What are the precautions for fertilizing flowers?
When growing flowers, flower growers all know that flowers are quite delicate. Especially when applying fertilizer to flowers, you must grasp the measure and be careful. It may be that a single moment of carelessness on our part causes the flower to die. Today I will share with you the seven dos and seven don'ts of growing flowers.
Seven dos:
(1) Fertilize according to category. Foliage plants should be given more nitrogen fertilizer to make the leaves fresh, tender and green; flowering and fruiting plants should be given more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to make the plants bloom earlier and bear fruit earlier; bulbous flowers should be given more potassium fertilizer to help the bulbs plump up.
(2) Fertilize at the right time. When the flower's leaf color is found to be fading and growth slowing down, fertilizing is appropriate. Apply different fertilizers and different amounts according to the different growth stages of the flowers. For example, at the seedling stage, mainly apply nitrogen fertilizer, using thin fertilizer frequently, to promote rapid and robust growth of the seedlings; after the plants are established, the fertilization concentration can be appropriately increased, and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be added.
(3) Combine base fertilizer with top dressing. Base fertilizer is mainly organic fertilizer, which provides nutrients lasting and stably, and can improve soil structure and physical and chemical properties, and raise soil fertility. Top dressing is mainly chemical fertilizer, which has the characteristics of containing many nutrients, having a quick fertilizer effect, and providing nutrients intensively, and is a necessary supplement to base fertilizer.
(4) Apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer evenly. For example, applying too much nitrogen fertilizer alone can easily cause excessive growth of branches and leaves, delaying flowering or preventing flowering; applying too much phosphorus fertilizer alone will inhibit the absorption of nitrogen and potassium, making the plant grow poorly and easily causing iron and zinc deficiency; applying too much potassium fertilizer alone will inhibit the plant's vegetative growth and cause magnesium deficiency.
(5) Apply foliar fertilizer as appropriate. During the plant's vigorous growth period, or when trace elements are lacking, spraying foliar fertilizer as appropriate can promptly supplement the insufficiency of nutrients absorbed by the flower's roots. However, foliar top dressing must strictly control the concentration, so as not to [damage] the leaves.
(6) Fertilize when the soil is moist. Fertilizing when the soil is dry can easily cause the flowers' branches and leaves to lose water physiologically and wither, and in severe cases can lead to the death of the plant. On the contrary, fertilizing on rainy days, because the soil water content is high and its ability to absorb and retain fertilizer is poor, makes it easy for the fertilizer to be washed away by rainwater, and can also cause excessive growth of the plant's branches and leaves.
(7) Cover with an appropriate amount of soil after fertilizing. Many people are used to applying fertilizer in the surface soil layer, which not only easily causes the fertilizer to volatilize and be lost, but also [damages] the roots, especially in hot and dry weather, when volatilization is faster and root damage is more serious. Therefore, after fertilizing, an appropriate amount of soil should be covered to prevent loss of fertilizer nutrients and improve fertilizer efficiency.
Seven don'ts:
(1) Fertilizing newly planted plants. Newly planted plants have many root wounds, and if stimulated by the outside, the wounds are not easy to heal, which will cause root rot and may even lead to the death of the plant.
(2) Fertilizing diseased and weak plants. Diseased and weak plants have weak growth vigor, poor photosynthesis, slow metabolism, and low ability to absorb fertilizer. If fertilizer is applied indiscriminately, it is instead easy to cause fertilizer damage.
(3) Fertilizing during the flowering period. Fertilizing during the flowering period will promote excessive vegetative growth of the plant, easily causing excessive growth and resulting in bud drop and flower drop.
(4) Fertilizing during the dormant period. Flowers stop or slow their growth during the dormant period. If fertilizer is applied, it will break the dormancy, prompt the plant to continue growing, and affect flowering the following year.
(5) Fertilizing directly under the root crown. When planting flowers, do not place the plant roots directly on the base fertilizer, but add a layer of soil on top of the fertilizer; otherwise, it is not only unfavorable for the fertilizer to be absorbed and used, but also easy to damage the roots. In addition, when top dressing, depending on the plant's growth, apply it in holes at an appropriate distance from the roots to facilitate root absorption.
(6) Applying raw fertilizer. Applying undecomposed organic fertilizer to flowers not only easily spreads diseases and insect pests, but also, during the decomposition process, the organic fertilizer will ferment and generate heat, [damaging] the plant roots.
(7) Applying concentrated fertilizer. When fertilizing flowers, you must strictly control the amount of fertilizer, and avoid too high a concentration or too large an amount; otherwise it will [damage] the plant roots and, in severe cases, cause death. Generally, "apply thin fertilizer frequently" should be followed.