Fertilizing ornamental plants
In the garden, flower beds, terraces, balconies it is important not only to provide water but also nutrients with which it will be possible to obtain the best results in vegetative growth and flowering.
Fertilization promotes lush growth of plants and makes flower color brighter and more beautiful.
All plants need to be fertilized, especially if they live in pots, because it is a limited environment for the roots and the plant itself. If they are not fertilized, potted plants quickly exhaust the fertilizer in the soil and begin to slow down their growth, giving rise to lightening and yellowing of the vegetation due to nutritional deficiencies.
Fertilizing should begin immediately, as soon as the plant is purchased, if it is placed on the balcony as it is, without being transplanted. The recommended frequency is weekly but, if the weather is mild, even twice a week.
Generally after some time from purchase it’s better to transplant to larger pot a flowering balcony plant, if we want it to become bigger and more beautiful.
When plants are transplanted from the growing pot to a larger pot or a palnter to be placed on the terrace, wait about 3-4 weeks before starting, because the fertilizer already contained in the soil used for the transplant is enough and the roots would also grow less if there was too much fertilizer.
For flowering plants for the balcony, the choice of fertilizer will be oriented towards ternary or compound fertilizers, that is, they contain all the main nutrients for growth and flowering: l‘Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K).
Compound fertilizers contain all three of these elements, which are indicated on the label as a % of their content, in order: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P2O5) and Potassium (K2O).
Complex fertilizers contain all three of these elements, which are indicated on the label as a % of their content, in order: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P2O5) and Potassium (K2O).
Therefore, fertilizers with the title 7:3:4. (liquid) or 20:5:10 (powder) are fertilizers in which the highest percentage is nitrogen that mainly promote vegetation. For flowering plants it is advisable to use them only for the first fertilizations or maybe you can immediately apply fertilizer with a prevalence of potassium (K) such as 4:3:7 (liquid) or 15:5:25 (powder); they promote flowering and are more balanced and can be used from the beginning to the end of the cultivation.
Nitrogen is mainly responsible for the vegetative growth and significantly influences the green color of the leaves. The higher the nitrogen, the more bright and dark the green the leaves will be, which will also become larger and the entire plant will grow faster. However, an excess of nitrogen delays and decreases flowering and leads to more tender vegetation especially if the plant grows with little light.
Phosphorus is important for root development and flower induction. Among these three elements it is the least absorbed by plants.
Potassium in flowering plants is assimilated in greater quantities than nitrogen and phosphorus and is responsible for the beautiful color of the flowers, the strength of the tissues and the general rusticity of the plant, therefore the natural resistance to disease. Especially during flowering, it is by far the most required by the plant, up to double that of nitrogen.
There are three types of fertilizers: granular, more suitable for gardens and vegetable gardens, which must be distributed on the soil and lasts a long time, but of less efficacy in the short term than liquid fertilizers which are soluble in water and readily assimilated by the roots. They have the disadvantage to be low in nutrient concentration, and therefore the quantities to be distributed are higher, thus resulting more expensive over time.
Finally there are powder fertilizers to be dissolved in water. They are highly concentrated in fertilizer, they are more complete having nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and often also magnesium and iron (both greening). Generally 1-2 gr per liter of water are enough, so they usually have the best quality/price ratio, as long as the nitrogen (N) concentration is higher than 10% (commonly 15-20%).
Dissolve the fertilizer in water in the watering can at the doses indicated on the label of the chosen product. Liquid fertilizers are equipped with a dispenser (cap) and there is a certain tolerance in the doses, as they have low concentration. Powder soluble fertilizers need to be dosed more precisely as they have a higher concentration. It is therefore not recommended to fertilize “by eye”, you would risk easily exceeding with damage first to the roots and then to the plant. If there is no measuring cup in the package, it is advisable to use the electronic kitchen scale.
If you inadvertently exceed with fertilization, the first signs are the water stagnation of the soil which always remains moist, dry very slowly and the color of the leaves changes from dark green to dull green. The plant slowly stops flowering. In this case, stop fertilization for a month or until a rain or watering will dilute or removes the excess fertilizer. Wait patiently for the apical shoots to grow before restart.
If you inadvertently exceed with fertilization, the first signs are the water retention of the soil which always remains moist, struggles to dry at the usual pace, while the color of the leaves changes from dark green to dull green. The plant slowly stops flowering. In this case, suspend fertilization for a month or until a rain dilutes or removes the excess fertilizer. Wait patiently for the apical shoots to grow before resuming.
They are sprayed on the leaves instead of in the soil and are assimilated very quickly by the plants. They are used only occasionally to treat or prevent specific deficiencies (iron, calcium, magnesium, nitrogen and microelements). They do not replace fertilization done in the soil because, if used instead of fertirrigation, in the long run they would be insufficient by themselves to nourish the plant.
Phytostimulants, usually based on algae or humic and fulvic acids, help plants to overcome physiological problems related to plant stress such as cold or heat or a sudden dry period or a prolonged water shortage. Given promptly it helps to reduce or prevent yellowing of the leaves following stress.
Spring and autumn, with temperatures between 10 and 30°C, are ideal for fertilizing plants very well, because the flowering varieties for the balcony have the optimal climate for the best growth.
With lower temperatures the growth rates are slowed down, so fertilization should also be lowered. In the cold months and with short days only a few plants keep growing, for example violets, primroses, so with a few exceptions fertilization should be suspended until milder temperatures return (minimum T above 7-8°C with good weather).
With very high temperatures > 32°C most balcony plants suffer from heat stress, so they temporarily stop growing with the closure of the leaf stomata. In this phase therefore fertilization should also be reduced, if not suspended, because the plants are busy repairing the damage from heat stress and not growing. In these situations, the use of natural Phyto stimulators based on algae and humic/fulvic acids may be recommended.
The fertility of a soil is given by the quantity (and quality) of nutrients present in the soil and useful for the plants to thriving grow, particularly for annual flowering plants. There is a natural fertility that can be improved or simply restored, through the supply of natural or synthetic fertilizers able to satisfy nutritional needs of the plants in the best and most tailored way. This is especially true if the flowerbed was cultivated the previous year, with the removal of nutrients and impoverishment of the soil at the end of the season.
It is therefore advisable to plough fertilizer at the time of tillage, which can be organic (pelleted manure) or mineral. Slow-release fertilizers are also available that release nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) slowly throughout the season (5-6 months). They are the most effective and convenient to use because with a single operation they guarantee the nutritional supply in the most correct way; the release of elements is in fact proportional to the temperature and follows the growth trend of the plants in the spring-summer period, which is also related to the temperature.
Fertilizer can also be added during the growing season, distributing both granular fertilizers on the soil once or twice, or with fertirrigation, dissolving a water-soluble fertilizer and watering with the solution at the base of the plants or by sprinkling (rain).
Fertilizer can also be added during the growing season, distributing both granular fertilizers on the soil once or twice, or with fertigation, dissolving a water-soluble fertilizer and watering with the solution at the base of the plants or by sprinkling (rain).