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The Rural Voice, 1979-08, Page 46What's in the Bag? 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 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 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 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 time, and are less likely to be lost from the soil. Organic materials improve soil structure because of the dry matter 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 dis- advantage 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 the 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 be added to fertilizer, 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 PG. 44 THE RURAL VOICE/AUGUST 1979 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 containing insecticides 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 application is made at the proper time. 1i0 not apply any of these "3 -in -1" Miers on vegetable, fruit or flower ns, unless the label clearly indicates um et -wise. Don't spend a lot of money on tools. The success of your garden doesn't depend on the number of tools you own, says Burke McNeill, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food extension horticulturist. Before you spend a lot of money on tools. consider the total cost, and the size of your garden. "If your garden is under 90 square metres, all you really need is a spade or digging fork, a rake and a hoe," he says. "You can turn over the soil and make the beds with a spade or digging fork. Use the rake to level the beds, and the hoe to open seed furrows and to control weeds." If there is still money in your garden budget, consider buying a trowel for transplanting bedding plants, and a pair of pruning shears for shrubs. Many home gardeners find their gardens require some spraying during the growing season. Hose -on sprayers are ideal for the average garden, says Mr. McNeill. Squirt bottles are adequate for the small plots. "Ambitious gardeners with large garden plots may find they require a rototiller," says Mr. McNeill. But before you invest in this piece of equipment, consider how many times you will use it each year. "Unless the rows in your garden are wide enough to use the machine for weed control, you will probably use it only once a year" he says. "In this case it may be more practical to rent a roto -tiller or hire someone to prepare the land." Rock gardens require good planning Many gardeners have visions of a beautiful rock garden as soon as they see a slope or a terraced situation. Their visions are usually very realistic, but here realism often stops. They do not take into account the work required to develop and maintain the site. Nothing looks worse than a poorly planned and poorly maintained rock gar- den. Site selection is the most important decision to make once you have decided to plant a rock garden. Well -drained locations are a necessity. If drainage is poor, a gravel and stone base should be provided. Rock gardens should also blend with the surrounding terrain. For instance. a mound of stone and earth in the middle of a flat front yard is not a good choice of location. It will always look like a mound of dirt. Blend your rock garden into the surround- ings, so it will look like a natural part of the overall scene. Most plant material used in rock gardens comes from mountains, and this is the type of a scene that gardeners are trying to imitate in their yards. When planning your rock garden, try to picture how this would look in natural surroundings. There are many "do's" and "don'ts" in rock garden construction. For detailed advice consult the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food publication "Rock Gardens", (publication #38). This free publication is available from local agricul- tural offices, or by writing to the Inform- ation Branch, Ontario Ministry of Agricul- ture and Food, Legislative Buildings, Toronto, Ontario. M7A 1A5. Practically any low -growing plant mater- ial can be used in a rockery. Both deciduous and evergreen shrubs, and many hundreds of herbaceous perennials, can be used effectively. Unfortunately, rock gardening is a very specialized form of gardening. and enthusiasts must look far and wide for many of the choice plants, such as dryas, dracocephalium, erigeron, and helianthemum. However, the back- bone of any rockery is the moss phloxs, sedums, houseleeks (Hens and chickens), candy -tuft, perennial alyssum, and thymes. These are readily available at most garden centers.