Garden Fertilizer - Useful Information, Pointers and Tips

Garden fertilizer is probably the most important ingredient in maintaining a healthy looking, strong vegetable or flower garden.

Garden fertilizers are like a human's daily intake of food, which give them energy to grow and be healthy.

Chemical fertilizers are known for the fantastic results that they produce; however, the chemicals that are used to create this type of fertilizer damage the very soil that the plant is growing in. Besides damaging the soil, many people are moving towards eating organic vegetables and fruit to reduce their intake of potentially harmful chemicals.

Chemical fertilizers also promote a quick growth spurt in fruits, flowers and vegetables, and once this growth spurt is over, the plants start to wither or even die. This is because the chemicals in the chemical fertilizer are in the purest form, so it is easier for the plant to absorb the nutrients.

Chemical fertilizers also dissolve much quicker in many types of soil, so the plant grows faster, but the soil needs to be fertilized more often to maintain the healthy growth of the plant.

There are mainly only three types of chemicals used in chemical garden fertilizers - nitrogen, phosphorus and potash or potassium. The quantities of these chemicals are usually indicated on the outside of the bag of chemical fertilizer, and most companies indicate the amount of each chemical present in the bag. This chemical composition of the fertilizer becomes very important when dealing with sensitive or fragile plants like orchids or eggplant - too much fertilizer and the plants will burn, too little fertilizer and the plants will not grow properly.

The types of plants that you are growing will also determine the type of garden fertilizer you will need to enhance the nutrients of the soil. Leafy plants need more nitrogen to help the leaves grow, and root plants and fruit need more phosphorus. To improve the general durability of all plants as well as plants that need to resist very cold conditions, you would need to add potassium into the fertilizer. Potassium is also needed in reducing or resisting the onset of disease in plants as well as helping to prevent diseases from spreading throughout the garden.

Making your own garden fertilizer is probably the best bet, especially if you are not quite sure which chemicals you need to help your garden bloom. Start with creating your own compost heap in the far end of the garden, where you would pile grass cuttings, vegetable peels, cut flowers or anything that will decompose easily. Your local nursery will also have compost generators which you can sprinkle over the compost heap to help it decompose more quickly.

Once you have your own compost prepared, you can add any number of organic ingredients to the compost to help improve the soil quality. Adding ingredients like bone meal, different types of lime, and gypsum will add all the nutrients that normal chemical fertilizer has; the plus point is that there are no chemicals in your homemade garden fertilizer.

Fertilizing your garden will definitely improve the quality, look and feel of your plants, whether they are fruit, vegetables or flowers.

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