Fertilizing

I have been thinking a lot this week about fertilizing the plants.  Using a sterile potting soil is great for keeping out pathogens that could harm the plants, but at the same time you're getting nutrient-deficient soil.  That is why you'll always read in the directions for caring for your plants that they require fertilizer frequently.

I'm thinking a lot about what you're getting with fertilizer, and I'm now really intent on going beyond the standard N-P-K solutions.  Later in the week, when the plants require their next watering I am going to add in a new fertilizer with micronutrients:  calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, etc. that are required in small amounts to add various benefits to the plant structure.  In a natural setting, these elements are present in the soil structure and will be transferred to the plants by various microbes, provided the soil is healthy.  In a pot, the plants cannot access these micronutrients, so as these lilies grow bigger and bigger, I tend to believe it becomes more and more important to ensure they are getting a broad-spectrum fertilizer instead of just basic NPK.

I may take a few comparably-sized plants and run a test for a few weeks, giving one regular NPK fertilizer and the other plant a broad-spectrum fertilizer so that I can compare results to see if there is a difference. 

As a sidenote, I make a habit of throwing rusty nails, bolts and other junk metals into my compost pile.  As they are corroded away, iron, copper, and other beneficial elements will be introduced into the end-product as they are soaked up by bacteria and fungi that will ultimately make them available for plants.  Of course, introducing a variety of kitchen scraps and plant trimmings ensures other micronutrients like calcium, potassium and sulfur will be in the end-product compost.

Once I have things set up outside, I think I will be able to run a compost tea brewer that will provide me with fertilizer so that I'm not using up my wholesale fertilizer that I would like to keep in stock.