Fairies Give Good Advice

Over the years the Garden Fairies have been good to my garden. Last night though I had to ask them why don’t some of my plants flower? Why don’t my fruit trees fruit profusely or if they do why is the fruit misshapen?  I just had to ask why all my coloured foliaged plants like crotons and dracaenas have lost their colour?

The Garden Fairies replied “Your garden just needs some TLC and a little Potash!”

Potassium Sulphate or Sulphate of Potash is commonly called Potash.  It is an essential element necessary to the lives of all plants. It aids in disease resistance and frost protection by strengthening the plants cell walls.  It helps in seed and root development. It encourages strong new growth and helps with the formation of flower buds and fruit. Potash can improve the quality and the colour of flowers and enhances the formation of proteins and sugars in fruit. Potash can even help plants with slender stems and large flower heads such as Iceland poppies and Gerberas hold their heads erect.

 

If a plant is deficient in potash, it will express an overall weakness especially in its stem.  It will have yellowing leaf margins and grow more slowly.  It will be disease prone and its fruit and flowers will be small and poorly coloured and sometimes tasteless.

Many Australian soils are low in potassium (potash).This can be added by itself or as part of a complete fertiliser. Potash by itself is available in a liquid or granular form and is usually certified organic.  The liquid form is added to water and used as a foliar spray. Used like this it is quick acting but not long lasting and needs to be repeated on a fortnightly basis. This is best for promoting flowers especially on annuals.  The granular form is added to the soil and watered in.  The granular is slower acting but lasts a lot longer.  This is best for correcting deficiencies, promoting fruit and stimulating coloured foliage. If you use mainly a manure based fertiliser like blood and bone or chicken manure you will need to add potash as these products don’t naturally contain it.

Complete fertilisers, whether they be chemical or organic, usually contain potash.  An N:P:K ratio can usually be found on the fertilizer label. The N:P:K ratio stands for Nitrogen (greening, growing), Phosphorus (roots) and Potassium (fruiting, flowering). Some fertilisers contain almost equal parts N and K this is great for general fertilising. Fertilisers with a high K are better if you are trying to correct deficiencies or promote fruiting and flowering.

This weekend I’m playing with my Garden Fairies and giving my garden some TLC and a little Potash.  In a few months I’ll share with you the spoils of my labour with an abundance of fruit and bunches of glorious flowers.