If you would like to optimize the performance of your plant, optimize the soil in which the plant lives. Get the soil right and you\u2019ll have a healthier, stronger tree.\u00a0 It\u2019s as simple as that! But how<\/em> to do that can prove to be a bit of a challenge\u2026<\/p>\n When I first started doing plant health care and fertilization, I would try to determine the deficiency based on the symptoms the plant was exhibiting.\u00a0 This proved ineffective as similar symptoms can result from different soil deficiencies. After fertilizing the plants for years without good results, I tried fertilizing according to soil lab analysis and voil\u00e0 \u2013 the plants improved to near-perfection.<\/p>\n Soil lab analysis is a process whereby a soil sample is taken from the base of the tree or shrub and analyzed for pH levels and to determine what nutrients are present (or not).<\/p>\n With soil, the problem could be a micronutrient deficiency or a pH problem or boron toxicity \u2013 all common issues in our area. The only way to really know is through soil testing and analysis. I know I could have saved a lot of time and fertilizer, (not to mention that the plants would have improved much more quickly and the clients would have been happier!), if I had just started with soil analysis.<\/p>\n Good intentions gone bad are common in regards to fertilization. Let\u2019s say you have a citrus tree that\u2019s looking yellow. You go to the local nursery and buy a package of citrus food. You apply it to the tree and instead of improving; it starts to look even worse. Wow! What went wrong?<\/p>\n It seems like simple logic: you have citrus, you give it citrus food. But here\u2019s the problem: citrus food has a lot of sulfur in it to reduce the soil pH. Continual application can eventually bring the pH down below acceptable levels. In most cases, low pH can be as bad as high pH, and may cause the plant to respond with symptoms never seen before.<\/p>\n It\u2019s like most products out there.\u00a0 Just because the label says it\u2019s good, doesn\u2019t mean it is.. When you really think about it, it\u2019s impossible to have a \u201cone size fits all\u201d fertilizer.<\/p>\n Plants can live with nutrient deficiencies. But to grow to their optimum potential, they must have enough of each of 16 critical nutrients, yet not too much of those nutrients to cause toxicity.<\/p>\n The only definitive way to know exactly what is in your soil is through soil lab analysis. With a lab report, custom fertilization can be done that will most quickly improve the soil rooting medium and the plant\u2019s health and vitality.<\/p>\n While there are many factors, including organic matter and irrigation, that help improve the health of plants, fertilization is critical to optimum growth.<\/p>\n Before you head to the nursery to undertake any fertilization, consider getting your soil analyzed first. It\u2019s a good, low-cost investment and in the end, it will save you time and money and allow your trees and shrubs to thrive!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Part 1: Fertilization If you would like to optimize the performance of your plant, optimize the soil in which the plant lives. Get the soil right and you\u2019ll have a healthier, stronger tree.\u00a0 It\u2019s as simple as that! But how to do that can prove to be a bit of a challenge\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8],"tags":[67,127,140,159,162,177],"class_list":["post-1201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fertilization","category-tree-advice","tag-fertilization-2","tag-research","tag-shrubs","tag-tree","tag-tree-care","tag-trees"],"yoast_head":"\n