How to Use Fertilizers

If you are using an artificial fertilizer, you must make sure the soil is well-pulverized and moist.

Moisture in the soil dissolves the fertilizer so that it can easily be absorbed by plant roots.

It is important to distribute the fertilizer evenly all over the ground, so that it reaches all of the roots.

If the fertilizer is very concentrated, you should add ash, soil or sand to make it more bulky, so that it is easy to distribute.

A fertilizer that dissolves immediately should be scattered all over the soil and then cultivated in.

As soon as it rains, the rain will distribute it evenly through the soil.

If you are using a fertilizer that dissolves slowly, you should turn it under immediately, so that the constituents of the soil can act on it right away.

A plant that grows quickly should be given a fertilizer that is more readily available than a fertilizer that is given to a plant that takes a long time to grow.

If you are using a nitrogenous fertilizer that is quickly available, apply small dressings at short intervals. Do not apply these dressings too late in the season, or the leaves and stems will grow too much and the plant will ripen late.

Should the application of nitrogenous fertilizer cause maturity to be delayed, a dressing of phosphatic fertilizer that is readily available will restore the balance and return growth to normal.

If you are working with loosely textured soil that is not very retentive, you should use fertilizers that dissolve more slowly, so that not much will be lost if three are heavy rains.

You should only use a liquid manure during the growing period in a very diluted from. An application should be followed by soaking the area in clear water.