Contents
- Fertilizing your plants too early is a trap that can cost you dearly later in the season.
- Cold and wet soil in March are not good conditions for the roots.
- Instead of going crazy with fertilizers, it’s better to let the soil breathe and focus on cleaning.
- The key to success is patience – wait to power up until it’s really warm.
March is a time in the gardening calendar full of contradictions and hidden threats. Although the heart is eager to work and the first buds suggest that spring has arrived for good, there is a completely different climate underground. The soil is still cold, compact and soaked in moisture, resembling winter slush rather than life-giving soil. Microorganisms are still sound asleepand the plant root systems are in the slow start-up phase. This is the moment when it’s easy to make a mistake.
Never make this mistake!
Many gardeners work like automatons: sun equals fertilizer. This desire to start working in the garden seems logical, but nature has its own rules and does not look at the calendar. If we disturb the natural rhythm now, we will pay a high price in the summer. When the heat comes and we expect a storm of flowers and fruit, we may be painfully disappointed. The plants will appear limp and weakand their roots will not cope with difficult conditions.
The worst thing is that when our flower beds start to fade in the summer, we often misdiagnose the problem. We think that the plants are hungry, so we give them more doses of chemicals. It’s like adding fuel to the fire. Instead of saving them, we give them a slow death, because an overeaten plant loses its immunity and becomes an easy target for diseases and drought.
Impressive beginning, sad end
The whole scandal boils down to nitrogen and the timing of its administration. Throwing large amounts of mineral fertilizers into the cold March soil is a direct path to disaster. The roots cannot process this. Nitrogen acts like a steroid – it stimulates rapid leaf growth, but this comes at the expense of the roots. As a result, we have a plant that at first glance looks “inflated” and healthy, but stands on clay feet.
When summer comes and drought comes, this shallow root system will not be able to draw water. Moreover, spring rains often wash away the fertilizer before the plants have a chance to use it. So what’s the tip to avoid drama? Chill out. In March, just gently loosen the soil and clean it up. The time will come for intensive feeding the soil will warm up and the vegetation will take off. Sometimes overzealousness is worse than laziness.
See the gallery: Plants for the balcony. Which flowers will be perfect?
