Specifics of mineral and organic fertilizer application in a home garden

General provisions for the fertilization of agricultural crops are also applicable to private garden and vegetable plots. However, there are a number of peculiarities that must be taken into account. The use of fertilizers on private plots is not a matter of copying recommendations intended for large-scale farms on a small area. The goals, tasks, and conditions differ significantly. There is a somewhat different assortment of fertilizers here, and a larger share of organic fertilizers. A lot of manual labor is used during the application of fertilizers, and it is possible to employ effective but difficult-to-mechanize methods of fertilizer application.

Fertilizer preparation. To increase yield, one should use mineral fertilizers, organic fertilizers brought in from large farms, or obtained on one's own holding from livestock and from plant and household waste.

Among mineral fertilizers, the following are necessary: ammonium nitrate, urea, ammonium sulfate, superphosphate, potassium chloride, ammophos, nitroammophos, nitroammophoska, soluble fertilizers for greenhouses, and micronutrient fertilizers (boron, molybdenum, zinc, cobalt, copper, and manganese based).

If manure is brought in (or produced on the holding), it must be stacked, covered with soil, and stored until the necessary degree of decomposition is reached. Poultry manure is layered with soil.

Household waste must be sorted during accumulation, separating non-degradable items: metal, glass, plastic. The remaining part can be used for composting in a specially designated place in a part of the private plot remote from the dwelling. Composting of household waste is carried out with soil, plant residues, and weeds. A small depression can be made at the compost site.

Compostable materials are laid from one edge of the site to a height of about 1 m, gradually filling the entire area. At the beginning of the site, the compost will be ready sooner. It is used for fertilization, and new waste is placed in that spot. If the compost dries out, it is watered. A layer of soil 15–20 cm thick can be poured on top.

Household waste can also be used by direct application between trees in pits about 30–40 cm wide and 50–60 cm deep. They are covered with a lid on top. As they fill, the contents are covered with small layers of soil. After filling, a layer of soil 15–20 cm thick is poured on top. The location of such pits is changed around the garden so that a pit does not return to the same spot sooner than 2–3 years later. Such pits are not made in the vegetable crop area. Other waste can also be disposed of in this way. This method is simple and hygienic.

Fertilizer application. Base fertilization. To increase soil fertility on a vegetable plot and under non-fruiting trees, mineral and organic fertilizers are used. They are applied in the autumn. Fertilizers are spread evenly over the plot. With some practice, this is easy to achieve. Mineral fertilizers are taken by the handful and, passing them between fingers, a uniform, continuous application is achieved. Manure or compost can be applied with a pitchfork.

Fertilizer rates are as follows. Among mineral fertilizers in the autumn, phosphorus or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are usually applied (in g/m2): double superphosphate 15–20 g, potassium chloride 10–15 g. Organic fertilizers are applied once every 3 years, that is, one-third of the plot is fertilized annually. 3–5 kg/m2 of semi-decomposed manure is applied, and 1–2 kg/m2 of poultry manure.

After the fertilizer application, the plot is dug up to a depth of approximately 15–20 cm. Under the tree canopy, especially near the trunks, the depth should be shallow. Digging must be done without damaging the roots. In case of damage to large roots, the wound is moistened with 1% copper sulfate and covered with soil.

Nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium nitrate 20–30 g/m2 or urea 15–20 g/m2) are best applied in the spring and incorporated shallowly into the soil.

For fruiting trees, fertilizers are applied in the autumn in a circular trench or pits around the circumference of the canopy to a depth of 15–30 cm. The depth is determined by preliminary digging so as not to damage roots with a diameter of more than 7–10 mm. The fertilizer rate is the same as for broadcast application, based on the area of the tree trunk circle.

Application methods for other crops:

• For berry plants — in a shallow circular trench or on both sides of the row.
• For grapes — in the spring into the furrows formed during winter covering.
• For strawberries — under digging before planting transplants.

Pre-planting fertilization. When planting cabbage and tomato transplants, or planting potatoes, a mixture is added to the planting holes (in g per hole): 1.5 g of ammonium nitrate and 1 g of double superphosphate or 2.5 g of nitroammophoska. 100 g of humus can be added to the mineral fertilizers.

Fertilizer in the hole must be mixed with the soil.

Top dressing. Early spring top dressing is carried out on strawberry plantings at the beginning of regrowth using ammonium nitrate at 25 g/m2 or urea at 17 g/m2. For winter garlic, it is better to apply ammonium sulfate (as a nitrogen-sulfur fertilizer) at 35 g/m2. Fertilizer is applied in the inter-row spacing and is not incorporated.

