It's a bit early in the season to be thinking about nutrient deficiencies, but as they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! I was studying nutrient deficiencies all day for a test I had this afternoon and a few key points really stuck out in my mind. But first... some background information.
Plants, like people, require a varied diet and need some nutrients more than others. Plants require large amounts of macronutrients: N (Nitrogen) for leafy green foliage growth, P (Phosphorus) for flowering, fruit, resisting disease, root growth, K (Potassium) for sturdy stem growth, nutrient flow, stress resistance - which is why fertilizers list the content of these nutrients (i.e. 20-20-20) These three nutriengs along with Mg (Magnesium) can be easily transported around the plant so they are called mobile nutrients. Plants have a taste for a wide range of nutrients in smaller doses. Because the plant requires less of these nutrients they are called micronutrients and include: Ca (Calcium), Iron (Fe), S (Sulfur) and many others. These nutrients cannot be transported within the plant, so they're called immobile nutrients.
So what important lessons did I learn while studying?
#1 - WATER, WATER, WATER! Water is super important for making sure your plant gets enough to eat! Roots can't take up nutrients when there's not enough water. Watering your plants also has the added benefit of helping your plants stay strong, resist pests and disease.
#2 - Check your soil pH! The majority of nutrient deficiencies (and toxicities) are caused by a pH imbalance. Plants can only take up nutrients when the soil is in a certain pH range. Home testing kits are inexpensive and since pH can affect other areas of plant growth they're a good idea to have on hand. pH in small gardens and containers is easy to adjust - add coffee grounds to make the soil more acidic and ground egg shells with a small amount of baking soda to make the soil more alkaline. To adjust soil pH on a larger scale garden soil amendments can be purchased at garden centers and home stores.
How can you tell if your plants have a nutrient deficiency?
Tissue testing is the only really accurate way to tell what nutrients your plant is lacking, but some leaf symptoms can indicate your plant is screaming "I'm Hungry!!" In the link below you can find an easy key (if you've ever read a Choose Your Own Adventure Book you should figure it out) to follow and find out what your plant is saying.
In a pleasant coincidence I found an Earth Day Necklace Giveaway by Figs&Ginger so I submitted a photo of Cam planting the tree and now I get a free necklace! (it still counts even if the tree is only knee high right??) Thanks baby! (I bought him a couple beers for his trouble too)
Today we stripped the roots bare, pruned them back by 1/3 and potted them in a potting mix that we created for ideal drainage and nutrients: 1/3 sand, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 compost. After we potted them I chose to decorate my Bonsai with two types of moss I had found growing in the container and some shells I collected from Lake Erie last summer. I was going for a windswept beachside look especially since the moss shoots look a little bit like reeds and I was also really happy how the butress roots were exposed. One of my favourite classes yet this year!
I spent all morning shopping for yummy stuff with my mum. The market is my main source of food - we had a great lunch lentil soup and falafel wraps from Tonami's, my mom picked up some yummy looking chili sauce, and I got some fresh produce including huge Ida Red apples! But today's overall hilight: cheese bagels! The market is great, but you simply can't get everything there and the other place I rely on for food is often overlooked as a regular grocery stop: Bulk Barn (or other bulk food stores). Shopping in bulk is both eco-friendly economical for many reasons. You don't pay for marketing or waste packaging, bulk foods are often less expensive, contain less preservatives, and come in a wider selection. Storing bulk food in the pantry is very handy, and you have a very good idea and control over what ingredients you are consuming.
One of my favourite staple foods is a rice blend called Sunset Blend. I cook it in vegetable stock to add flavour and its incredibly tasty both warm and cold! It's available pre-mixed from Bulk Barn but you could easily use or customize the following list of ingredients to make your own blend: Parboiled medium rice, lemon garlic orzo pasta, sweet potato orzo pasta, Himilayan red rice, brown mustard seed.
Every Monday morning at an ungodly hour I board a bus all sleepy eyed and stomp off to class in my workboots. HORT 1011 i.e. "Horticulture Practices" should be renamed Free Labour Class. We don't learn a whole ton we just spend 3 hours raking, mowing grass, pruning and this week: digging holes. I understand why we have to do some of this stuff, but it doesn't make me like it any better... I came to college to get out of dead end menial labour jobs!
Then we headed off to the Guelph Arboretum for a hike with a bit of learning thrown in. 2 minutes into our walk we stumbled upon a huuuuuge patch of wild garlic and/or onion (I thought wild garlic only grew in Niagara) Tori grabbed a few bulbs but I still have some left from last week. 
A number of the Polish stores along Roncesvalles sold Pysanka Easter Egg Sleeves made of a kind of shrink wrap plastic that you cut and slip over your hollowed out egg then dip in boiling water to shrink them onto the egg. Blowing out easter eggs is a chore and a half all on its own so being able to create beautiful Pysanka decorations in just a few seconds is very rewarding! I got the "Traditional Ornament" set because I wanted mine to look like the traditional Pysanka I saw in the store windows but they come in a wide range of themes from Childrens cartoons to specific national traditional pictures and even product marketing logos!
