Gardening tips: Know how to apply manure to your plants
Nov 07, 2008
Roses like most of the other garden plants, make a heavy demand on the reserves of plant food in the soil. If one or more of the vital elements run short, then hunger signs appear on the leaves or flowers, thereby affecting the vigour and the plant display.
By Winifred Rukidi
Roses like most of the other garden plants, make a heavy demand on the reserves of plant food in the soil. If one or more of the vital elements run short, then hunger signs appear on the leaves or flowers, thereby affecting the vigour and the plant display.
You may use organic manure to fertilise your roses, but you have to be careful because raw manure, full of nitrogen, can burn the stems and roots. As much as I love and recommend organic manure, I still use manufactured fertilisers for a good healthy plant. The following nutrients are the most required:
Nitrogen – Stimulates the growth of leaves and stems and increases the size of the plant.
Phosphates – Stimulates the growth of roots and stems and speeds up flowering.
Potassium – Stimulates the production of top quality blooms. it also improves draught and disease resistance.
Calcium – With magnesium, iron and boron, calcium maintains the healthy green colour of the foliage, so that growth and appearance are not spoilt by leaf discolouration and premature fall. Calcium also reduces the incidence of die-back of stems.
Manganese – Is required in trace amounts, but contributes to disease prevention and the general health of the plant.
Foliar feeding has aroused a great deal of interest. Formulated fertilisers are used to supplement and not replace soil feeding and have the unique advantage of getting into the sap stream only hours after being sprayed on the leaves.
I use Poly feed Green house grade NPK Fertiliser, a water soluble foliar feed which gives good results. Like all fertilisers, whether organic or manufactured, instructions must be followed or you risk killing your plants.
Like the Americans have voted for change, go out and make a change for your plants.
winnieruk@hotmail.com
Roses like most of the other garden plants, make a heavy demand on the reserves of plant food in the soil. If one or more of the vital elements run short, then hunger signs appear on the leaves or flowers, thereby affecting the vigour and the plant display.
You may use organic manure to fertilise your roses, but you have to be careful because raw manure, full of nitrogen, can burn the stems and roots. As much as I love and recommend organic manure, I still use manufactured fertilisers for a good healthy plant. The following nutrients are the most required:
Nitrogen – Stimulates the growth of leaves and stems and increases the size of the plant.
Phosphates – Stimulates the growth of roots and stems and speeds up flowering.
Potassium – Stimulates the production of top quality blooms. it also improves draught and disease resistance.
Calcium – With magnesium, iron and boron, calcium maintains the healthy green colour of the foliage, so that growth and appearance are not spoilt by leaf discolouration and premature fall. Calcium also reduces the incidence of die-back of stems.
Manganese – Is required in trace amounts, but contributes to disease prevention and the general health of the plant.
Foliar feeding has aroused a great deal of interest. Formulated fertilisers are used to supplement and not replace soil feeding and have the unique advantage of getting into the sap stream only hours after being sprayed on the leaves.
I use Poly feed Green house grade NPK Fertiliser, a water soluble foliar feed which gives good results. Like all fertilisers, whether organic or manufactured, instructions must be followed or you risk killing your plants.
Like the Americans have voted for change, go out and make a change for your plants.
winnieruk@hotmail.com