I’m going to continue writing about organics for the
landscape from last week. If you missed last week’s article you can find it at
possumsupply.com under Horticulture Hotline.
Cotton Burr Compost, Flower Bed Amendment, Nature’s Blend,
composted chicken manure, composted cow manure and / or SeaHume are great
products to use now on your ornamental plants and lawn. For best results spread
over the yard including beds; however, you can spread the products around
individual plants or just troubled areas in the turf. If you plan to do
individual plants, be sure to cover where the roots are and out a little past
where you think they are. Also remember to keep compost or mulch off the trunk
of trees and shrubs. On turf use multiple applications at a ¼ inch as needed.
Organic products feed the soil as microorganisms break the
organics down into a usable form to the plants. When the soil is cold, these
microorganisms are inactive. As the temperatures warm up, the microorganisms
begin to break down the organic material and make the nutrients available to
the plant. As the plant is beginning to grow and put on new leaves as the
temperature warms up in the Spring, so, like magic, there is food available to
the plant right when it needs it most. The forest with its leaves, twigs,
limbs, and microorganism population is fertilized in this manner. With the warm
weather we are having now, the organics are really working well.
Cotton Burr Compost, Flower Bed Amendment, Nature’s Blend,
composted chicken manure, and composted cow manure are all composted to the
point that they do not tie up nitrogen. Some organics can actually steal
nutrients away from the plants while they decompose fully. Wood chips, fresh
raked leaves, or grass clippings (if you are collecting bags of grass clippings
compost first, mulching or regular mowing the grass clippings can stay on the
yard) are best put into a compost pile until you are unable to tell what they
were originally, and they are fully composted.
SeaHume is a combination of cold water kelp (Ascophyllum
nodosum) and humates.
The seaweed is full of sixty major and minor nutrients,
amino acids, carbohydrates and natural occurring plant growth promoting
substances (bio stimulants) that increase plant vigor, quality and yield.
Humates increase the availability of nutrients in the soil, increase root
growth, keeps nutrients in area that roots can reach (high CEC), make the soil
more friable and many other benefits that will be discussed in a later article.
The organics help the microorganisms that break down the
organic matter into a usable form for the plant. The microorganisms also move
around in the soil, aerating it which makes roots grow deeper, so the roots can
collect water and nutrients deeper in the soil, which means you save money on
water and fertilizer!
