|
- This time of the year as plants mostly slow their growth, is often seen as not a good
time to be making judgments about soil conditions, since so many plants are about to shut
down for winter and go dormant. Wrong!
- This is the time to measure and observe. Measure your soil pH. That’s the level of
acidity or alkalinity and it determines whether certain plants thrive or cark it next
spring. Most vegies need slightly alkaline conditions and most bedding plants or flowers
need slightly acidic.
- Too acidic and your tomatoes get "Blossom-end rot" and have to be limed, which
is increasingly becoming evident in our gardens as more gardeners strive for using organic
(and acidic) methods or gardening.
- It is not really practicable to get a nutrient soil test done in the average home garden
to determine which nutrients need replacing, because all plants have different
requirements and they are all extracting their N-P-K needs at different rates. So an
analysis (unless you are growing just one crop), is a waste of time and money.
- More important is to provide an organic buffer, through which plenty of nutrient
exchange can take place and then provide that nutrient in diverse forms. Say water soluble
fertilizers in the growth season and organic pellets of composted chickens at other times
of the year, but to use "Blood ‘n Bone" all year round is like feeding your
kids with Weetbix™ all day every day. Nothing wrong with Weetbix™ for breakfast,
but it is not a complete diet and neither is just composted lawn clippings or blood meal
for your garden.
- The onset of late autumn when nutrients can break down slowly is a great bonus for the
garden. So don’t see this season as armchair time that comes next month!
|
