ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PLANT FEED
We bring clarity to your choices
EVEN IF your garden soil is good and balanced, there’s no doubting the growth-enhancing effects of fertilisers and the extra vitality they bring to flower and foliage plants, edible crops and lawn areas.
Anyone wanting to get the best garden displays should have a selection of fertilisers ready to hand through summer. indeed, away from the border they become essential where composts hold only limited nutrients for basket and container plants.
Overwhelming choice
The choice of fertilisers on garden centre and DIY store shelves however, can be overwhelming. With such a selection it can be hard to decide what is best to buy for your plants. General purpose fertilisers with balanced nutrient content offer an ‘all purpose’ solution for no-fuss gardeners looking to keep things simple. You could get by with a granular allpurpose feed for borders and a liquid version for pots, but there really is no ‘one-size fits all’.
Getting to grips with basic plant nutrient requirements will help you make the right fertiliser choice for different parts of the garden and for different plants. Fortunately there are very few poor performing fertilisers on the market. even after 20 years of gardening, i’m still more often guided by price and multi-buy deals than performance claims when it comes to stocking up on fertilisers. Just stick to a respected brand, follow the dosage instructions and you won’t go far wrong.
Getting started
nitrogen (n), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), are the three key bulk nutrients of any good fertiliser, and each supports different growth on a plant (see our quick-guide to NPK on p12). An NPK ratio will be stated on all fertiliser packets, though other nutrients and trace elements such as iron, magnesium, and copper, are often listed. But even with an understanding of NPK this still leaves a range of options to work through – Organic or inorganic? Controlled release or fast acting? Liquid, granule or pellet?...
Quick fix or controlled release?
As a general rule, faster growing plants require more feed to support optimal growth. Liquid feeds have the advantage of being immediately available to plants. However, they don’t stay in the soil for long and easily wash out if applied before rainfall, or if frequent watering follows. Offer regular doses of liquid fertiliser such as Phostrogen All Purpose for hungry flowering plants like seasonal summer bedding in pots, baskets and borders. Patio grow bags and greenhouse vegetables – tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and the like – also
“Fertilisers bring extra vitality to all garden plants”