GFTL
Full Access Member
You are correct that you need to know what your plants need but it is equally important to know what your soil has in it for nutrients. This will keep from overfertilizing.It is more important to know what your plants need than what your soil needs. Your soil does need, calcium and organic material for certain plants. It depends on what type soil you have. Some people have solid rock or gravel.
I lived in Phoenix AZ area for several years soil there has almost NO food value for plants. For many 1000s of years before dams were built on the rivers the AZ valley flooded every year that is why the valley is flat sand. That is why cactus grows so slow and many other plants will not grow. If you water and fertilize cactus and desert plants they will grow 6 ft taller in 1 year.
Corn and Greens needs, Nitrogen 46-0-0 fertilizer.
Bean, peppers, melons, tomatoes, garlic, do good with 15-15-15 fertilizer.
Potatoes, carrots like 5-20-20 fertilizer.
Onions need 21-0-0 for 6 weeks then 5-20-20 for 6 weeks.
Sweet potatoes, okra, blackberries, do good with 1-1-1 fertilizer 1 time a year.
When I moved to AZ neighbors came to tell me, if you want grass to grow you must water your yard 2 hours every morning as the sun is coming up and you can not grow vegetables in AZ they won't grow. After living in AZ for about 1 year neighbors wanted to know why I have the nicest grass in the neighborhood and my irrigation is never on? When I told them I water grass 10 minutes every night 9 pm after dark they refused to believe that. When I showed neighbors my vegetable garden they refused to believe what they see. People think because they use to plant a garden back east in May they should plant AZ garden May also, wrong answer. You plant AZ winter garden Nov 1st it is 65° F and sunny all winter. You plant AZ summer garden March 10th, melons, okra, sweet potatoes love hot blistering 114° sun.
I learned in college biology class plants have 2 growing modes, green leaves soak up sunlight all day then after dark plants switch to growing mode and plants grow larger all night in the dark.