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Fertilizer Garden Myths

A lot of the stuff on the internet is garbage when it comes to gardening advice. I am not surprised about that since many people just repeat what they have heard and give it very little thought. Some garden writers don’t actually do much gardening – they are writers, not gardeners. I rarely believe information unless it comes from experts in a field, government sites or published research articles.

This post is about an information guideline on fertilizers and soil amendments which is published by a government source – one you should be able to trust. Unfortunately it is full of incorrect or misleading advice. Let’s have a look at some fertilizer gardening myths.

fertilizer garden myths; Lobelia cardinalis X Lobelia siphilitica, by Robert Pavlis — Lobelia cardinalis X Lobelia siphilitica, grows just fine without added fertilizer, by Robert Pavlis

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Fertilizer – Selecting The Right NPK Ratio

We eat 3 times a day and the food we eat provides all of the nutrients we need to live. The chemicals in food are used by our bodies to grow and maintain our body parts. The protein you eat helps build muscles. Carbohydrates provide energy that is used for all kinds of things such as moving, breathing, thinking and eating more food.

Most of the food we eat is in the form of large molecules such as protein, carbohydrates, DNA, and fats. Our digestive system takes these large molecules and breaks them down into smaller molecules like simple sugars and nitrates. Our bodies then use these small molecules as building blocks to build new large molecules. Our bodies are actually a very efficient recycling plant. We take food in, break it down into basic building blocks, and then use these building blocks to create complex body parts.

Plants differ from humans and other animals in that they do not have a digestive system. Therefore, they are not able to break down large molecules. Plants must start with small molecules like nitrate and phosphate and build the large molecules they need.

Fertilizer - select the right NPK — Fertilizer – select the right NPK, by Robert Pavlis

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Fertilizer NPK Ratios – What Do They Really Mean

Most references say that the NPK values indicate the % nitrogen, % phosphorus and % potassium. They say this, not because it’s true, but because it makes it simple to explain fertilizer concepts to the general public.

What does NPK really mean?

Fertilizer NPK Numbers - What Do They Really Mean — Fertilizer NPK Numbers – What Do They Really Mean

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Aconitum x cammarum ‘Bicolor’

Aconitum × cammarum Bicolor header — Aconitum × cammarum Bicolor, by Robert Pavlis

Aconitum x cammarum ‘Bicolor’ is a special summer blooming monkshood. In zone 5, it blooms mid to late August at a time when other plants are slowing down. It can grow in full sun or heavy shade making it ideal for almost any garden.

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Eggshells – Do They Decompose in the Garden – 5 Year Study

The advice to add egg shells to the garden or compost pile is very common. In my last post I looked at some evidence that suggested eggshells do not break down in a compost pile or in soil – at least not very quickly. The one exception where eggshells do break down is very finely ground eggshells added to acidic soil .

How quickly do eggshells break down in soil? Is it 6 months or 5 years? Maybe it’s 100 years? No one seems to know. In this post I will describe a 6 year study that has been started to find out if eggshells decompose in that period of time.

Eggshells - Do They Decompose In The Garden 1 — Eggshells – Do They Decompose In The Garden – supplies, by Robert Pavlis

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Spring Bulbs – Buying and Planting

It is fall and some gardeners are getting tired of their gardens. So what do they do? They go out and buy bulbs for spring flowers. For a true gardener there is always next year.

This post will walk you through the steps of how to buy bulbs and how to plant bulbs for a great spring garden.

Spring bulbs - Daffodils — Spring bulbs – Daffodils are squirrel proof, by Robert Pavlis

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Eggshells – Do They Decompose In The Garden?

Lots of people add eggshells to the garden or compost pile. It is claimed that they add important calcium to the soil for plants. Is this true? How well do they decompose? What happens to them in a compost pile? Do they add any value to the garden?

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How To Get Rid of Ants With Mint

Ants seem to be everywhere this year, and many people want to get rid of them. A recommendation I found on social media was to place mint leaves near the hill, and the ants would quickly leave. Apparently the smell of the mint leaves is just too much for them. This seems a bit far fetched, but it is easy to test.

Ants and Mint — Ants slurping honey – almost as good as mint leaves, Photo Source: Andrea

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Growing Garlic

Garlic is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in the home garden, and if you grow too much, it easily keeps all winter long. Plant some today.

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Planting Zones and Hardiness Zones

Planting zones, also called hardiness zones and gardening zones, help you select plants that will grow in your climate. In this blog, I will answer the following questions:

What are planting zones?
How do you determine your own hardiness zone?
Are the USDA zones the only planting zones? What about other countries?
How do you select better plants by knowing your planting zone?

Berkheya purpurea by Robert Pavlis, planting zones — *Berkheya purpurea* by Robert Pavlis

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Clematis mandshurica

Clematis mandshurica header

An unusual clematis that forms a low bush of very fragrant flowers. Clematis mandshurica makes a great addition to your garden.

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Vinegar Weed Killer – My Experieince

A while ago I wrote about using vinegar as a weed killer, in Vinegar Weed Killer Myth and reported on the scientific evidence for vinegar weed killer. It does not kill larger weeds with established roots, but can have an effect on seedlings. Vinegar is recommended so much in social media that I decided to give it a try myself.

I ran a few simple experiments to see how effective vinegar is for killing weeds.

bottle of vinegar — Homemade Weed Killer: Vinegar

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