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You are what you eat and the same is true for the plants in your garden. But while every plant needs ongoing nourishment to thrive, the type of nutrients and frequency of feeding can vary by species.
We spoke to Angie Thomas, horticultural communications manager at Yates, to find out more about the perfect three-step Dynamic Lifter plant food diet you can use to help the plants in your garden grow.
No matter what plants you’re growing in your garden, always prepare the soil first. “It’s essential to enrich soil first, to give it all the nutrients needed to help your plants thrive,” Angie explains. Using Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food & Soil Improver adds nourishing organic matter – such as chicken manure – encourages plant-loving earthworms, improves the structure of sandy or clay-like soil and helps it retain moisture.
For a single tree or bush, Angie suggests adding a handful of the Dynamic Lifter soil improver pellets directly into the hole before planting. If you’re working on a vegie patch or garden bed, mix the plant food through the soil in the whole area.
“With Dynamic Lifter, you can improve the soil and plant straight away, there’s no need to wait,” she adds.
In addition to pre-planting nourishment, established plants require regular feeding throughout the year. Angie says a good rule of thumb is to feed them any time they are “doing something”. In other words, if a plant is growing, flowering or producing vegies or fruits, it will need extra nourishment every six to eight weeks.
The new Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food Pellets are ideal for this. “They have a combination of slow-release nutrients from organic matter to improve the soil over the longer term, and fast-acting nutrients to feed the plants in the short term,” says Angie. “Basically, they help plants run a marathon and a sprint at the same time.”
They come in three different varieties: fruit and citrus; roses and flowers; and tomatoes, vegies and herbs. Each one is carefully blended to include exactly the right nutrients to meet that particular plant’s needs.
In a full bed of flowers or vegies, the pellets can be mixed through the bed. For trees, bushes and shrubs, mix them into the soil around the root area, says Angie. “Take the outer edge of where the foliage comes to and draw a straight line down to the ground. The area between there and the stem is the drip zone, that's where you apply the pellets, just below the surface of the soil.”
Angie recommends protecting the soil surface with an organic mulch, like Yates Dynamic Lifter 4 in 1 Mulch, instead of using pebbles or black plastic. “Organic mulch naturally breaks down over time, adding more organic matter, which is like gold for the soil. The more organic matter you can add to your soil, the better. This mulch creates a protective layer over the soil surface to protect it from the elements and reduce the amount of evaporation and the water loss from the top of the soil.” The mulch also contains a wetting agent to ensure that any moisture from irrigation or rainfall gets into the bottom layers of the soil and into the root zone.
Top up the mulch any time your garden needs it; Angie says a couple of times a year is about right.
The best spot to plant it: Somewhere warm and frost-free, with full sunlight for at least six hours per day.
Watch out for: Pests like aphids, especially on young trees. They’re particularly prevalent in warm weather.
How often do they need feeding? Citrus trees are constantly hungry and need to be fed every six to eight weeks, all year round.
Feed them with: Yates Dynamic Lifter Plant Food Pellets Fruit & Citrus *, which is rich in nitrogen for beautiful green, glossy leaves.
The best spot to plant it: An airy, well-ventilated spot in full sun with well-drained soil.
Watch out for: Blackspot, a type of fungus that first appears on leaves. Ensuring your rose bush has good airflow will help control the risk of blackspot.
How often do they need feeding? Every six to eight weeks, as long as they are flowering. Some roses will go dormant over winter.
Feed them with: Yates Dynamic Lifter Plant Food Pellets Roses & Flowers *, which has potassium for robust growth and iron as a trace element for healthy leaves.
The best spot to plant it: The sunniest spot in your garden – tomatoes thrive in plenty of direct sunshine.
Watch out for: Caterpillars, beetles, bugs and aphids all love the juicy taste of tomatoes. Monitor plants and use pest control as needed.
How often do they need feeding? Every six to eight weeks, as long as they are fruiting.
Feed them with: Yates Dynamic Lifter Plant Food Pellets Tomatoes, Vegies and Herbs *. It’s packed with potassium to promote stronger, healthier plant growth and extra phosphorus for root vegetables.
*Some products may not be available in all stores, but can be ordered online.
Check out our great range of soil improvers, plant foods and mulch from Yates.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
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