend deep into the soil.  Microorganisms get active when the organic matter, such as beneficial worm castings, is available.  Worms generate tons of casting per acre, per year, dramatically changing the soil structure.
Worm manure or casting is rich in nutrients.  Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium, as well as Magnesium are readily available to plants. The casting create a home for microorganisms, and provide a base for water to be absorbed and held in the soil. 

Few predators bother the earthworm.  We know that birds feed on earthworms, but so do turtles and toads. Moles in the lawn or garden usually indicate a high population of worms also. 
 
As worms enhance the soil from below,  we can also add worm casting to the garden and lawn.  Commercial products are in the marketplace and are easy to apply.  Since the product is odorless and all natural, measuring is not a worry. Apply a scoop to planting holes, along furrows of vegetables, and top dress existing plant material.

Making a ‘tea’ with worm casting is another way to water and feed plants.  Soak worm casting in a bucket for 12-24 hours, strain, and apply to the lawn or garden. 

Vermiculture, the cultivating of worms and worm castings, is another source of  beneficial nutrients for the lawn and garden. I will explain this practice at another time.

Using chemical herbicides and pesticides on the soil can harm the life beneath the surface.  Chemicals will damage the balance of nature and could take years to restore that balance.

Organic matter in any form is good for the soil.  The garden debris can turn your soil into an active bio culture teeming with microorganisms and worms.


If you build it (good soil), they (worms) will come.  Have you used worm castings?  What was your experience? 
Thanks for stopping by today.







 



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