AboutThe Long Island Gardener Expertise Do you know the wrong fertilizer will keep your plants from blooming?
Do you know that too much Nitrogen can kill your grass, even if it does not burn the roots? Do you know that Roses need a LOT of Nitrogen to bloom -- and why is that?
There's some complex chemistry in those plant foods. The secrets behind N-P-K are the key to the ultimate lawn, the the biggest flowers, the most fruits and vegetables. And if you don't get it right, you could be sorry.
I'll show you what you did wrong, and how to fix it.
Experience Homeowner with gardens indoors and outdoors, lawns back and forth. I wrote my first gardening column for our college newspaper, teaching roomates about the right way to feed those windowsills gardens. Today I look for challenges. Organic Fertilizers are the key to proper feeding of all our plants. Can you make your own fertilizer? Some people think so -- but there are side effects. I have been there, done that for 54 years and there is nothing like the voice of experience when it comes to Horticulture and Fertilizers.
Publications Numerous and sundry but only in college did I write about plants.
Education/Credentials B.A., Botany and Mass Communications.
Question I've never gardened before but yesterday I planted two weeping Cherry blossam trees and lilac bushes. However, the lady at the nursery told me all I needed was to mix this "transplanting plants" seed type of dirt instead of using fertalizer or planting soil. Now I'm worried because bascially I've just planted my trees in regular dirt and sprinkled some seeds into the ground, and they were expensive! Will they grow in regular dirt or should I dig them out and re-do them???
Answer Tell me, my friend: were these 'seeds' GRASS seeds? I'm not clear on this. Sorry to delay your answer.
Meantime, let me assuage your concerns. 'Regular dirt' is going to be fine. Fertilizer, 'planting soil', are not necessary. I know this sounds extreme, I know you don't believe me, and I know you are going to close this out without doing that, but I gotta make the call and this is modern, pure science.
If you know anything about Soil, you know it has microbes in it. And those microbes are little fertilizer factories. If you are careful, and don't hurt them, they will take care of all your fertilizing this Summer. No kidding.
Clarify your 'seeds' reference dear and I will pursue this further. Thank you for writing,
