Fertilizing flowers has its rules: remember the seven dos and seven don'ts

There are seven dos for fertilizing flowers:

(1) Fertilize according to category. Foliage plants should be given more nitrogen fertilizer to keep the leaves tender and green; flowering and fruiting plants should be given more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to make the plants bloom early and fruit early; bulbous plants should be given more potassium fertilizer to help the bulbs plump up.

(2) Fertilize at the right time. When the leaves of the flowers are found to be fading in color and growth is slowing down, that is the most appropriate time to fertilize. Apply different fertilizers and different amounts according to the different growth stages of the flowers; for example, at the seedling stage, give mainly nitrogen fertilizer, using dilute fertilizer frequently, to promote rapid and robust growth of the seedlings; after the plants are established, the fertilizer concentration can be raised appropriately and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer added.

(3) Combine base fertilizer with top dressing. Base fertilizer is mainly organic fertilizer, which supplies nutrients lasting and steadily, and can improve soil structure and physical and chemical properties and raise soil fertility. Top dressing is mainly chemical fertilizer, with the characteristics of containing many nutrients, acting quickly and supplying 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 easily causes excessive growth of branches and leaves, delaying flowering or preventing it altogether; applying too much phosphorus fertilizer alone inhibits the absorption of nitrogen and potassium, causing poor plant growth and easily leading to iron and zinc deficiency; applying too much potassium fertilizer alone inhibits the vegetative growth of the plant and causes magnesium deficiency.

(5) Apply foliar fertilizer as appropriate. During the period of vigorous growth or when trace elements are lacking, spraying foliar fertilizer as appropriate can promptly make up for the insufficient nutrient uptake by the flower roots. However, for foliar top dressing, the concentration must be strictly controlled to avoid burning the leaves.

(6) Fertilize when the soil is moist. Fertilizing when the soil is dry easily causes physiological dehydration of the flowers' branches and leaves, making them wither, and in severe cases leads to the death of the plant. On the contrary, fertilizing on rainy days, because the soil has a high water content and poor ability to absorb and retain fertilizer, easily allows the fertilizer to be washed away by rain, 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 on the surface layer of soil, which not only easily causes the fertilizer to volatilize and be lost, but also burns the root system; especially in hot, dry weather, volatilization is faster and root damage is more severe. Therefore, after fertilizing, an appropriate amount of soil should be covered to prevent loss of fertilizer nutrients and improve fertilizer efficiency.

There are seven don'ts for fertilizing flowers:

(1) Fertilizing newly planted plants. Newly planted plants have many wounds on their root system; if stimulated by the outside, the wounds are slow to heal, which will cause root rot and may even lead to the death of the plant.

(2) Fertilizing diseased or weak plants. Diseased and weak plants have poor growth vigor, poor photosynthesis, slow metabolism and a low ability to absorb fertilizer; if fertilizer is applied carelessly, it is instead likely 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 buds and flowers dropping.

(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 and prompt the plant to continue growing, affecting flowering the following year.

(5) Fertilizing directly under the root crown. When planting flowers, do not place the plant's root system directly on the base fertilizer; instead, add a layer of soil on top of the fertilizer, otherwise it will not only hinder the full absorption and use of the fertilizer, but also easily damage the root system. In addition, when top dressing, depending on the plant's growth, apply it in holes at an appropriate distance from the roots to facilitate absorption by the root system.

(6) Applying raw fertilizer. Applying organic fertilizer that has not been fully decomposed to flowers not only easily spreads pests and diseases, but the organic fertilizer will ferment and generate heat during decomposition, burning the plant's root system.

(7) Applying concentrated fertilizer. When fertilizing flowers, the amount of fertilizer must be strictly controlled; avoid too high a concentration or too large an amount, otherwise the plant's root system will be burned and in severe cases the plant will die. Generally, the principle of "dilute fertilizer applied frequently" should be followed.