Garden Book Reviews

A lot of people make the mistake of overlooking their plants’ need for fertilizer, thinking that they would be able to grow with or without fertilizing them. However, through using the right type of fertilizer and by doing it properly, you can ensure that your plants would be growing better and faster because they are receiving enough nourishment. Feeding your plants can also possibly produce better crops and blooms since they are able to stay disease-free.

Before choosing the type of fertilizer to buy, you would first need to know that fertilizers are made up of different nutrients. Some of the more commonly found in fertilizers would be potassium, nitrogen and phosphorous, as these are the main nutrients that are needed by all plants to thrive. Although these nutrients should normally be present in the soil, there are times when they are in such low quantities that the plant is unable to grow well. Through the use of fertilizers, you would be able to make sure that your plants are receiving not only these essential nutrients, but also many other additional nutrients that can help in their growth and development. The added nutrients vary depending on the brand or kind of fertilizer, so it is important to choose carefully among your options to be sure that you would be getting one that has the right types and amounts of nutrients.

If you would be using fertilizer for your outdoor plants, it is also recommended that you test your soil first to know whether your soil is more acidic or alkaline. You can do this by using a soil kit which is readily available at most gardening supply stores. This would help you in choosing which type of fertilizer to use.

There are two types of fertilizers: organic or non-organic. Organic fertilizers are made up of natural ingredients such as compost or manure while non-organic fertilizers are those that are made with chemicals and are further divided into the liquid, granular and controlled release.

Granular fertilizers would be the least expensive and usually have to be reapplied after a month or two. They are often used for lawns and for general garden feeding. To use granular fertilizer, you could just spread it over your lawn and sprinkle on the soil in your flower beds then rake or dig it in. It can also be mixed into well-tiled soil before you plant vegetables or if you already have an existing row of vegetables, you can just mix it into the top few inches of the soil. Make sure to soak the soil completely after application.

Liquid fertilizers usually come with concentrates that should be diluted in water and dry materials which dissolve in water. They are immediately taken by the plant through its leaves and roots. They are generally used for container plants. To apply, you just need to follow the direction for dilution on the label to avoid burning the plants. Make sure to apply it close to the roots of the plants using a watering can or if possible, an injecting device attached to a hose every week or two.

Controlled release fertilizers contain bead-like granules that release nutrients gradually into the soil over a period of several months, depending on the formulation. Some are applied just once or twice a year, but there are also some which need to be applied three or four times annually. The longer the period of release, the more expensive the fertilizer is.

For organic fertilizer, you can use bat guano and fish pellets, as these usually have all of the three primary nutrients already. If you want specific organic fertilizer that contains nitrogen, you can use blood meal, poultry waste or cottonseed meal. For phosphorous, you can use bone meal and for potassium, you can use granite meal or kelp. To apply organic fertilizer, you just need to scatter it above the roots and work into the soil. Afterwards, water the plants and the soil well.

Most soils are a mixture of silt, sand, clay, stones, and organic matter. This mixture is also called loam. The best grave vine soil is generally a mixture of all of these types. Too much of one type can cause problems for growing grapevines.

Determining Soil Type

If you’re wondering “how do I grow grapes” – one of the first issues you need to address is the soil for growing grapes. Don’t fret if your soil isn’t what a farmer would consider rich “quality” soil. Believe it or not grapes have an affinity for gravely or stony soil. In fact, the best land for growing grape plants most farmers would consider infertile. One reason you often see grape vines growing on hillsides is that due to soil erosion the stony ground that’s left is ideal for grapes. Bottom land soils are much richer, and often too rich for grapes.

There are three general classifications of soil:

· Clay
· Sand
· Silt

Grape vines will grow well in all three soil types – providing there is good water drainage. Well drained soils are warmer, and this promotes better ripening and vine growth.

How Soil Elements Effect Grapes

Grapes grown from soils that are high in iron will produce wines with a slight cloudiness. This cloudiness is also called a ferric casse. The ferric casse is very difficult to get rid of without sophisticated equipment. Soils with a reddish tint are usually high in iron.

