Outdoor gardens can provide a great source of beauty, fresh vegetables, and flowers if you properly give plants the nutrients they need. Nutrient deficiencies can lead to lower yields, smaller fruits and vegetables, and discolored foliage.
So how often should you give your outdoor plants nutrients?
The answer to this question depends on the type of plants you are growing. If you’re growing annuals such as tomatoes, peppers, or squash that grow from seed each year and only live for one year then they will require more frequent application of nutrients than perennial plants that come back each year.
For annuals it is best to fertilize every two to three weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro or FoxFarm Big Bloom. This will ensure that the plant has access to all the essential micronutrients it needs for healthy growth and fruit production. For perennials such as roses or shrubs it is best to fertilize them once per month since they do not require as much additional nutrition as annuals do.
In addition to fertilizing with commercial products there are other ways of providing your plants with adequate nutrition such as composting or using manure tea. Composting is a great way to provide your outdoor garden with organic matter while also adding beneficial microorganisms that help break down the organic matter into available nutrients for the plants.
Manure tea is another great way of providing your outdoor garden with nutrients in an organic manner. To make manure tea simply steep a shovelful of manure in five gallons of water overnight then strain off the solids before applying it directly to your plants.
Conclusion:
To conclude, how often you should give your outdoor plants nutrients depends on what type of plants you are growing and what method you are using for providing them with nutrition. Annuals should be given water-soluble fertilizer every two to three weeks while perennials can be fertilized once per month. There are also alternatives like composting and manure tea which can provide your outdoor garden with beneficial microorganisms and available nutrients for healthy growth and production.
