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The Rural Voice, 1978-04, Page 33the same field by those who did not recognize the fertilizer value of manure. It is very easy to overfertilize in the home garden. Twenty tons of manure per acre is a high rate of application but this amounts to only three bushels per 100 square feet. Rates in excess of this can lead to high nitrate levels in vegetables. Most chemical nitrogen fertilizers are readily available and soluble in the soil water. In wet weather, a portion can be lost by leaching it before it can be used by plants, unless fertilizer is applied frequently at low rates. Nitrogen from manures and composts becomes available slowly in the soil. This is advantageous when the nitrogen release occurs at the rate required by plants. Some chemical fertilizers are now being designed to provide slow release of nitrogen. Phosphorus Fertilizers. The potassium fertilizers we use most frequently are not processed after they come from the mines under the Saskatchewan prairie, except by grinding. sieving and separating from other salts. These compounds leached from the surface soils of past ages and passed through rivers into the sea. As the sea water evaporated with the heat from the sun, they crystallized in great beds and later were covered with soil. Although they are in every sense chemicals. they are probably altered less by man titan most manures or composts. They are found in the same form as in plant and animai wastes and are still being leached from soils to flow into the sea in nature's endless cycle. Potassium in manures and composts is in the same form and is. just as in fertilizers, immediately available when applied. Competent scientists have studied chemical fertilizers and effects on crop growth for years and can find no evidence that plants grown with chemical fertilizers are different from those produced with plant and animal wastes. EXCESSIVE USE OF FERTILIZER Plants. animals and humans can be damaged by excessive use of fertilizers. These same problems can and do occur. hog. ever. with excessive use of plant or animal wastes because of an excess of the same compounds and with the same results. An imbalance of nutrients for plant growth can occur somewhat more readily when large amounts of commercial fertilizers are used than when large amounts of organics are used. Crops can be grown with nutrients supplied from organic wastes or with nutrients supplied from chemical fertilize- ers. Which to use will depend on availability and convenience. Where insufficient nutrients are suppl- ied from either source, crop yields will be low and the resulting crops can be low in proteins. carbohydrates or minerals required for human health. Where excessive amounts of nutrients are supplied from either source. the resulting crops can also be of lower quality, or, in extreme cases, unfit for human consumption. Mulches add new dimension for landscaping BY H.R.CRAWFORD & C.E.McNINCH DEPARTMENT OF CONTINUING EDUCATION Perhaps you have seen a bed of red geraniums where The flowers seem to stand out much more strikingly than those on other properties. The plants seem to be as healthy and as vigorous in both areas but on close inspection you find that in the first, the soil surface has been covered with a dark chocolate -colored peat moss, and that this peat moss enhances the appearance of the geraniums by acting as a contrasting background for the red flowers and green foliage. Attractive mulches can add a new dimension to the landscape, providing both texture and color contrast to an area. While vie usually think of a mulch as a means of retaining moisture and keeping down weeds. a mulch can also be an attractive landscape feature. The use of decorative mulches in the home landscape can add interest and at the same time help to reduce cost, time and effort in garden maintenance. There are other organic mulches which can be used. Cocoa bean shell also provides a rich brown color and a coarser texture. One problem. though, is that in constant moisture the shells can in time become rather grey and moldy. The use of peat moss is well known. However, in periods of prolonged drought, the moss will become very dry and rain water falling on it will be absorbed by the mulch rather than released to the soil for plant benefit. There are several wood by-products on the market that are used as mulches. Pine bark and redwood bark are available in different sizes. The larger sizes provide coarse texture, the smaller sizes give finer texture, but all are heavier in appearance than either cocoa bean shell or peat moss. In addition to the organic mulches, we can of course use many varied types of stone and masonry products for mulches. Water washed stones and pebbles can create very attractive texture effects. In large areas, smooth rounded stones, perhaps four or five inches in diameter, can be considered. They are placed closely together and levelled carefully. When installing stone -and masonry -type mulches, it is a good plan to first place a polyethelene sheet on the surface, add about five centimeters of sand, and then place the stone. This prevents weeds from becoming established in the mulch. The plastic must have holes punched in it to allow for water drainage. Do not, however, cover areas of trees or shrubs with plastic. This would prevent the necessary exchange of gases to the roots. In selecting your mulch, think also of the possibilities in colored marble, granite and quarry chips, of crushed tile or brick for warm earth colors. "More than a decorating resource, The Raintree is an attitude." LIGHTING, WALLCOVERING, FINE ART & ACCENTS One Twenty Eight Albert, Clinton 482 3871 THE RURAL VOICE/APRIL 1978. PG. 33.