Fertilization to create more flowers on your blooming flowers, shrubs and trees

The secret to making your flowering trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials flourish more is in the numbers. All fertilizers have test numbers on the package. These numbers represent the percentage of each chemical that the fertilizer contains.

For example, 12-12-12 is a typical garden fertilizer that contains 12% nitrogen, 12% phosphorus, and 12% potassium. The quick explanation is; nitrogen produces vegetative or superior growth, phosphorous produces flower buds, fruit and root development, while potassium creates strong and healthy plants.

Most lawns are vigorous growers and therefore require significantly more nitrogen than the other plants in your garden. A lawn fertilizer would test 26-3-3, indicating a high nitrogen fertilizer. You don't want to use a fertilizer that contains such a high percentage of nitrogen on your garden plants because it would be very easy to burn them. You should also be aware that many lawn fertilizers contain broadleaf herbicides, and most ornamental plants have broadleaf. The fertilizer does not know the difference and will damage or kill ornamental trees and shrubs.

Although they are not growing vigorously, many plants, such as dogwood trees, rhododendrons, and azaleas, are quietly working to produce flower buds for the coming year. Annual and perennial flowers are also busy producing new flower buds.

apply a fertilizer

To encourage flower bud production, you can apply a fertilizer that contains a small percentage of nitrogen, a higher percentage of phosphorus, and a little potassium. I recently purchased a liquid fertilizer with a 5-30-5 test, ideal for flower production. Because the product is sold as a flower grower, the manufacturing also added some chelated iron, manganese, and zinc, all of which are good for your plants, too.

Most garden centers and discount stores offer similar products. I chose a liquid fertilizer because liquid fertilizers are absorbed both through the roots and systemically through the foliage, so they work faster. I used a sprayer that connects to the end of the garden hose to apply the fertilizer, but don't use the same sprayer that you use for lawn fertilizers. There may be traces of herbicide still in the sprayer.

About those hose end sprayers. I bought one that is supposed to automatically mix the right ratio for you. I used it to apply a general insecticide and it worked, but it sure seemed like I went through a lot more insecticide than I needed. When I used it as a fertilizer, the mesh of the small collection hose inside the jar kept clogging with the tiny solids from the fertilizer. I recommend using a one part liquid fertilizer to one part water solution in the spray bottle and applying at a higher rate.

Watch the liquid in the sprayer bottle and if it doesn't go down, remove the cap and clean the small screen by spraying it with water from the garden hose. Read the application instructions on the container to determine how much fertilizer to apply and how often. A high phosphorus fertilizer will increase flower production. You will see the difference. Remember the golden rule of applying fertilizers. "Not enough is always better than too much."