Garden Soil Tips
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Garden Fertiliser Information
SOILS, COMPOST & FERTILISERS
Soils – Katanning Hardware and Garden has a fine quality selection of landscaping soils, garden mixes, potting mixes, soil blends, fertilisers and compost favoured by many of Sydney’s home gardeners, landscapers and builders. Plants and turf can have very different soil and nutrient requirements, making it imperative to choose a product that will provide the best results for strong, long-term healthy growth.
Plants, lawns and grasses can, and usually do, carry significant costs in the establishment and/or maintenance of a vibrant, healthy garden. To ensure this investment isn’t wasted through a loss or deterioration of plant life brought on by unsuitable growing environment factors such as a lack of composted organic matter, water starvation or nutrient deficiency, soil selection is critical.
In order to have a successful, vibrant garden area, a nutrient-rich Premium Garden Mix is recommended to give plants the requirements they need. When establishing new lawns, it is a good idea to use a soil that retains moisture and helps develop a strong root system. For this we recommend our high calibre Turf Underlay. You may also choose to include an Organic Top Dress to provide additional nutritional support. Our quality soil mixes are healthy, balanced, and designed to be long-lasting and effective in establishing, maintaining or restoring plant life and turf.
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A GUIDE TO GARDEN FERTISERS
In spring most plants put on a spurt of new growth. This makes early spring the ideal time to apply fertilisers to most garden plants and also to lawns.
Fertilisers can be for general use on a wide range of plants or they may be tailored for particular plant groups such as lawns, roses, citrus, orchids, indoor or native plants. General or ‘all-purpose’ fertilisers include composts, manures, blood and bone, or fertilisers labelled as all-purpose.
Fertilisers, also known as plant foods, come in a range of formulations including granular, slow-release and liquid. Which formulation you select depends on your garden size, storage facilities and ease of application.
NPK
Fertilisers contain the major plant nutrients of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus that control plant growth, flowering and fruiting. Specialist fertilisers have these nutrients in varying amounts and may also contain minor elements such as sulfur, iron, calcium and magnesium.
The major nutrients are indicated by their chemical symbols of N for nitrogen, P for phosphorus and K for potassium. Fertilisers developed for different plants may have these nutrients in different amounts. For example, a fertiliser that’s formulated for citrus may have higher levels of P and K than one formulated for lawns, which will contain higher amounts of N than other plant fertilisers.
These variations relate to the plant’s nutrient needs and are shown as an N:P:K ratio on the fertiliser packet or container. Leafy plants such as grasses benefit from high in nitrogen levels, while fertilisers for flowering and fruiting plants demand higher amounts of phosphorus and potassium.
DO I NEED A SPECIALIST FERTILISER?
It is worth buying specialised fertilisers (such as azalea, citrus, native or rose food) if you have the plants to use them on. It is not necessary to buy a different fertiliser for every plant in the garden!
If your garden is mainly planted with native Australian plants or other phosphorus-sensitive plants such as proteas, select a native plant food that is low in phosphorus.
If you have a garden of acid-loving plants such as azaleas and camellias, use a specialist azalea fertiliser.
If you have a number of citrus, roses, hibiscus or other plants with specialist fertiliser needs, use the relevant specialist fertiliser such as a citrus food or rose food. Citrus food can also be used to feed other productive plants along with long-flowering plants such as gardenias, roses, hibiscus and bougainvilleas.
FERTILISER TIPS
Feed all plants in spring with a general fertiliser.
Plants growing in low nutrient soils or those that have high nutrient needs such as annuals, vegetables, citrus and roses, require additional fertiliser during their growing period.
Follow rates recommended on the package – too much can be harmful.
Apply fertilisers evenly for example by using a fertiliser spreader.
Water before or after applying fertiliser especially to lawns.
Add liquid fertilisers to a filled watering can.
Don’t allow fertilisers to come in contact with plant roots. If adding fertiliser to soils at planting time, incorporate it thoroughly or lightly cover the fertiliser with a layer of soil to protect the roots.
Keep fertilisers in sealed containers away from moisture and sunshine and away from pets.