Tackling nutrient deficiencies

If your plants aren’t thriving, a deficiency in one or more nutrients could be the cause. What is the best way to make sure your garden is getting everything it needs?

Soil testing is essential to identify if any soil nutrients are lacking in your garden, and pinpoints exactly what’s missing. Hill Laboratories’ Basic Soil test is suitable for home gardens and lawns (as well as grazing blocks) and provides information on the status of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium, soil pH and cation exchange capacity (how well soil can bind positively charged nutrients).

If soil test results show that nutrients are lacking, some people prefer the idea of using compost or manure rather than specialised fertilisers. Compost and manure are good for soil, but they may not supply the range and level of nutrients required to address deficiencies.

Digging compost into your garden is beneficial and provides low levels of nutrients, but mostly not enough to overcome deficiencies or to meet plant requirements. Compost helps to lift overall soil health, which in turn makes nutrients more readily available to plants. It improves soil structure, adds beneficial microbes, and boosts cation exchange capacity, improving the mobility of air, water and nutrients in the soil.

Manure mainly helps by providing nitrogen, and must be dug into the soil to prevent nitrogen being lost to the atmosphere.

The main advantage of specialised fertilisers is their practicality, precision and effectiveness; you can use them to evenly distribute a range of immediately available nutrients to plants, targeting their specific needs so they can thrive. Like any product, it is important to use fertiliser well. Applying small amounts of fertiliser frequently to damp soil then watering it in well makes it easier for plants to take up the nutrients provided, does not harm soil organisms and avoids concentrated nutrients burning plant roots.

So in a nutshell, compost, manure and specialised fertilisers are all helpful in your garden, but specialised fertilisers are the best at tackling specific nutrient deficiencies.