Soils with a high Boron content will cause higher sugar content in the grape, and will speed up maturity. Boron rich soils will also raise the pH level in the grape crop. It has also been shown that soils high in phosphorus produce wines with a higher iron content.

Checking Your Soils pH Level

When planting grape vines it’s important to know the pH level of your soil. Depending on the type of grapes you want to grow – some prefer alkaline soil, and some grapes prefer acidity in the soil. You can test your soils ph level by getting a pH meter and using it on a damp soil sample from your property. You can find a pH meter at hardware and gardening stores. A pH of 8.0 or higher shows a highly alkaline soil. You can add gypsum to the soil to lessen the alkalinity. A pH under 6.0 shows an overly acid soil. You can add limestone stone your soil to lessen this acidity.

An easy way to test your soil type is to take a glass jar and fill it half full of soil from your prospective planting area. Try to get a core sample down to about 8 inches. In other words your sample should include the top soil – all the way down to 8 inches. Fill the jar with water and shake it. Then set the water aside and let it settle for two or three days. The heavy sand will settle first, followed by silt, and then the clay. The organic matter will float.

Ideal loam contains about 45 percent sand, 35 percent silt, and 20 percent clay. If your settled soil layers are severely out of these proportions – these problems can be corrected.

Drainage Is Important

It’s very important that you find an area to plant your grapes in that has good drainage. Grapes don’t like wet ground. Generally the deeper the soil the better it will drain water.

Grape Roots Go Deep

You will want to make sure your soil is at least 30 inches deep. In other words, you don’t want bedrock, or some other impenetrable layer within the top 30 inches. The reason is that grape roots grow deep. In fact, if they have the room grape roots will grow as deeply as six feet down.

Growing tomatoes in containers provides a much easier alternative than the more arduous task of tending to your crop of tomatoes when they are planted in your garden and this brief guide to growing tomatoes in containers will get you on the right path. The purists may not always agree but tomatoes that are grown in containers are generally as successful as plants grown in the ground but results will depend upon the size of the container used and the soil mix used.

Depending on what type of tomatoes you wish to grow the size of container you should use will vary. For those who wish to grow cherry tomatoes a simple hanging basket will suffice, whereas a five gallon container will be more suitable for larger varieties of tomato, if you want your tomatoes to be successful then you must understand that they will need adequate room for their root systems. Tomatoes are much easier to look after, especially for the novice tomato gardener, after they have left the nursery, or greenhouse, stage in their development that is why it is better to purchase them as plants from a local nursery rather than trying to grow them from seed.

There are two specific types of tomato to choose from, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate are tomatoes that grow to a certain size and then stop and are probably a much better choice for container gardening, however, many people want to try growing big tomatoes and these are generally indeterminate tomato varieties such as ‘big boy’ and ‘early girl,’ both of which are good disease resistant tomatoes.

Once you have decided upon which tomato variety you are going to grow, it’s time to get down to planting and the first thing you should be concerned with is that your container is strong enough because fruiting tomato plants can become top-heavy and an unsuitable container will topple, secondly, ensure your container has adequate drainage, you do this by checking that there are enough holes in the bottom of your container, if not make some more. The next step is to provide the best soil mix for your plant to flourish, the normal mix is generally a good potting soil mixed with plenty of compost but consulting with your garden center when buying your tomato plants is probably a good idea.

When you plant your tomato plant pick off the lowest leaves and plant it deep enough so that only the top quarter of the plant is showing, this will encourage a better root system to develop which in turn will enhance the growth of your plant. It is also a good idea to insert a support stake at this time to avoid any damage to root systems later on.

Tomatoes love sunshine and benefit from 6 to 8 hours a day so always make sure that you locate them in a spot where they will see plenty of sun. If this isn’t possible then the use of a grow light will help your young plants develop. Daily watering is vital and about an inch of water a day is required and all being well, depending upon the variety of tomato you’ve chosen you will have some juicy, tasty tomatoes in anything from 50 to 80 days.