Growing Gardens

with Julia Hancock

NPK is the way

When our gardens are growing as lush and abundantly as they currently are after the recent good rains, it's easy to forget that such rapid development depletes a plant's energy source, a source that should be replenished on a regular basis.

The major suppliers of plant food are the elements nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and it is these nutrients that play one of the most important roles in a plant's overall wellbeing. If you buy a packet of fertiliser these elements, among others, will be listed together with the ratio in which they are added to the mix.

Nitrogen is responsible for promoting rapid shoot growth in plants, and is one of the elements that is most freely available to the home gardener. There is oodles of it in the grass clippings we put through our compost heaps. Nitrogen is a gaseous element which means it can be obtained from the air. Plants from the legume family such as beans and peas live symbiotically with bacteria in their roots which act as conduits to deliver this important nutrient to their host plant.

Phosphorus is as essential for root and shoot growth in plants, as it is for bone and embryo development in humans. Overuse of superphosphate chemicals in the farming industry have given this element a bad name, but used sparingly in the home garden is it a vital plant growth stimulant.

Fertilisers for flowering plants will be high in potassium because it stimulates the production of buds. Likewise it is important for trees which produce fruits and species of fruiting vegetables such as capsicums, cucumbers and tomatoes. In a crude form potassium is available from pot-ashes, but it is important never to overuse these in the garden. Mix a small quantity in with some compost and use the mix as a mulch around plants.

Lismore Garden Club News

The first meeting is next Thurs, Feb 5, at the Lismore Workers Club at 1.30pm. All welcome. For further information phone Mary on 6621 5293.

Crepe Myrtle is a strikingly beautiful small tree, which flowers in summer. They thrive in north-eastern NSW. Older varieties are sometimes susceptible to mildew, but the newer compact varieties are resistant. They're flowering in many local gardens at present. Recent rains have brought the lawn & garden to life. If you are tempted to plant annual flower seedlings, consider the most heat-tolerant ones such as petunias, calendulas, cosmos & African marigolds. They will need to be shaded for the first couple of days & watered daily.

With the price of vegies heading skyward you may want to brave the heat & try sweet corn, inter-planted with pumpkins &/or heat-tolerant cucumbers, as are cherry tomatoes. However, dwarf beans, beetroot, loose leaf lettuce, silverbeet should do well with some shade.

TIP: Make a simple rectangular frame from scrap timber & cover it with 70% shade cloth. Fit four legs, one in each corner, allowing for the height of the tallest plants.

Happy Gardening
Ron Burns