Understanding Fertilizer I
You can tell that spring is just around the corner when you hear reports that the Stockade is threatened with flooding. Last week's thaw really brought home the idea that spring is actually out there somewhere and its only a matter of time before it arrives in our neck of the woods. Even though I've lived here for 35 years, I'm still amazed by how quickly two and a half feet of snow can disappear. Last week's thaw was a treat and it looks like the “mud season” is upon us (and you thought we only had four seasons).
 When I was leaving for work this morning, I noticed some tulips starting to poke up their way up through the cold soil. They're fairly close to the foundation so that's not too surprising. I have to resist the urge to remove my protective layer of evergreen boughs from the perennial beds. On early warm days it's easy to get fooled into believing that spring is here. We're not done with freezing weather yet! By keeping the beds shaded, I'm insuring that the plants will remain dormant through any “false spring” weather that occurs. Early spring weather with its freeze/thaw, freeze/thaw tendency is the reason I cover the beds to begin with. The hard part is resisting the urge to uncover early.
 With any luck at all, we'll want to get out into our yards in a month or so and start our early feedings of shrubs, trees, lawns and flowerbeds. But, what the heck with? For the next couple of issues (before we can actually get out there and actually feed anything) I'm going to explain a bit about fertilizer. Regular readers will have to bear with me on this. You've seen this before but you may benefit from a refresher too.
The first step is to get a handle on those three mysterious numbers on all fertilizer bags. You have noticed them haven't you? You may be familiar with 5-10-5; the most common vegetable food. By law, the numbers represent the percentage, BY WEIGHT of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) respectively. “WAIT A MINUTE” you say, “if the 5 the 10 and the 5 are percentages, they only add up to 20% of the bag.” I gotta tell you, you're really on the ball. Guess what, the rest of the bag is filler! The filler is in there to “make the product easier to spread evenly without burning” as the manufacturers will tell you. This is all true but, the ability to adjust the amount of filler vs. nutrients is a device fertilizer producers can manipulate to make a lower quality appear better than it is but, more about that later.
 Anyway, the first number, N, or nitrogen shows how much of the fertilizer is devoted to green, upward growth. The second number P, or phosphorus, shows how much is devoted to root growth and flower & fruit production. The last number K, or potassium is an overall building block that benefits all parts of the plant. The easiest way that I've found to remember this relationship is: UP-DOWN- ALL AROUND. As illustrated. This is an easy way to remember the relationship between the three basic plant nutrients. More on this next week. Thanks for the read.

Understanding Fertilizer II
Well, yesterday “The Captain's Cove” in Scotia burned down. The good news is that, as far as I've heard, no one was injured. The bad news is that one of the best eateries and fish markets in the area is gone. I'd only eaten there a couple of times and found the food excellent. My main attraction to “The Captain's Cove” was the superior quality fresh fish. Either my wife or myself was in there about once a week to pick something out for dinner. In fact I remember in '95 we served a grilled meal of fresh tuna steaks and salmon (ooh…the salmon) from “the Captain's Cove” to a large gathering of friends and relatives the evening before our wedding. I always like to show off the best our area has to offer to out of town guests and that fish from “The Captain's Cove” filled the bill. I hear that there is a plan to reopen elsewhere and that's great news. I'm anxiously awaiting that and wonder where I'll supply myself with salmon until then.
 Anyway, this is the time of year I feel compelled to spread the gospel about fertilizer. I know that many of you understand all this but, I know that many more of you are buying fertilizer based on pretty packaging, celebrity endorsements or tarot cards.

Last week I explained the meaning of the three numbers found on all fertilizer products. N-P-K. N is Nitrogen for leaf, needle, and blade growth. P is Phosphorus for root growth and flower and fruit production. And last, K is Potash, an important building block for all parts of the plant. Now that you know this you can walk around the garden center and impress your friends by saying things like, “No, no. You don't want 10-6-4 for you perennial border. It has too much nitrogen. You need more phosphorus for roots and flowers. “ or, “Say Jason, your lawn is kind of sparse. Maybe you need a lawn food with more phosphorus to help it thicken up.”
While you're there showing off, you'll probably notice that each manufacturer has their own “secret formula” that they would like you to believe is better than all the rest. Since these products represent a multi-billion dollar business, you better believe that a lot of time and money has been spent to convince you that their product is better than the rest. Your ignorance of fertilizer products is crucial to their success. Pretty packages and celebrity endorsements are all designed to keep you from asking two key questions. First, WHAT IS THE FORMULA; 5-10-5,10-6-4, 12-0-0? This I've already explained. Remember, these three numbers must, by law, appear on the bag. Often a manufacturer will brag about their formula. What you'll never hear mentioned is how much their bag weighs. This information is also required to appear on the product but, there are no rules that say how large it must appear. Until you know how much the bag weighs, you can't possibly know what you're buying. Remember, the three numbers represent the percentage, BY WEIGHT, of the three major nutrients. This means that a higher number on one fertilizer doesn't necessarily mean that it has more of a nutrient than another product. In other words, the percentages are meaningless until you know what they are a percentage of. If someone asked you if you'd rather have 10% or 50%, you would naturally ask, “Of what?” 50% of $1 is certainly less than 10% of $10. So remember, when you're looking at those three mysterious numbers, the real mystery is, “Where the heck did they hide the weight on this bag?” Until you find out, you have no way to figure out how much of the bag is filler and how much is actual nutrient. % X weight = what you are getting. While the E.P.A regulates WHAT may be put into these products, there are few rules for HOW CLEARLY the manufacturer explains this information. It's all tre on the package but it's up to you to figure it out. The best thing to do is to get to know someone at your local garden center who does ”get it” and have them assist and educate you. Thanks for the read.