In layman's terms its a good time to feed in the spring but with so many feeds it can be a bit confusing what to use.
Plants are beginning to grow and will start using up the soils resources quickly. Its also good to plant with mycorrhizal fungi allowing the plant roots to harvest more from a much wider area of soil.
The rate feed is delivered to the plant
The liquid feeds hit the roots a lot quicker providing a great boost to a dwindling plant. Liquid feed are faster acting. They support fast growing greedy plants such as tomatoes and bedding all plants that we encourage to grow furiously until they expire at the end of Autumn. A slow release pellet releases a gradual feed over time, perfect for an otherwise healthy slow growing shrub, rose or tree.
Specific Feeds.
You find specific plants benefit from particular micro nutrient and beneficial bacteria making some of the plant specific feeds useful because these feeds aim to give a particular plant more of what they need. The buxus feed is excellent if your box plants (or any other topairy) are losing colour as this is a slow release feed. The rose feed is also a slow release pelleted feed but it has added horse manure to give your roses that extra boost.
N.P.K. Each has different functions.
Nitrogen (N) helps the chlorophyll in the plant stay the right colour and able to photosynthesis, without which there is no growth. Most general feeds are quiet rich in nitrogen with varying amounts of potassium, phosphate and trace elements. Requirements vary at different points of growth.
Phosphorus (P) is important for establishing a good root system and fruiting. Bone meal which contains high phosphorus often reads rooting and fruiting on the box and is a good feed when planting most plants (excluding lime hating plants). Small plants with few flowers, week roots and often slightly purple are usually low in phosphorus. Bone Meal is also a natural product like the Fish Blood and Bone. The latter is a more general balanced feed excellent for the continuation of growth. Growmore granules and many of the small pellet general feeds are a synthetic version with a similar balance of nutrients.
Sulphate of Potash is potassium (k) and this is required for the plant to function and photosynthesis.
Sulphate of Iron can be helpful at balancing the acidity of the soil. Helping to neutralise soil or raise the acidity. Its also used a lot on lawns for killing moss and feeding blueberries, Cranberries, rhododendrons, azaleas, heathers and Pieris.
Sea Weed based feeds.Lastly there has been quite an increase in the use of seaweed based feeds. Seaweed is a good balance of N.P.K. but it also has the ability to free up many of the micronutrient in the soil that plants also need, minerals, vitamins and enzymes are all important for a healthy plant. Its also usually from sustainable sources. It is now added to existing feeds like tomato.
In the days before garden centers and all these products we would have added Sulphate of potash for potassium in January, sulphate of ammonia for nitrogen in March and phosphate every 3 years in winter.