Summer top dressing of vegetable crops

In the summer period, vegetable crops are top-dressed at the root with an aqueous solution of mineral fertilizers during irrigation. This measure is necessary in case of weak plant growth or the appearance of signs of nitrogen or phosphorus deficiency. Most often, plants require nitrogen fertilizers, less often — nitrogen-phosphorus ones. Ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, or nitroammophos are used for this work.

• Working solution concentration — 25–50 g of fertilizer per 10 L of water
• Application rate per plant — 0.5 L
• Effect manifestation period — in 3–7 days

Fertilizer application system in forest nurseries and crops

In forestry, fertilizers are applied in forest nurseries, seed orchards, and permanent seed stands. The main task in nurseries is to increase the yield of standard seedlings and nursery plants per unit area and shorten their growing time. For this, a complex nutrition scheme is used, including three sequential stages.

1. Basic fertilizer — applied to fallow fields before deep ploughing.
2. Pre-sowing or at-sowing fertilizer — incorporated 2 weeks before sowing or applied directly into rows when sowing seed.
3. Root and foliar top dressing — applied to plants during the growing season for rapid supply of macro- and micronutrients.

In autumn, for cultivation of the fallow field, deep ploughing is carried out using a trench plough. Under ploughing, 40 to 80 t/ha of organic fertilizer is applied depending on the soil type. Also, during this period, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are distributed at a rate of P60–120 and K60–120 in active ingredient. Precise application rates are calculated based on the agrochemical properties of the soil.

In the first year of seedling growth, pre-sowing fertilizers and root top dressing are used. Before sowing, one can use liquid manure, ammonium, calcium and potassium nitrates, potassium chloride, or superphosphate. At-sowing nutrition is applied in rows directly during seed sowing: for conifers, 15–20 kg/ha of granular superphosphate is applied, for deciduous trees — 20–30 kg/ha.

* Note: soil humus content is above 2 %.

For top dressing of plants in the first year of growth, urea, ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride, ammophos, diammophos, potassium nitrate, nitrophos, and nitrophoska are used. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied at rates of 20–40 kg/ha of active ingredient. The first treatment is carried out immediately after mass emergence, and subsequent ones are repeated at intervals of 2–3 weeks.

In the second year of seedling growth, nitrogen is applied at the root twice per season at a rate of N30–40. The first root top dressing is performed in early spring immediately after snowmelt, the second — in 3–4 weeks. On light soils, potassium fertilizers at a rate of K40–60 are additionally applied in the spring to avoid leaching of the element from the root zone. Phosphorus top dressing is used only if basic fertilizer was not applied and the soil is poor in mobile phosphorus.

When establishing forest crops, mineral nutrition helps to increase the survival rate of nursery plants and accelerate their growth. Phosphorus (P150–200) and potassium (K100) fertilizers are incorporated in autumn during soil preparation to the depth of ploughing into the zone of the main root mass distribution. Nitrogen top dressing at a rate of N100 is carried out at the root in the second or third year after planting. Repeated nitrogen application at a rate of N200 is scheduled every 5 years.

In seed orchards, it is advisable to apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers before planting seedlings or nursery plants. In permanent seed production areas, fertilizers are spread after forming corridors of sufficient width. Afterward, they are incorporated into the soil using ploughs or heavy disc harrows.

To improve soil structure and soil fertility in seed orchards and areas, it is effective to sow green manure crops. They enrich the soil with organic matter and available nutrients. Green manures include:

• mustard;
• vetch-oat mixture;
• field pea;
• cowpea;
• white sweet clover.

Specifics of soil preparation for flower crops

Growing ornamental plants in a home garden requires special attention to the quality of the soil, as the commercial appearance of flowers directly depends on their growing conditions. Each crop requires a combination of environmental factors that are as close as possible to its natural habitat conditions. For full development, it is necessary to simultaneously balance light, temperature, humidity, aeration, and soil nutrition.

A lack of nutrients quickly affects ornamental quality: leaf color fades, buds become smaller, and overall growth deteriorates. Solving this problem simply by top dressing with mineral compositions is not always successful. If the soil is poor in organic matter, it loses its structure, dries out quickly, and suppresses the activity of beneficial microflora.

The basis of site preparation for flower crops is the regular application of organic fertilizers. It is the organic matter that improves the physical properties of the soil, increases its water-holding capacity, and stimulates the vital activity of beneficial microorganisms. Proper selection of soil mixtures and timely enrichment of the soil with organic matter create optimal conditions for nutrition and reliable mechanical support for plants.

For the healthy development of ornamental plants in a garden, it is necessary to balance the following factors:

• temperature and light regimes corresponding to the crop's zone of origin;
• constant supply of moisture and air;
• availability of mineral nutrients in the soil;
• favorable structure and water-holding capacity of the soil substrate.