When to apply fertilizer to plants?

When to apply fertilizer to plants?

If you have plants, surely there are several times a year when you wonder if it is time to apply fertilizer or it is better not to do it. This can be seen as a "boost" of energy to keep them healthy or to help them develop better.

But When to apply fertilizer? How to do it? What types of fertilizers and manures are there? They are the same? Of all those questions, and a few more, you will get the answer below.

When to apply fertilizer

When to apply fertilizer

The most important thing is to know that it is necessary to apply a fertilizer when the plant is at the right time to absorb the product, which will then be reflected in further development. The time to do it is from late winter, during spring and from late summer to fall.

The extreme climates are not suitable for fertilizers to come into contact with plants as temperatures stop the activity of plants and their metabolism slows down. That is why the exception is the summer and winter seasons, when plants battle daily against very hot or very cold days.

The exception to the rule is new plantations because if it is a question of recently sown plants then the fertilizer will serve to reinforce them and favor their development in the face of adverse weather.

Fertilizers too are recommended for flowering, In other words, foreseeing that the day will come when the plants will wake up with their rainbow of color and that, in some way, they must be pushed to do so with force.

If we want to improve flowering, then we must apply a fertilizer a month before it. Each plant blooms at a particular time so once you know the exact moment, start with the applications 30 days before.

How to do it

Simply collect a bit of cow manure, mix it with water and let it rest to be able to design a very effective organic liquid fertilizer. Or buy a chemical in the store and solve the matter in a single purchase.

Beyond the choice when it comes to the products used to enrich the soil of the plants, the important thing is to know how to use them.

Depending on the plant, the time it is, etc. there is one product more specific than another. But overall they all act the same:

  • If they are organic, just spread them around the plant.
  • If they are fertilizers, they are usually thrown into the irrigation water and focused on the plant, or if it is the powder, it is placed around it.

Types of fertilizers and manures

Types of fertilizers and manures

In addition to knowing when to add fertilizers or fertilizers, it is just as important, not only how, but also the type that you are going to use. There are some plants that have fertilizers or fertilizers that are more recommended than others, either because of the nutrients that they are going to give them, or because they are focused on that specific species.

But what types are there? First, let's divide between fertilizers and manures (which, in case you don't know, are two different things as we will see later).

Fertilizers

Before knowing the types of fertilizers, you should know what a fertilizer is. It is a product, usually chemical, but there are also organic ones, which serve to nourish the plant itself, not so much the soil in which it is.

It is an essential part of plant care since a supply of nutrients is given directly to the plant, although indirectly the soil is also nourished.

The classification of fertilizers is quite broad, to the point that more than one can be on several lists. In general, and based on its origin, you can find:

  • Mineral fertilizers, which as its name suggests come from mining and are chemically modified.
  • Organic fertilizers, which are natural and similar to organic, but differ from the previous ones in the nutrient content, since it is more enriched.

Despite this classification, it is true that there are more types, for example depending on the presentation, that can give us fertilizers in powder, granules, pellets, liquids, etc .; or depending on the time of its application, where there is background (used before sowing), starter (at the time of sowing), cover (with already implanted crops) and foliar (in adult plants).

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In the case of fertilizers, these are not so focused on the plants themselves, but rather seek to nourish the soil in which the plants are to cover the deficiencies that this land may have through nutrients.

In this way, by improving the quality of the soil, we also indirectly improve the plant as it can be better nourished.

Fertilizers are always considered natural, that is, they do not go through any type of chemical process or human hands to create them. And which are they? Well, there are several types, such as:

  • Manure. It can be from a horse, cow, sheep ... In general, it is the faeces of animals that are collected because they have many nutrients for the earth. They are bought on farms or in stores that sell it (not easy to find, but one of the best out there).
  • Compost. It is done through kitchen waste, garden waste, flowers, leaves, waste, etc. It can be done at home or bought in stores. More information.
  • Chicken manure. As you may have guessed, it is chicken manure and has a great source of sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
  • Earthworm humus. It is one of the best known and it is becoming easier to find it in specialized gardening stores.

Among the fertilizers there are not only organic ones, but for some time now the “inorganic” ones have also appeared, which are made with mineral compounds. We could say that they are organic fertilizers. It does not mean that they are artificial, or that they contain harmful chemicals, but that they are made in a certain way to have a more complete compost.

Differences between manures and fertilizers

Before we have told you that compost and fertilizer are not the same. After seeing the two types of fertilizers and manures on the market, it is clear to you that the main difference between the two is that the fertilizers are natural and the fertilizers, except for exceptions, are chemical.

However, there is one more difference you should know about these. And it is that while the compost acts directly on the soil, the fertilizer does it on the plant.

In other words, the compost nourishes the soil that the plant feeds on. The main function is to enrich that land, not the plant itself, which it does indirectly. In the case of fertilizer, the product will specifically improve the plant, but not the soil. Although this can be nurtured indirectly.

Which is better? Certainly the compost, or a combination of both.

What happens if the fertilizer dose is exceeded

What happens if the fertilizer dose is exceeded

They say that everything in excess is bad. And in the case of manures and fertilizers, too. When you apply too many nutrients to a plant or soil, there is a time when everything good turns bad.

When overfertilization occurs, as this situation is called, it causes a greater probability of diseases appearing in plants. It is true that by itself it may not harm, but if it is mixed with other elements such as poor watering, sun exposure (or lack of sun), etc. Yes, it can be important so that the plant cannot face an attack.

In fact, if you go overboard with compost or fertilizer, you will make the plant grow weaker and even glean (that starts with the flowering exhausting it) too much.

If you notice that the leaves are withered and have spots or burnt edges, that they fall, that the flowers do not open ... these may be signs that you have spent fertilizing it.

And what diseases and pests can appear? Well, especially pests of aphids and mealybugs.

How to recover a plant with excess compost or fertilizer

Now, it has a solution. If you have gone over with the fertilizer or compost, and the plant is in a pot, the fastest and best action is to remove it from the ground as soon as possible and put it for 20 minutes in a container where you have distilled water. This will remove excess fertilizer as well as compost. Meanwhile, remove all the soil and clean the pot well, after that time, add new soil and put the plant in.

If they are in crops (that is, on land), then it is best water the soil leaving it soaked to somehow dilute this product. Another option that many use is to apply rooting products because by promoting the generation of more roots, the ones that exist are not saturated with fertilizer, but can be better dispersed.

Do you have more questions about when to apply fertilizer to plants? Ask us and we will try to help you.


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