Loving your plants to death

It is an exciting time, planning and starting your first vegetable bed or beds, planting your chosen seeds. And even more exciting when the seeds germinate. It’s easy to, well, get a little overenthusiastic. Plants love water, right? And surely a little bit of help from some organic plant food or fertiliser will only help things along.

Many mildews, such as early leaf blight on cauliflowers, can be caused by overzealous watering. Plants can also simply rot from too much water that is not given the chance to evaporate away. For this reason, always water plants in the morning to give the most time possible for the water to evaporate.

Fertilisers contain different salts, which can build up in the plant as it is unable to get enough water to flush it out. This results in the plant burning, and you will see it in brown, dead edges to leaves. If the salt from the fertiliser builds up in the soil, it will starve the plants of water.

Although some plants are fussier than others due to being native to very different climates and soils than we have in Australia, many plants are much hardier and do well with minimal help. Australian natives often do not tolerate the rich fertilisers used in vegetable growing, for example.

As a general rule, the least interference that you can manage whilst still having healthy plants will give the best results. Common sense: if it has been raining for a few days, you don’t need to water the very next dry day. Always follow the instructions on the fertiliser or plant food packet/bottle, and if it has various strengths recommended, start with the smallest amount or weakest solution and slowly add more if the plants seem to need it.

Sources: The Symptoms of Over-Fertilizing (sfgate.com) and Yates Garden Guide 1988, All Colour Edition.