HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1979-04-26, Page 53Page 24
How to read seed packs
for useful information.
Seers par kers t an't tell you
eser thing \,ou need to know
about planting flower and
vegetable seeds (.)nlv experi-
ence (-at, accomplish that. How-
ever. the tiller instructions on
the back of the packet can gine
you a good start by providing
muf h essential imrorntation:
Plant sire
Days to maturity (for
vegetables)
When to plant
Depth to coyer seeds
Optimum distance between
plants
Must seed packets are written
in plain English that even
nongardeners can' understand.
Still, you may occasionally en-
counter old•fashioned phrases.
relics of the days when farm-
ing terms were common. Most
people can puzzle through these
ar,•haic expressions to under•
stand the gist of the instruc-
tions.
You should save seed pack•
ets, regardless of how pictur-
esque they look when stuck on a
stick as a row marker. A better
marker ca`n be made from a
piece of thin wood with the
name of the variety and plant-
ing date written with a laundry
market pen. By saving packets
you can refer to them later in
the season for information on
thinning and harvesting.
What's in the bag?
By J. Ralph Shaw,
OMAF
When you look at the fertilizers
offered at the local garden
center, you are faced with
strange names such as Golfgreen
and Crabgrass Doctor. The only
way to know what is in the bag is
to read the finc' print on the
package label. However, with the
wide variety of organic and
inorganic fertilizers available,
the first decision to make is
which of these two types you want
to use.
Remember, nutrients have to
be in a relatively simple form in
the soil water before they can be
taken up by the plant roots.
Organic fertilizers must first be
broken dawn by soil bacteria into
inorgtinic. water-soluble forms.
Plants cannot tell if the nutrient
in the soil came from organic or
inorganic fertilizers, or the
natural weathering of the soil.
Organic materials are usually
more expensive than inorganic
types, and are relatively low in
plant nutrients. The actual plant
nutrients only become available
to the plant roots as the material
decays in the soil. This means the
plant nutrients are available to
the plant over a longer period of
time, and are less likely to he lost
from the soil. Organic materials
improve soil structure because of
the dry muter added. Examples
of organic fertilizers are sheep -
cow manure or milorganite
Plant nutrients in inorganic
synthetic) fertilizers are in a
soluble form, ,which is quickly
available to plants. Their
nutrient content is usually quite
'high, so smaller amounts are
applied. However, one disad-
vantage of these materials is that
most gardeners tend to apply too
much fertilizer, causing injury to
the growing plants.
After deciding whether to buy
organic or inorganic fertilizers,
study the information printed on
the fertilizer bag indicating
fertilizer grades or analysis.
Let's consider the example 18-
6-9. The first number refers to the
percentage of nitrogen, the
second to the percentage of
phosphorus, and this third to the
percentage of potassium.
Nitrogen is the main essential
nutrient for plant growth, and
supplies the rich green color to
plants. Nitrogen stimulates the
growth of grass, resulting in
more frequent mowing.
On the fertilizer bag, you may
encounter the term S.C.U. This
means "Sulfur -Coated Urea".
Nitrogen can he added to fer-
tilizer, either in the form of
nitrate or urea. The urea form is
available more slowly for plant
uptake, and therefore less likely
to "burn" the lawn or plants. The
S.C.U. type of urea is even safer,
and there is less chance of
causing injury.
The nutrient, phosphorus, is
required by plants for good root
growth. Potassium is beneficial
to general growth of plants, and
also helps to improve winter
hardiness of lawns.
Minor elements, such as
magnesium, iron, sulfur, and
manganese are required in much
smaller quantities by plants.
Each of these has its own function
within the plant. Some fertilizers
contain one, or more of these
minor elements.
Fertilizer companies also
market lawn fertilizers con-
taining insecticides and -or
herbicides for insect and -or weed
control. Read labels carefully to
he sure the weed killer, included
in the fertilizer, will do the job.
For example, if crabgrass is your
most important weed enemy, be
sure the herbicide will control
this weed, and that the ap-
plication is made at the proper
time. Do not apply any of these
"3 -in -1" fertilizers on vegetable,
fruit or flower gardens, unless
the label clearly indicates
otherwise.
Deodorant plants
Garden plants can purify the
air and deodorize it too. Lilacs,
shrub roses, honeysuckle,
viburnum and mock orange
provide a pleasing fragrance.
Watering houseplants
A good rule of thumb to follow
when watering houseplants is to
measure the diameter of the pot
and water one ounce for each
inch diameter.
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