Jennifer J.S. Stengle is one of our expert plant columnists. She
designs and plants perennial gardens and small landscapes in New York and
Connecticut. She has also served as a consultant to a New York Interior-scaping
firm. She lives in upstate New York , with her husband and son, where she
continues her perennial contemplation of plants. Send your questions to her
at: Triskele@AOL.COM.
Dear Jennifer:
Though my garden is fairly well established
and the soil is pretty good, I feel like I should be doing something to help
the plants along this spring. Does the soil get exhausted? What should I
do to fertilize and perk-up my garden soil before summer hits.
Thanks.
Soil is fragile, and in the garden environment, where foot traffic
and frequent maintenance may damage it, soil needs some protection and care.
Spring is a good time to take stock of your soil and its health.
If you've kept the soil mulched throughout the year, you are probably
in good stead. A layer of mulch not only protects the soil from severe weather,
it provides a constant supply of slowly degrading organic matter.
A heavy layer of mulch may take a few years to rot and produce a
layer of rich, dark compost. But a thinner layer of mulch may reach that
stage in a year and a half. That's the perfect time for a soil
top-dress.
I prefer top-dressing the soil rather than cultivating fertilizer
into the soil around plants. Cultivation, or generally stirring up the top
few inches of soil in the garden, can damage roots and ruin the soil
structure.
Deep cultivation not only threatens the roots and the soil structure,
but throws off the delicate balance of beneficial soil microbes.
Good garden soil is porous, composed of tiny nuggets, called peds.
These little soil nuggets can be a mix of organic matter and a variety of
inorganic matter, depending on the basic soil type.
Peds are fragile and if overworked, break apart. Overworked soil
does not readily allow water and air to move through it. Good soil provides
not only nutrition and stability, but easy access to water and air as
well.
I recommend applying the top-dressing right over your half-rotted
mulch. I prefer a mixture of compost and organic fertilizers.
If you don't have a supply of compost, try mixing some store-bought
compost with peat moss to create the base mixture to which you'll add
fertilizer.
It's a good time to use up odds and ends from your potting supply.
Consider using cotton-seed meal, blood meal, bone meal and a variety of byproduct
fertilizers that are high in organic matter.
Follow the general directions on the fertilizer packages to get
the proper rates. The high quantity of organic matter in this mix and the
layer of rotting mulch will improve the soil's water retention and give you
a good buffer against over-fertilizing.
Spread this top-dressing over the garden soil, concentrating around
root zones, plants that need a little help and places where the soil has
been worn down by weather or foot traffic. The top dressing does not need
to be thick. Remember it is only a complement to the layer of rotting
mulch.
The fertilizer in the top-dressing will also help soil-borne microbes
to further decompose the composting organic matter making it accessible to
the new roots that comes with the first flush of spring growth.
Garden plants aren't the only green things to feel the flush of
spring. This is a great time to weed unwanted plants from the garden before
they become invasive problems.
Weeds are opportunists, making the best of a good situation. They'll
benefit from a top-dressing just as much as your perennials and
shrubs.
Finish off this top-dressing with a new layer of mulch. If possible
use composted hard-wood or shredded leaves. Pine bark, cedar and a variety
of bagged mulches will also work well.
Try to avoid freshly chipped wood. Those same soil-borne microbes
that decompose your mulch will attack fresh wood chips with fervor. But in
the frenzy, they will also deplete the soil of nitrogen. If you must use
fresh wood chips, and they are better than no mulch at all, be sure to compensate
by adding some nitrogen-rich, organic fertilizer to the mulch
itself.
Water your garden or wait for a good spring rain to soak everything
into place again. With a little protection and care, the soil in your perennial
garden will support your plants for years.
About the author: After spending her childhood in the garden, Jennifer
J. S. Stengle graduated from Cornell University in 1987 with a degree in
Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture. For her own firm, she designs and
plants perennial gardens and small landscapes in New York and Connecticut.
She has also served as a consultant to a New York Interior-scaping firm.
She now lives in upstate New York , with her husband and son, where she continues
her perennial contemplation of plants . Write her at:
Triskele@AOL.COM.
Books on Plants:
The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher O. Bud.
To
order click here.
The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants
by Christopher Brickell, editor, Judith Zuk, editor.
To
order click here.
The House Plant Expert: The World's Best-Selling Book on House Plants
by D. G. Hessayon.
To
order click here.
The Flower Expert by D.G.
Hessayon.
To order click here. |
