Pilchuck Chapter ARS

Our December meeting will be held at the First Baptist Church, Annex building across the street from where we met last year.  Bring a $10 gift for the crazy gift exchange.  Dave Hammond is bringing the cake.

 

 

 

Getting to Know You

 

Jane Smith, a Pennsylvania transplant, joined our Chapter about four years ago.  She attended a joint Pilchuck Chapter and Pilchuck Fuchsia Society Christmas party and decided she liked us too!  She lives on about a third of an acre near Shoultes school and is an avid gardener.  She says she gets her love of gardening from her mother.  Jane, we are glad to have you in the Chapter!

 

Crash Course in Fertilizer Nutrients

 

A bag of fertilizer has three numbers prominently featured on the label, something like 5-2-0.  It’s important to know what those numbers mean, because the wrong combination can do more harm than good.  The guaranteed analysis indicates the amount of three major plant nutrients:  nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium — abbreviated NPK.

 

One way to remember what those things do, and keep them straight is the phrase “up, down, and all around.”  Nitrogen is needed for green, leafy growth—the up.  Phosphorus helps produce healthy roots—the down.  Potassium is important for overall plant health and resistance to water or insect stresses, so it’s the all around.

 

However, plants need anywhere from 14 to 18 plant nutrients for best health and production.  Magnesium and sulfur comprise the macronutrients along with NPK.  The micronutrients include iron, manganese, boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum and (maybe) chlorine.  Testing your soil is the best way to determine what is needed.  Extracted from Horticulture, December 2008, p. 17.