Giving the Garden a Natural Boost

Reader Contribution by Lois Hoffman
Published on April 25, 2018
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Fertilizer. This is one component of gardening, whether it be fruits and vegetables or flowers, where giving your plants the right boost can make the difference between a bountiful crop or not. Many folks are choosing to go the natural route when it comes to fertilizers and skip the synthetics for good reason. Getting back to basics with organic fertilizers is good for the soil, the plants, the environment and for us.

Plants need an extra boost when first planted, during the growing season and when they are producing. The job of all fertilizers, whether organic or synthetic, is to accomplish this task by applying added nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium and other trace minerals. Every fertilizer has these three main minerals in some combination. Some specialty fertilizers combine these minerals in different proportions, depending on what the specific use is to be.

Nitrogen is so vital because it is a major component of chlorophyll, the compound by which plants use sunlight and energy to produce sugar from water and carbon dioxide (photosynthesis). It is also a major component of amino acids, the building blocks of plants. Phosphorous promotes new roots, makes seeds and fruits and flowers as well as helping to fight disease. Potassium helps make big stems and helps the plants to keep growing.

Organic fertilizers release these nutrients slowly. Rather than dissolving in water, they are broken down by bacteria in the soil, providing nutrients as they decompose. Because they act slowly, it is nearly impossible to kill plants by applying too much, which can happen with synthetic fertilizers.

There are many other sources of natural fertilizer, much of which we normally think of as garbage. The list includes egg shells, banana peels, coffee grounds and even weeds that are allowed to decompose. Many of these are used to add specialty nutrients to certain types of plants. The type you choose depends on what you are growing and what nutrients your plants need. Some good sources are:

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