Fertilizer is applied to provide your garden with the proper conditions for optimal growth. Any plant grown in the best soil will absorb nutrients over time and leave the soil less fertile. This is why your garden needs to be fertilized, to replenish lost nutrients and ensure this year’s growth has the food to be optimized.
Fertilizing a plant is like giving a plant its daily multivitamin. A plant which lacks proper nutrition may survive, but would never be considered healthy. Not fertilizing a plant is like a person surviving on junk food. The food will keep them alive but the person would have a poor quality of health.
Lack of fertilization can show up on a plant in a variety of ways but the most common symptom would be stunted growth. These plants will not be nearly as full and dense as they should be. An example would be Charlie Browns Christmas tree, it would have been a much more joyful holiday if the tree had been fertilized during its life.
Some additional symptoms of lack of fertilization are discoloration of foliage, dropping of leaves and lack of fruit and flowers. This would be a major concern for veggie growers who are wondering what they are doing wrong.
To summarize, fertilizing is imperative to plant health. So educate yourself on how to improve the quality of life for your garden. Wiesner Bros. Nursery is offering a “When and How to Fertilize” seminar hosted by Paul Kuohn on April 11 @ 10:00am. For more event info, follow us on facebook.com/wiesnerbros or join our Hortus Forum email list by going to wiesnerbros.com/contact/.
