Is fertilizer always needed when planting in the garden or landscape?
Garden and landscape soils are rarely fertile enough to supply all of the nutrients required for the best growth of plants, particularly while they are becoming established. It is equally rare, however, for a soil to be deficient in several of the mineral nutrients that plants need. Because California soils contain most of the elements known to be essential to plants, it is necessary to add only the ones that are deficient in a particular soil. In general, gardeners have a tendency either to underfertilize or overfertilize. Too little fertilization results in poor plant growth and appearance. Too much fertilization, regardless of the source, is unnecessarily expensive and may cause plant injury or contribute to nitrate pollution in the environment. What plant nutrients are most commonly needed for fertilizers to supply? A: Because nitrogen is naturally low in almost all California soils, additional amounts are needed to ensure optimal plant growth. Nitrogen may not be the only suppleme
