GardenSpotlight

Soil fertility is a key component in growing healthy plants.   There are many different factors which affect soil fertility and as a result, the soil makeup is constantly changing.    There are at least 16 nutrients which are necessary for plants to grow and complete their life cycles.   Of those 16, non-mineral elements are used in the largest amounts and are found in air and water.   Those non-minerals are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.     Plants rely on the sun’s energy to convert carbon dioxide (carbon and oxygen) and water (hydrogen and oxygen) into food.   This process is known as photosynthesis.    The rest of the elements (minerals) are known as macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients and can be either found in the soil or added as fertilizer or lime.   The 3 primary macro-nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K).    These are most commonly supplied as fertilizers and come in different ratios to ac...

Many diseases of plants can be kept at bay with good cultural practices.   Keeping plants healthy actually begins with choosing the right plants for your location.   It also includes proper watering and nutrition and cleaning of plant material and the surrounding areas. When choosing plants for your garden, what type of lighting conditions prevail where you are planting?   Is it shady all day or is it sunny?   Perhaps the area only gets sun in the morning or afternoon for part of the day.   This affects not only the types of plants that will perform well in those conditions, but also how much watering you’ll need to do during the season.   If the area remains wet all the time, it will predispose the plants and soil to disease.   So for a shady garden, you will not need to water as frequently as you would for a sunny location.   It is also important to water in the morning, or at least well enough in advance so that the plants are not wet at nigh...