The Rural Voice, 1996-04, Page 47Gardening
Getting the most from fertilizer
BY RHEA HAMILTON-SEEGER
While farmers are spreading the
last of the winter's manure,
gardeners start testing their soil and
begin plotting how they can enrich it
for the coming season. Then comes
the question of what is the best
fertilizer for my garden?
There is bit of a controversy
about the merits of synthetic
fertilizers over organic. Synthetic
fertilizers are produced from raw
materials that can be changed by a
chemical reaction into a form that
the plants can use. This form of
fertilizer is water soluble and more
readily available for the plants. It
comes in three forms: dry granules,
solid pellets and water soluble
liquids and powders. All three have
their disadvantages and advantages.
The most commonly used are quick
and slow release granular products.
I use slow release products in flower
boxes and planters on the patio since
space is limited and I want lush
growth and blooms all summer long.
Organic fertilizers are naturally -
occurring products derived from
plants, animals or minerals that
contain elements essential for plant
growth. Organic fertilizers like
manure can be more expensive than
synthetic fertilizers in some cases
unless you are fortunate enough to
live near a generous farmer who can
spare a few bushels. Using manure
or compost offers more than just
nutrients but adds body to your soil,
keeping earthworms happy and
further enriching your soil.
I hate to admit this but manure
and compost are not complete
fertilizers. The nutrients are tied up
in complex molecules and it often
takes longer for them to become
available to the plants. This can
cause a problem in the spring when
you need that burst of energy.
Organic fertilizers arc usually
deficient in phosphorus and
potassium which arc necessary
during the growing scason. The first
practical step is to get a soil sample
to know exactly what is missing in
44 THE RURAL VOICE
your soil. While you can buy
complete chemical fertilizers, you
may want to take advantage of
materials in your yard like compost,
leaves, or barn waste and thcn you
would only need a supplement of
dricd blood or bone meal.
If you are near a source of
manure, the next question is which
one is best suited to your needs?
Different manures are richer in
different nutrients. Some manures
are high in nitrogen and are
notorious for their "burning" effect
on plants. When we were creating a
new garden a few years ago 1 had
this great idea that would save us
from all the back-brcaking work of
digging up the lawn. We "burned"
the arca first with a heavy dose of
chicken manure and then covered it
with a thick layer of hay and
left it for one year. The
following year we rolled
back the old hay and roto -
tilled the arca, dcad grass
and all. Well, we should
have used more manure
since there was still too
much grass peeping through
the mulch. I realized this
when my Dad, who was
manning the tiller, remarked
on all the white glistening
twitch root that he was
tilling under. My daughter
Sarah and I had quite a job
sifting out all the bits of twitch root.
But the garden was a rich success
and I would not hesitate to use
chicken manure again.
For my gardens I like to use the
real thing. Synthetic fertilizers are
like taking vitamins for good health.
Vitamins help give you a balanced
diet but eating real fruits and
vegetables offers you so much more
like roughage, fibre, water and best
of all, taste. So too gardeners
should be looking to organic
fertilizers to boost their garden. If
you arc composting materials for top
dressing during the growing season
the rule of thumb to remember is
that once it resembles soil it is ready
for the garden.
Here is a recipe 1 have for a
complete fertilizer that is applied
over 1,000 square feet:
1,000 pounds or 25 bushels of
compost or rotted (not dehydrated)
manure (source of nitrogen). Note: a
wheel barrow holds about two
bushels.
20 pounds of bone meal (source of
phosphorus) and add 30 pounds of
wood ash (source of potassium)
Work the materials into the top four
inches of soil in the early spring or
the fall. This should provide the
equivalent of 40 to 50 pounds of 5-
10-10, which would be the amount
of recommended synthetic fertilizer.
Following is a list of natural
fertilizers and their nutritive value:
MATERIAL
Dried blood
Bone meal
Leaf mold
Wood ashes 0
(hardwood is best)
Garden compost 0.7 0.3
Peat Moss improves soil structure
Rotted manure (not dehydrated)
AVAILABILITY
NITROGEN POTASSIUM PHOSPHORUS TO THE SOIL
12 0 0 high
2 20 0.2 medium
1 1 1 medium
2 5 high
Cow
Horse
Rabbit
Chicken
0.7 medium
- nutrient value is negligible
0.5 0.2 0.5 medium
0.7 0.5 0.6 medium
4 3 1 medium
1.8 1 0.5 medium
Hog 0.3 0.3 0.4 medium
Sheep 1 0.35 0.5 medium
Materials with medium availability - double the amounts.
I have been cleaning out our old
barn over the past few years,
applying 20 -year-old dehydrated
cow manure to the garden. It would
appear that I have been building the
humus of the soil but not getting the
nutritive value I need for the results
I want. Back to the neighbour's
barn for some of the fresher manure.
I see it is going to be one of those
lovely springs when my muscles get
that much needed workout after a
winter of poring over books and
watching it snow.0
Rhea llamilton-Seeger raises two
children, and is a skilled cook and
gardener.