When to Use AgroThrive General Purpose Fertilizer

An article by Travis Key from Lazy Dog Farm

Our previous blog provided a list of vegetables that can benefit from AgroThrive Fruit & Flower Fertilizer. These include root vegetables like carrots, beets, and parsnips that need more potassium for maximum root development. This list also included “fruiting” vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers where extra potassium aids in water and sugar transport throughout the plant. You can see that complete list here.

On this blog I wanted to switch gears and discuss situations where AgroThrive General Purpose fertilizer would be the preferred choice. As mentioned in the previous blog, the primary difference between AgroThrive General Purpose (3-3-2) and AgroThrive Fruit & Flower (3-3-5) is the potassium percentage. Extra potassium isn’t always necessary for all vegetables that we grow in the backyard garden. In those cases which we list below, we use AgroThrive General Purpose to feed our plants.

Pre-Plant Fertilizer or Fertilizing at Planting

Before we get into specific vegetables, let me mention using AgroThrive General Purpose prior to planting or shortly after planting. I’m a strong believer in using pre-plant fertilizers for just about anything we grow. It provides young seedlings with the nutrients they need to have a strong start in your backyard garden.

In my opinion this is one of the most common mistakes that beginner gardeners make. They plant something in nutrient-poor soil and then become concerned when the plants don’t look as healthy as they should. They’re then left scrambling to revive the plants, and sometimes it’s too late. This can be easily prevented by simply applying a pre-plant fertilizer.

Just mix a couple ounces of AgroThrive General Purpose per gallon of water and apply to the area you’re planting. You can do this with a watering can, a bucket, a hand sprayer — use whatever you have. You’ll be amazed at how much faster your plants grow and produce by having those beginner nutrients in the soil.

Fast-Growing Greens

We’re big believers in all the great health benefits from eating greens in the backyard garden. Some of our favorites include lettuce, mustard greens, kale, collards, spinach, pak choi, and chard. Mustard greens and pak choi grow fast and are usually ready to harvest as soon as 40 days after planting. Collard greens and kale take a little longer to produce leaves large enough to harvest, but they provide a bounty of continual production throughout the cool season.

All these delicious greens will benefit from repeated applications of AgroThrive General Purpose Fertilizer. The frequency of application will depend on your soil type. Clay soils tend to hold nutrients much better than sandy soils which might need more frequent applications. Use the color of the greens as an indicator to tell if you if fertilization is necessary. If the leaves on the plants are pale green and not dark green, they probably need another application.

Brassicas

The Brassica family of vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and more. As opposed to the greens listed above, these vegetables have a growth-cycle that results in a single harvest. It’s very important to make sure the plants have the nutrients they need as they grow. If your cabbage or broccoli plants are small, you’re probably going to get a small head of cabbage or broccoli. If your plants are well-fed and large, you’ll get a significantly greater harvest when the plant matures.

Some of these vegetables tend to be hungrier than others. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts will require more frequently applications than broccoli or cauliflower. I recommend feeding cabbage and Brussels sprouts at least 3-4 times throughout their growth cycle. Broccoli and cauliflower are not quite as demanding and will usually produce nice heads with 2-3 applications of AgroThrive General Purpose. As is the case with the greens, use the color of the leaves to determine when additional applications are necessary.

Corn & Onions

Corn and onions aren’t in the same vegetable family, but they’re both very heavy feeders and will need significantly more nutrients than most vegetables grown in the backyard garden. That’s why we’ve grouped them together here. Frequency of application will vary depending on soil type, but be prepared to feed these two vegetables more than the rest of your backyard garden.

Fortunately for you, it’s easy to tell when corn and onion plants need some help. Corn and onion leaves should be dark green and lush along the plants. If they’re not, you probably won’t get very large ears of corn or very large onions when the plants mature. Be prepared to give both vegetables at least 3-4 applications of AgroThrive General Purpose throughout their growth cycle.

A List of Vegetables to Feed AgroThrive General Purpose

Now that you understand how AgroThrive General Purpose fertilizer can help certain plants, here’s a list of all the backyard garden plants that can greatly benefit from this formulation.

• Mustard
• Collards
• Kale
• Spinach
• Pak Choi
• Lettuce
• Chard
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Brussels Sprouts
• Corn
• Onions

Thousands of gardeners have been tuning in to The Lazy Dog Farm YouTube channel where Travis covers a variety topics ranging from how to successfully start seedlings to how to make a flavorful hotsauce that packs a punch. Accompanied by his wife Brooklyn and their two boys, the gardens on their 2 acre homestead in southwest Georgia are always filled with a wide variety of vegetables that are enjoyed fresh or preserved for later.