Archives for Garden Skills
The Best Nitrogen to Phosphorus Ratio for Growing Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi can look extremely confident from above. Big leaves. Strong stems. A plant that appears to know exactly what it is doing. Then you move the leaves and find the…
Chlorine for Plants: The Micronutrient Gardeners Rarely Need to Add
Chlorine is the nutrient name that causes the most confusion. Plants do need chlorine, but they take it up as chloride, not as pool chemical, bleach, or chlorine gas. Chloride…
Nitrogen for Plants: Leafy Growth, Deficiency, and Too Much of a Good Thing
Nitrogen is the nutrient that makes a garden look awake. It is tied to the green color in leaves, the proteins and enzymes plants use to grow, and the steady…
Zinc for Plants: Growth, Micronutrients, and Soil Testing
Zinc is a small nutrient with a big influence on growth. Plants use zinc in enzymes, growth regulation, protein production, and chlorophyll-related processes. When zinc is short, plants may stay…
Boron for Plants: A Tiny Nutrient With a Narrow Safe Range
Boron is the micronutrient that makes me want gardeners to slow down. Plants need boron for growing points, cell walls, flowering, pollen function, fruit and seed development, and sugar movement.…
Copper for Plants: A Micronutrient to Understand Carefully
Copper is essential for plants, but it is not a nutrient to toss around casually. Plants need very small amounts of copper for photosynthesis, enzyme activity, lignin formation, and healthy…
Manganese for Plants: Micronutrients, Soil pH, and Deficiency Clues
Manganese is one of the micronutrients plants need in very small amounts. That smallness can make it easy to dismiss, but manganese is involved in photosynthesis, enzyme activity, and the…
Iron for Plants: Chlorosis, pH, and Greener Leaves
Iron is a tiny nutrient with a very visible problem. Plants need iron only in small amounts, but when they cannot use enough of it, leaves may turn yellow while…
Sulfur for Plants: Flavor, Protein, and Soil pH Context
Sulfur has a reputation problem. Gardeners often think of it as smell, matches, or a soil-acidifying amendment. Plants know it differently. To plants, sulfur is part of proteins, enzymes, chlorophyll…
Magnesium for Plants: Chlorophyll, Yellow Leaves, and Soil Balance
Magnesium is the nutrient behind one of the garden's most familiar colors: green. It sits at the center of the chlorophyll molecule, which plants use to capture light and make…