Fertilizers

There are several things to consider when using fertilizers or any other additive to the soil. A high nitrogen content will make your plants grow fast and one with a high potash or potassium content will help them flower. That is why grass fertilizers are usually high in nitrogen and tomato fertilizers usually have a higher potassium and potash content. The potassium and potash make for sweeter fruits or buds.

When your plants are first starting they need a high nitrogen fertilizer, when they are ready to flower they need a high potassium and potash fertilizer. Fertilizers are broken down into numbers like 20-10-10 or 8-8-8. The first number is the amount of nitrogen the fertilizer has, the second is the potassium and the last is the amount of potash. So in the beginning you want to use a high nitrogen base fertilizer and toward the end you want to use a high potassium and potash fertilizer. I will usually use grass fertilizer like 22-3-3 for starting plants but make sure you don’t buy the fertilizer with weed killer in it!! LLOLL! It speaks for itself. When the plants start to show signs of flowering I will start using fertilizers with a high potassium and potash content like 0-10-10 or tomato fert like 0-20-20. Usually the mix I make for putting in a fresh turned patch is a mixture of 22-3-3, 12-12-12 time released and a lot of lime. Two or three cups of this mixture in a small spot like 2 foot by 2 foot. Then wait two weeks before putting the plants in.

There are many variations in fertilizer too! They have timed release fertilizers like 12-12-12 time release, this  is a great one to use, this way it releases it’s nutrients over a period of several months depending on rain. There is also fertilizer you can mix with water like Miracle Grow and this works great if you are growing indoors or you can mix up a 5 gallon bucket and dump it around your plants but that could be a lot of 5 gallon buckets.


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