HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-04-26, Page 57i/ ': St/41, S4V/11/N
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How to read seed parks
for useful information
Seed packets can't tell you
everything you need to know
about planting flower and
vegetable seeds. Only experi•
eine car. ae cumplish that,- How•
ever. the brief instructions on
the back of the packet can give
you' a good start by providing
much essential imformation;
Plant size
Days to maturity (for
tegetables)
When to plant
Depth to cover seeds
Optimum distance between
. plants
Mosrseed packets are wr en
in plain English tha evgn
nongardeners can un. rstand.
Still. you may occasionally en•
counter old- fashioned phrases.
relics ut the days when farm
ing terms were common. M t
1 people can puzzle through ese
ar.•haic expressions to nder•
stand the gist of t instruc-
tions.
You should e seed pack•
ets, regardte of - how pictur..
esque they .ok when stuck on a
stick as row marker. A better
markcan be made from a
pies' of thin wooef with the
me of the variety and plant•
ihg date written with a laundry
marker pen. By saying packets
you can refer to them later in
the season for information on
thinning and harvesting.
s in the bag?
J. Ralph Shaw,
•OMAF
en you look at the fertilizers
o ered at the local, garden
enter, you are faced with
strange names such as Golfgreen
and Crabgrass, Doctor. The only
way to know what is in the bagis
to read the fine 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
tause.
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 down by soil bacteria into
inorganic, water-soluble forms.
Plants cannot tell if the nutrients
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
..tim.e, and are Less likelyto be lost.-.
from the soil. Organic materials
improve soil structure because of
the dry m,tcter 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
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 r
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 ctf 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 insec.ti.cides.- and--or-.-----
herbicides for insect and -or weed
control. Read labels carefully to
be 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 clearl.j indicates
otherwise.
Deodorant plants
the growing plants. Garden plants can purify the
After deciding whether to buy air and deodorize it too. Lilacs,
Organic or inorganic fertilizers, shrub roses, honeysuckle,
study the information printed on viburnum• and mock orange
-:..:_ _theme_ fertr top -r . bye .- indict&.ting_- provi asmFg- a ttce-
fertilizergrades or analysis.
Let's consider the example 18=
6-9. Th'ft'est number refers to the
percentage- of nitrogen-, the
second to •the percentage of
phosphorus, and the third to the
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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