Written and edited by Tammy 25rd September 2023
One of the most important jobs at the top of everyone's 'to do list' right now is to feed your gardens. Whether it's your roses, lawns, garden beds, fruit trees or indoor plants, they're all going to need to be fed.
It can be confusing trying to decide which fertiliser to use with so many available on the market.
There are five main types of fertilisers that each have their own purpose and circumstances for use.
Soluble
Soluble- Soluble fertilisers come in a powder form that are dissolvable in water. Once dissolved they can be taken in by the plant immediately, so they are perfect for weekly feeding of hungry vegetable seedlings that use so much energy to grow and go on to produce crops. Look for the likes of Thrive.
Liquids
Liquids- Liquids are nutrient rich and readily available to the plant, they're ideal for regular weekly feeding. Most often you would buy them in a concentrated form and dilute them in a watering can. Some conveniently come in a ready to use form RTU, a 750ml spray bottle, great for anyone with only a couple of plants, or a 2 litre or larger that can be connected straight onto a garden hose for applying to larger areas like a lawn. My fav is Seasol Powerfeed it's a good all-rounder suitable for everything including natives.
Organics
Organics- Organic fertilisers are normally derived of decomposed animal manures, meat meal, plant matter and green waste that goes through a process to compress and dry it and produce a pelletised or powdered form. Look for the likes of Nuetrog Rapid Raiser. or Blood and Bone. These types of fertilisers are good to use either on their own or alongside liquids and solubles. They don't need to be applied as frequently as they take a little longer to break down and be taken in by the plant. They're also a source of nutrition for your soil.
Slow release
Slow release-These fertilisers rely on the climatic conditions such as temperature and rain which determines just how quick they break down. They're generally found in granular form and are a balanced NPK (Nitrogen Phosphorus and Potassium). They are tailored to the types of plants they're for, so one for lawns such as Brunnings 'green up' will be higher in nitrogen, whereas one for fruit and vegetables will be higher in phosphorus and potassium. The nitrogen component works by aiding the plants' ability to photosynthesise, so it 'greens up' quickly, whilst other two elements are longer lasting aiding the plants vascular system, cell structure and root system. These types of fertilisers are good for routinely apply at the beginning of each season.
Controlled Release
Controlled release- Are the pretty little coloured balls you find within your bag of potting mix or on top of the soil of a newly purchased plant. A brand you might be familiar with is Osmocote. Each granule had a chemical coating that takes anything from 4-6 months (depending on the thickness of the chemical coating) to break down, gradually releasing the nutrients within. These types of fertilisers only need to be applied a couple of times a year. The good thing about them being so slow to release, is that there is no chance of burning your plants.
What it is that you need to fertilise will determine how often you need to feed and what fertiliser to use.
You're not limited to using just one product or the other either. For your veggie seedlings you might opt to use a controlled realise and add some soluble into your watering can every week as well and that's perfectly fine.
Hopefully now when you're ready to stock up on fertiliser, you'll have a bit more of an idea as to what ones you need.
As always if you have any questions or would like to know more don't hesitate to message me.
But for now, stock up, feed up and Happy Gardening!đđ¸đŞ´
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