What plants really want

DIAGNOSING GARDENING PROBLEMS MAY BE A MATTER OF GETTING THE NUTRIENTS RIGHT AND KNOWING WHICH ONES GO TOGETHER

Words Steve McGrane

Have you ever heard a gardener say, “Time to dose up my gardenia with Epsom salts because the leaves are turning yellow again”? Is this the correct diagnosis and action? Possibly, but it’s likely to be only partially correct. Many gardening articles rightly draw our attention to the importance of a “healthy” pH (7 being neutral and 6 being slightly acidic). It’s often said that somewhere between 7 and 6.5 is the sweet spot where most plant nutrients and minerals remain available. However, pH is the beginning of our inquiry, not the end. It’s also important to know what nutrients and minerals are available in your soil. I won’t be dissecting here the science of hydrogen ions and the associated bonding of anions and cations. Instead, I want to equip readers with practical knowledge…

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Good Organic Gardening (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue #13.6

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