Home Gardening Tips

Nutrients are essential for healthy growth of plants. Regular replenishment of nutrients is an important aspect of gardening and it is very much pertinent that a gardener should have his fundamentals clear about this aspect.The first thing you should know and always remember is the NKP acronym. I call it the alphabet. Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K), and Phosphorus (P) constitute this acronym with their first letters. Nitrogen (N) signifies the healthy green growth of the plants. It is also instrumental in the systematic regulation of all other nutrients that are vital for plants. Potassium (K) is an essential element for healthy development of plant roots and seeds. Potassium also acts as a natural agent for providing a protective shield against numerous types of plant diseases .Phosphorus (P) is essential for the maintenance of proper health of plant root system. Phosphorus helps plant seeds in developing and increasing their disease resistance.

Fertilizers are applied to the plants. You should know proper methods of applying fertilizers. Plants will absorb the nutrients present in fertilizers. Some parts of these nutrients are absorbed by the soil and surface water also. Through slow leaching effect little amount of these applied fertilizers are mixed with the sub-surface waters as well.A soil test would facilitate you in a better way to know which particular type of fertilizer is suitable for your garden. There could be some plants specific requirements as well.While purchasing any fertilizer from the market you must ensure reading the label instructions first. This will enable you to ensure that you are procuring the required fertilizer only. As a rule while selecting and procuring any fertilizer for your garden you must ensure that, it contains at least 25% of the Nitrogen (N) in its slow release form. For instance, the sulphur-coated urea has such percentage of nitrogen. This type of fertilizer would be more helpful for healthy growth of the plants in your garden.