Developing a fertile future

摘要

What is your preference: in the compost or through the irrigation system? Plants will always need nutrients, but will the way they receive them change as technology advances, prices rise and environmental pressures force regulation? When container growing first became popular, loam-based growing media was used It was usually of clay origin - containing lots of trace elements - so all that was needed was the addition of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and possibly a bit of lime. These would have been supplied from straight fertilisers. And straights tend to be soluble in water so nutrient not taken up by the plant would be washed away and require regular replacement either by liquid feeding or as a top-dressing.