In general, when does sap start to run and is that a good time to fertilize them? Thanks for your help. Rosa
As the weather warms, sap in trees "runs". The best time to fertilize is when new growth is visible. Depending on the variety of plant, new growth will be leaves and/or blooms. Just as there are "morning" people and "evening" people, some plants leave dormancy sooner than others.
Are tea leaves and coffee grounds good for the soil?
YES! The following article has a lot of information on this subject:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.htm
You can also enter coffee grounds or tea leaves into the search window to get to more atricles on this subject.
Ammonium phosphate or mono-ammonium phosphate, while a common ingredient in fertilizers is also the single most used ingredient in ABC fire extinguishers. After maybe 20 years of use/reuse or if contaminated, the agent is simply sent to landfills and buried. My question is why? That is, why could it not be recycled into fertilizer? Each year we dispose of somewhere between one to two tons of material, which is 97% ammonium phosphate. If I knew what to mix it with, I'd like to try and make my own general purpose fertilizer. Any suggestions?
Ammonium phosphate is used as an ingredient in some fertilizers as a source of nitrogen. It is also used as a flame retardant in thermoplastic compositions. It is also used in bread making to promote the growth of the yeast.
After entering "ammonium phosphate fertilizer formula" in a search engine, 146,000 results were listed.
Which garden vegetables benefit from side dressing with coffee grounds?
This article should answer your questions: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.htm
Is it better to apply extra nitrogen to my soil in the fall or the spring?
I would recommend adding it in the spring. Adding it in the fall can cause plants to grow at the end of the season rather than go dormant and, in empty beds, it could wash away some since there are no plants to take it up.
What happens to a plant when it has too much potassium?
While an abundance of potassium is usually not toxic to plants, too much potassium can inhibit the absorption of other nutrients, which may lead to the nutrient deficiency. The signs of which depends on the type of nutrient the plant is lacking, but includes stunted growth and yellowing of the plant. Here is more info: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/plants-potassium.htm
Can I fertilize with 10-52-10, then water, then fertilize with 15-15-30, then water and repeat (diluted)? I cannot get the fertilizer I need: 10-30-20.
Rather than trying to mix, I would just go with the 10-52-10. Too much fertilizer can harm a plant as much as too little. Instead, try adding some potash for the extra potassium and leave it at that. Guidelines for fertilizer are just that, guidelines. So if you are close to the mix they recommend, you will be fine. If you have not done so already, I would get your soil tested. This will tell you more about what your soil needs and lacks, and you can adjust that according to your plants' needs. Here is more info on that: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm