Evening star., 1941-07-05

nitrogen, for it makes for soft, sappy
growth-types of plant growth sus-
ceptible to freeze injury and tc
infection by plant disease.
Phosphate is the second plant
food, and by the way, mixed fer
tilizers are usually sold by formula
and the percentage of phosphate
is the middle figure (4-8-5). Most
of the local soils are deficient In
phosphate. Where nitrogen encour-
ages leaf growth. PHOSPHORUS stim-
ulates root growth and strengthens
the cell tissues. 1t is principally
available as a ground rock (from
Florida that is treated with acid
to make it readily available to
plants. This material is usually
sold as superphosphate, although at
one time we called it acid phos-
phate after the method of manu-
| facture. We apply bonemeal prin-
cipally for the phosphate which 1t
contains 30 to Is per cent?. Unlike
superphosphate, which is easily SOL
uble, bonemeal must go through
considerable decomposition before
the phosphate is available to grow
ing plants. The superphosphate
may be applied at any time. whereas
bonemeal should be incorporated in
the soil several months g to g. in
advance of the time when it Is to be
needed.
The third plant food, potash,
helps to strengthen cell tissues and
to make it more resistant to dis
ease and insect attacks. 1t also
plays an important part in seed and
tuber development. Woody plants
need more potash than others. Pot
ash may be had either as wood ashes
or as a chemical plant food-sul-
phate of potash or muriate of pot
ash. Unleached hardwood ashes are
a valuable source of potash and
should never be wasted.
Calcium is sometimes spoken Of
as a plant food, and it does enter
into the plant structure, but I like
to think of 1t as lime, which Is a
condiment or soil conditioner. and
not as a plant food. There are
many other more or less unimpor-
tant plant foods-that is. unimpor-
tant in that they are usually pres
ent in the soil and do not need to
be applied, but quite important if
they are lacking. They include
boron, copper, iron, magnesium, etc.
So much for the chemical end
of this discussion. The home gar
dener. beyond understanding a bit
of what it is all about, should pay
most of his attention to seeing
that the mixture of inorganic
(chemicaD or commercial fertilizer
is about as he wants. All COM
mercial fertilizers carry tag or
statement of the available plant
food they contain. Common gar
dent fertilizers vary from Aba
n-phosphate-potash) to 10
6-5 in analysis. Most people use
the Aba, 4-8-5 or 6-6-5. depending
upon the nitrogen needed. Any one
of them, if manufactured by re-
liable company, should be satisfac-
tory for general garden use.
Most gardeners favor regular
feeding of their plants. This should
imply willingness to give small
amounts of plant food at regular
intervals. We do not sit down to
eat at one time enough food to
last us a week, month or sea-
son. Too much food applied at
any one time will injure on kill
a plant. Applications before or at
planting time and at monthly in
tervals during the active growth
period are most beneficial. The
one exception to this rule-ferti-
lizers applied in late summer (after
mid-AugusD to perennials and
shrubs may send them into their
dormant season with soft Gm-
mature) growth that is easily i'll
jured by cold weather. 1t is best
to forego fertilizing after the 1st of
August.
A light application of fertilizer
may be 1 or pounds per 100
square feet of bed. A heavy ap-
plication is from to 3 pounds per
100 square feet. Over 3 pounds
may cause injury to growing
plants. These refer to the amounts
applied at any one time. The total
application may be as much as S
or 6 pounds during the season, al
though 4 pounds is considered a
normal application for a flower
bed. Lawns seldom receive more
than 3 pounds in a seaSon-although
pounds in March and 2 pounds in
September are recommended.
The time of application is not
so important except that plants
need food during their periods of
most active growth. Thus We put
fertilizers in the bed just before
sowing the seed, or after the plants
are up and making active growth,
we may scatter fertilizer over the
surface just after rain or water
ing and then cultivate it we'll into
the soil. 1t is usually desirable to
water after applying the food to
wash it down to the roots.
Some gardeners broadcast ferti-
lizers over their lawns by hand.
1t is seldom possible to secure an
even distribution of the material
by this method, and the resulting
growth is very uneven, with pos
sibly some burning due to too
heavy a concentration. A fertilizer
distributor is very useful instru-
ment. In flower beds, where the
use of distributor is impracticable
| one should be as careful as pos
sible to secure reasonably uni
form application.
When applying fertilizer to bed
IN which flowers are growing there
| is usually some left on the foliage
This should be washed of with the
hose.