If you missed the previous episodes:
After biodiversity , the first part of the dossier, we are dealing here with fertilization . To reduce or even abandon the use of phyto products, feeding plants well is a guarantee of good health. We'd guess!
Whatever the varieties, the parasites will settle in the weakest plants . It's not the only reason, but it's one. Plant food and available water play an essential role.
To avoid hurting your plants, fertilization must be adapted to the varieties, the season, the type of soil... You will understand that there are no miracle and all-purpose recipes. On the other hand, there are some useful rules to follow.
Fertilization must be sustained in time. There are fall fertilizers and others that are used during the growing or fruiting season. That's why it's good to understand how the fertilizer you're using works. In principle everything is noted on the package:use, time, dose, frequency. But there is one immutable rule, trust nature, use organic fertilizers and/or minerals , leaving out chemical fertilizers. Worms, insects, arachnids… and soil microorganisms will feed on this contribution, transform it and make it assimilable by plants. This is how you get living soil, by adding humus . As Pierre Rabhi often repeats, humus, human, and humility have the same etymology.
By providing organic matter (everything that comes from the living) we fill the saddler. Then the transformation begins and it is the pantry that is supplied, then when the plants decide, they will fill their plate.
There is no point in "doping" the plants, only to weaken them and to make them appetizing for somewhat voracious parasitic insects... Be careful, it is not because the fertilization is of natural origin that there is no risk with an overdose !
Mulching, a way to help with fertilization
So that the fertilization provided can be transformed by soil inhabitants , they need a cover. Not a knife and fork but a blanket. To live happily, live hidden, and the inhabitants of the soil have understood this well. To protect them from the cold, the heat, the dryness, the violence of the rain... mulching soil is a major asset for these working populations. After all, we owe them that!
Natural fertilization and mulching in place, all that remains is to watch the watering . I prefer them morning in hot weather, with rainwater at room temperature. Why not in the evening? because the leaves stay wet for a long time, much to the delight of parasitic fungi which like high humidity . In the morning, the leaves dry faster. And if the watering has been copious, the water supply is sufficient for several days.
To be continued…
