Evening star., 1952-03-09
Adequate Plant Food Essential Element
For Vegetable and Flower Gardens
By Dr.. John R. Toylor. j..
American Plant food Council,
Washington, D. e.

Washington. D. e.
Adequate fertilization Is Of
prime Importance in growing good
vegetable and flower gardens.
Plants thrive on good rich soils
with good moisture conditions and
an abundance Of sunlight. Select
O well.drained area with sunlight
most Of the day-prepare the
ground well, use good seed and
adequate fertilizer. Spring usually
brings plenty Of rain and sunshine,
but lack of plant food Is often
one of the missing links in sue
cessful gardening.
It is important to have organic
matter in the soil because organic
matter supplies plant nutrients.
improves reaction and helps condi-
ton the soil for good plant growth.
You will get maximum results
from the use of commercial fer
tilizer by working as much organic
matter into the soil as possible.
Value Of Lime In Soil.
Proper lining is also an i'm
portant factor in successful gar
dening because most vegetables
and flowers do better on soils that
are only slightly acid. A general
practice is to broadcast limestone
early in the spring at the rate Of
s pounds per 100 square feet and
work this into the topsoil. This
practice should be repeated every
3 to S years for best results.
However. overliming is to be
avoided and the best way to tell
how much lining material is
needed is to test your soil acidity.
A Phi value Of 10 is neutral,
being neither acid nor "sweet" and
most vegetables and flowers grow
better on slightly acid soils with
Phi values Of around 60 to 6.5. Mo-
table exceptions to this general
rule are azaleaS, rhododendronS
and blueberries which thrive on
real acid soils-so be sure that
lime is not applied to these soils.
Another big don't" to watch
involves preparing and working
the garden. Do not work garden
soils when they are too wet or else
you will form a hard, cloddy and
cementlike seedbed.
Soil Deficiencies.
Soils in this area are generally
deficient in plant food elements.
particularly the so-called major
plant foods, nitrogen, phosphate.
and potash. Commercial fertilizers
supply these and other nutrients,
so use a complete fertilizer on your
garden.
In applying fertilizer. o good
''rule of thumb" method is to-
broadcast a complete commercial
fertilizer at the rate of from 8 to
5 pounds per 100 square feet.
Work the fertilizer into the top
soil, wait for a good rain. or water
the garden yourself. and you are
ready for planting.
A more efficient method Of ap-
plying fertilizer is to apply it in a
band 2 inches to the side and at
q depth slightly below the planted
seed. This method Is followed by
commercial vegetable and flower
growers, but requires special equip
ment for best results and is rather
tedious for the average backyard
gardener.
Nitrogen Promotes Growth.
Some plants require more fer
tilizer than others so it is always
q good idea to watch the plants
and II they seem to be stunted or
slow in growing, add additional
fertilizer from time to time. Nitro
gen promotes growth, while phos-
phorus develops root growth and
hastens maturity and potash pro-
notes steady, healthy growth and
aids in flower formation. Addi-
tional fertilizers may be broadcast
and watered into the soil or pref
erably applied in a furrow to the
side Of the growing plants. Corn
and tomatoes are two crops that
require large amounts of fertilizer
as they reach the fruiting stage.
With ample plant food, adequate
sunlight and good moisture con-
ditions, excellent vegetable and
flower gardens can be grown in
this area. Too often. little atten-
ton is given to plant food require
ments, so fertilize adequately and
see for yourself just what a diff
ference it makes.