Proven Beauty - Spring 2008 - (Page 22) fertilizing FEED YOUR PLANTS CHOOSING THE RIGHT FERTILIZER WILL HELP YOUR PLANTS THRIVE. Sometimes, plants need more than a little tender care and watering. To really reach their full potential, they need that extra boost of nutrition. 1 Q. WHAT KIND OF FERTILIZER SHOULD I BE USING? A. Water soluble fertilizers are mixed with water for instant release and then applied using a watering system or with a watering can. Slow release fertilizers (usually small pellets) need to time to break down but will provide nutrients for several months. Controlled release fertilizers look like slow release fertilizers but release their nutrients depending on the temperature. 2 SIMPLY PUT, HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Q. CAN I COMBINE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FERTILIZER? A. Be sure to always follow the directions on the package, but there are times when it makes sense to supplement one fertilizer with another. For example, if you have plants in pots that that need a lot of nutrition, such as Supertunias®, you may want to use a slow release fertilizer every couple of weeks to boost the nutrition level. If your plants have been hit with a very heavy rain, an application of water soluble fertilizer will provide nutrition to your potting mix and help bring plants back to life. If your plants have grown very large, supplemental water soluble fertilizer also may help them maintain lush growth. Q. HOW DO I APPLY THE FERTILIZER? A. Apply the fertilizer according to the method described on the package. You may want to add a slow release fertilizer once a month (or even longer depending on the fertilizer). Remember, when it comes to fertilizers, more is not necessarily better, so be sure you measure accurately. 3 PAGE 22 PROVEN BEAUTY
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.