Newspaper Page Text
Fertilizingmz
By Kim D. Coder
Georgia Extension Service
For years, people have thought of
fertilizer as a magic bullet they could
to right all the past wrongs in
and street tree care. They think
mature trees need lots of nitrogen
because of their massive size.
These myths are killing our trees.
Unlike animals that consume the
they need already in usable
forms, trees only take in the most
of essential elements. Roots
for and gather simple build¬
blocks from the soil and ship
to the leaves.
In the leaves, trees use light en¬
to build and weld simple pieces
the complex molecules of life.
Inside a person, food is broken
and used to build bodies and
for energy. Inside a tree, the
foods and building mate¬
manufactured in the leaves are
to all parts of the tree.
Trees don’t take in “food" but
synthesize their own. They can
make their own food using
elements from soil and air.
Fertilizers aren’t food for a tree.
can’t feed a tree. We can only
that all of its basic needs are
and help keep it from getting
Trees, especially in yards and
streets, have many needs for
essential elements. Some
these elements are easy to come
Some aren’t.
Many people see the unfertilized
120 S. Camelia Blvd.
A
825-2626
94 CUP ART SERVICE IMS
Jp\25 97
! W * \ \ Poly Sprayer operating 25 97
3 qallon 18”
i capacity. rotating
brass 4 Cu. Ft Wheelbarrow
■ wand. 48” nose.
- 1 i Great for a variety Homeowner's wheelbarrow
_ I o( applications. features seamless steel tray.
71968 14' pneumatic tire and
j hardwood handles. 75793
MX
■ HAND
l9 97 rffiF
30 3Q. ^6ro> ye ars 0 '"sive /
Mower u -baod, / '
7799- fl
22 - . g-position
tingeftf) height adjustment. increased
High wheels tor
t traction and better mobility.
1 73517
/1 MX
{g‘éfisx’ , .ru
‘7»? r‘s‘axa“
r' »r \ w: v
A
trees of the forest, back lots and
scrub areas as proof that no fertilizer
is needed. But most people aren’t
willing to accept the unhealthy, slow
growing, pale and stressed trees of
untended areas.
We all have special expectations
of our yards that demand strong
growth, few pests, rich green colors
and long-lived trees. For all that,
trees can require extra elements.
We tend to rake, gather, bum,
bag, bake, vacuum and destroy any
and all natural recycling in our land¬
scapes. And we plant highly com¬
petitive plants right next to the base
of trees.
The once fertile soil system slowly
loses organic materials, helpful mi¬
croorganisms and valuable elements.
It becomes an artificial world that
must have fertilizer, lime and or¬
ganic matter added to keep trees
healthy and growing.
Beware. The road to fertilization
is paved in wood (that is, stressed
and dead trees). Many people think
added fertilizer will correct all prob¬
lems of bad maintenance, tree abuse
and ignorant neglect.
But fertilize!*, especially those *
containing nitrogen, can actually
mask many other landscape prob¬
lems.
Law. mkI GanleR Leader THbont Wednesday, April 14,1997
Raised *iv:i 1 Gardening Has Oear Advantages
By Wayne J. McLanrfas
Georgia KxSenskm Service
For the gardener, raised beds offer
control over soil composition and
drainage. And those things are criti
cal to a successful garden.
Where the soil is poor (or nonex
islent, as in a rocky area) and drain
age inadequate, raised beds make it
easy to create areas of fertile, well
drained soil.
They often save time and money.
They’re much cheaper than install
ing a drainage system and then truck
ing in topsoil.
You can fill a raised bed with a
soil mixture that meets special needs,
too. Coupled with precise drainage
control, this lets you grow rhododen¬
drons, azaleas and other plants that
are fussy about their root environ
ment.
Another advantage to raised beds
is that they elevate plants to where
they’re easier to tend—and to enjoy,
You'll appreciate this if you’re plan
ning a garden that invites or requires
active involvement, such as a veg
etable garden or a garden for cut
flowers.
Most people don't work in the
garden in rainy weather. They don’t
want to compact the soil or get their
feet muddy. But raised beds are de
signed for walking around, not in.
So there’s no reason for mud to
delay timely planting and harvesting,
Spaces between beds may be left in
sod, mulched or even paved with
stone or brick.
Raised beds are also a boon in
(oominq
Highway 41 North
Centerville
( 912 ) 953-4602
Rental Plants For Special Occasions, Weddings,
Etc. Beautiful Ferns, Tropicals, Hanging Baskets
UNUSUAL BIRD HOUSES
Bat Houses - Pudding Poles
FLORISTS:
Call us for: m
cs> Large Tropical Plants m
<&■ Trees / Shrubs B Jackson & Perkins Roses ^fl
for planting I Are Now Available a
Hand Painted Gourds a
l
..
Call Us for The Unusual Tlant.
Or fiard To fill Garden Area.
We ?(ave fresh Traduce In Season
low-maintenance schemes. They
keep plants organized. And they coo
fine soil, dead leaves and other debris
within their borders. So they reduce
the work needed to clean up the yard.
To reduce maintenance, many at
tractive landscape designs uae wised
beds separated by expanses of nicely
detailed paving. Such a design can
enhance your home and your garden,
And itcan give you the time you need
to enjoy both.
Having permanent beds means you
can permanently install structures
such as trellises and fences, too. This
allows you to build them for the long
run out of durable materials such as
pressure-treated pine, redwood, cy
press or cedar,
Raised beds have other strong
points, too.
Higher Yields
Probably the most important rea¬
son for the raised-bed revival is more
production per square foot of garden,
A well-managed traditional garden
may yield 0.6 pounds of vegetables
per square foot
Research shows that raised beds
can more than double that yield,
Raised beds don’t require the usual
space between rows because you
don't walk in the bed to cultivate or
harvest
So you can plant vegetables closer.
You can space them just far enough
apart to avoid crowding but close
enough to shade weeds,
A voiding SoR Compaction
Soil compaction can cut yields in
Pace 3C
half. Water, air netallmi
toughtimcmoviiigthroughaoilcotn
penned by melon, tiBers or human
feet
Plows, tillers or spades have heea
the usual answer. But you can avoid
the problem completely by making
beds narrow enough to work from
the sides. Soil organic matter content
can be increased greatly without get
ting bogged down due to better drain
age.
Ease of Feat Cowtrol
If burrowing rodents are abtm
dant, line the bottom of the bed with
poultry wire or hardware cloth.
Discourage rabbits by placiag
their favorite foods in a framed bed
with s low fence. The narrow dimen¬
sions of beds even make it practical
to suspend bird netting on flexible
conduit frames.
Weed control is easy with plastic
mulch, too. One roll can span the
width of the bed.
waver LOMtrYtnwi
Several watering systems can en
sure the water gets only where it’s
needed. Canvas soaker hoses, perfo
rated plastic sprinkle hoses aaddrip
type irrigation disperse water in a
long, narrow pattern well-suited to
beds.
They also reduce disease by di
reding water to the ami instead of
wetting leaf surfaces as overhead
irrigation does.
(Or. Wayne McLanrin is akorti
culturist with the University of Gear
gia Cooperative Extension Service.)
