Garden practice Liquid feeds: Abewildering array of liquid fertilisers is stocked by most garden centres.How many different feeds does a home gardener really need

摘要

Pot-grown plants fall intotwo main categories: temporary, seasonal displays, and longer-lived, permanent plants such as camellias or clipped box. Restricted by space, their root systems cannot spread into the surrounding soil in search of nutrients, so gardeners have to supply their needs regularly to ensure they perform well.The main nutrients for plant growth (sometimes called 'macronutrients') - N: P: K - are familiar from labels, where the rating in brackets is the percentage of the element in the feed. 4 Nitrogen (N) is needed to form leaves and shoots (and can be rapidly washed from the compost by watering). Phosphorus (P) provides for roots and ripening fruit.