Rolling Up Sleeves and Green Thumbs: The Insightful Guide to Fertilizing Your Outdoor Plants
Is it Essential to Fertilize Your Outdoor Garden Plants?
🌱Getting your hands dirty has never felt so rewarding! Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of gardening by indulging in a post-winter expedition to the nursery. Filling your cart with the lushest assortment of plants is an adventure only equaled by the joy of seeing them flourish in your own backyard.
🌱But, as you prepare to plant your babies in their new homes, you might ponder: Do they truly need a kick-start with store-bought fertilizer to help them reach their full potential? To uncover the truth, we quizzed a handful of horticulturist heavyweights.
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👨🌾Matt Cline, COO of HillSide Lawn Service,uggests that the period following a nursery trip is prime time to give your newcomers a nutritional boost. "Doing so will ensure they've got the nutrients needed for a swift recovery from any transplant shock and encourage rapid growth," he explains.
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👨💼Steve Corcoran, CEO of Lawn Love, seconds that sentiment, but with a note of caution: not all plants require the same level of nourishment. "In case of doubt about your plants’ needs, consult an expert at your local nursery," he advises. He also highlights that certain large plants, particularly trees, can benefit from the extra TLC that comes with liquid injection fertilizers during the fall and spring seasons.
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👩🌾Nicole Johnsey Burke, a respected author of gardening tomes and the founder of Gardenary, joins the chorus in favor of going the organic route. On the subject of fertilizers, she advocates for compost, worm castings, and other natural amendments, explaining that "building your soil health and fertility" over time is better for the overall well-being of your garden.
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However, not all fertilizers shine equally. Burke strongly recommends shying away from synthetic options, cautioning that they may cause more harm than good. Synthetic fertilizers necessitate continuous applications, and frequent use may lead to the deterioration of soil fertility, ultimately jeopardizing the health of your precious greenfriends.
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Moreover, Burke warns that overzealousapplication of synthetic fertilizers may result in contamination of water resources and the atmosphere. Compare synthetic fertilizer use to employing steroids to hasten muscle growth, she warns-it may yield quick results, but at a hefty price.
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And, what's a gardener to do with kitchen scraps like eggshells and coffee grounds? Use them to fertilize your green oasis! Few food scraps are more beneficial to your outdoor plants than these organic compounds. Embrace Mother Nature, and let your trash can be your best friend-at least for these 5 culinary castoffs:
1️⃣ Eggshells: Crush and scatter these shell remnants around your plants, enriching the soil with calcium and boosting their resistance to pests.
2️⃣ Coffee Grounds: Lay coffee grounds around your flowering plants, improving soil acidity and keeping unwanted creepy crawlies at bay.
3️⃣ Tea Bags: Moisten old tea bags in water then apply them directly to your plants as a natural fertilizer, providing an instant burst of nutrients.
4️⃣ Banana Peels: Bury banana peels around your plants to promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the soil.
5️⃣ Vegetable Peels: Toss your vegetable peels into a compost pile and allow the magic of decomposition to work its wonders, creating nutrient-rich compost for your gangly green friends.
- Realsimple recommends adding organic fertilizers like compost, worm castings, and other natural amendments to your outdoor plants for better soil health and improved growth, as suggested by Nicole Johnsey Burke.
- Matt Cline, COO of HillSide Lawn Service, advises adding fertilizers to outdoor plants shortly after purchase to help them recover from transplant shock and encourage rapid growth.
- Steve Corcoran, CEO of Lawn Love, suggests consulting an expert at the local nursery if unsure about a plant's fertilizer needs, and highlights the benefits of using liquid injection fertilizers for large plants such as trees during the fall and spring seasons.
- Overzealous application of synthetic fertilizers may lead to soil deterioration, potential contamination of water resources, and atmospheric pollution, warns Nicole Johnsey Burke.
- Eggshells, coffee grounds, tea bags, banana peels, and vegetable peels can be used as organic fertilizers to enrich the soil and promote plant growth in your outdoor garden.
- Embrace Mother Nature and let your home-and-garden adventure extend to your kitchen, using compostable food scraps to fertilize your outdoor gardening projects and reduce waste.
