Secrets of fertilising

Secrets of Fertilising.

Your role is to maintain the level of organic matter; mainly by supplying mulch and compost. You also feed the soil-life natural elements (eg calcium, magnesium, potassium, silicon and boron) and they convert these into plant food.

There are three ways to fertilise:

1.Granules on the ground—this is the most important and essential method. Granules have the best longterm impact in that they can affect a change in the soil balance and pH. However it may take up to a year for that impact to take effect, as the granules have to first be converted into plant food by the wild life living in the organic matter in the soil.

2.Liquid fertiliser on the ground--- this has a much quicker impact on the plant but has less longterm impact. It can be done quickly and efficiently with a fertigation system built into the irrigation system.

3.Foliar spray onto the leaves---this is the quickest way to affect the plant and the fruit or vegetable. It is almost immediate in its impact and is therefore an excellent way to improve the size and quality of the current crop. You do a leaf analysis to identify any deficiencies and can correct them straightaway.

It is therefore recommended that:
(i) a spray unit for foliar spraying of nutrients be used, and
(ii) a fertigation system be added to the irrigation system for effective and efficient fertilising with liquid fertilisers (obtainable from Nutri-Tech).

N.B. It is highly desirable to use all three of the above methods. Whilst many people only do number one, this does not take into account the fact that different crops take different elements out of the soil in varying quantities and heavy rain can leach many minerals during the year. Vegetables have a much shorter cycle than fruit trees and to save a crop or to ensure that it is good quality, size and quantity you need to keep feeding plants frequently. Like humans they benefit from regular feeding in small amounts, not large amounts infrequently.

What do you fertilise with:
What your soil test identifies as necessary
What your leaf tests identify as necessary.
Compost
Microbes and fungi.
Basic equipment needed: watering can and maybe a backpack
Desirable equipment: sprinklers and a fertigation unit.
For more information go to www.growinghealthyorganicfood.com