How to Fertilize Flower Gardens
When temperatures get extreme during the summer flower beds may need a little extra care. Fertilizing a flower bed will help the flowers thrive and live longer. If the bed already looks healthy, fertilizing may do more harm than good. It is important to know when and how to fertilize a flower garden.
Items needed:
- Fertilizer
- Water
- Watering can
- Flower Garden
- Buy some fertilizer from the local lawn and garden store. A fertilizer with a ratio of 10:10:10 generally works well for most flower gardens. This is a balanced fertilizer mixture that provides an even amount of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Soil can be tested to see if it has an even ratio of these elements in it.
- Wait until about the middle of the summer, then do one fertilizer treatment. Follow the instructions written on the bag of fertilizer you purchased to do the job. It doesn’t take much fertilizer to provide the appropriate amount of nutrients to a garden.
- Fill a watering can with water, and provide the flowers with just enough water to soak the soil without creating puddles. Watering the flowers right after fertilizing will quickly engage the nutrients.
- Watch the flower garden throughout the year. Water them one time each day during the early morning hours. If the flowers begin to look wilted, give them another fertilizer treatment. Be careful not to fertilize too often. Flowers should be fertilized three times each year at most. In some cases, a new layer of top soil may need to be laid down if the old top soil has run out of nutrients.