FLORIDA FRIENDLY FERTILIZING
Magnesium deficiency (mid-canopy) & potassium deficiency (lower canopy) on a Canary Island date palm. T.K. Broschat, UF/IFAS
Fertilize: palms and ornamental shrubs. See:
Palm Nutrition and Fertilization: and
Landscape Fertilization: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_landscape_fertilization
Fairchild garden Palm Expert on Smart Palm fertilization
http://www.virtualherbarium.org/GardenViews/SmartPalmFertilizing.html
FLORIDA FRIENDLY FERTILIZING - Prevent Pollution and Maximize Plant Health
Fertilize Appropriately – Excellent Pdf with information clearly presented:
https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/handbook/Fertilize_Appropriately.pdf
How to read a fertilizer bag and choose the appropriate fertilizer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziYTkijev-s&feature=youtu.be
The website below includes the following tips and much more information.
https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/handbook/Fertilize_Appropriately_vSept09.pdf
• Follow UF/IFAS recommendations. Ideal rates, application timings, and formulas are different for different plants.
• Choose slow-release products. Look for fertilizers with slow-release nutrients. They should include potassium and little or no phosphorus.
• Keep fertilizer off hard surfaces. If fertilizer gets spilled on a hard surface (like a driveway), sweep it up and dispose of it. Fertilizers can wash into storm drains and from there into a nearby water body.
Avoid using “weed and feed” products. These contain herbicides and fertilizer together.
These products can injure trees and shrubs. Tree and shrub root
systems can extend far beyond the canopy drip line, intermingling with turf.
Pesticides should be applied only to affected areas, rather than broadcast over the entire yard as occurs with a weed and feed product.
The appropriate timing is often different, with pre-emergent herbicides applied far earlier than fertilizer. This almost ensures that one or the other is ineffective, if not harmful.
Apply an iron source instead of a nitrogen fertilizer. To green the lawn without increasing growth in the summer, use chelated iron or iron sulfate.
Fertilizers in Compliance with Local Fertilizer Ordinances include:
Organic fertilizers, soil conditioners and soil additives include
Blood meal: a byproduct of the meat-packing industry. Steamed and dried, it's high in phosphorous.
Bone meal: another byproduct of the meat-packing industry, bone meal contains calcium and phosphorous, essential elements for plant growth.
Fish emulsion: a fish-processing byproduct. Mild, nontoxic and organic, fish emulsion is good for tender plants that may suffer fertilizer burn.
Compost: one of the best all-around garden materials for soil improvement.
Composted manure: for soil conditioning or use in the compost pile.
Peat moss: an amendment that aerates and lightens heavier soils such as clay. It adds mass to sandy soils to reduce the leaching of nutrients.
