What is fertilizer? Why would you add compost to your soil? What does lime do? Why are there white strands of fungus in my dirt?
These are all factors in maintaining healthy soil. Here is a quick overview.
Your ground is like a chemistry set full of different minerals and organic materials. Each of these contributes to nourishing different types of living plants, insects, bacteria, fungi and others.
There is no “perfect” combination. It all depends on what you want to grow.
Ground, water supply and climate control what grows and this article focuses on supplementing the ground.
Fertilizer bags display three numbers. They indicate nitrogen(N) - phosphorus(P) - potassium(K). The number indicates a percent of the weight of the bag for each component. If you bought a 100-pound bag of 10-20-10 fertilizer, it would contain 10 pounds of nitrogen, 20 pounds of phosphorus and 10 pounds of potassium.
Nitrogen supports the growth of leaves and chlorophyll. Phosphorus supports growth of roots and parts of the plant that produce reproduction. That means, flowers, fruit and seeds. Potassium supports overall plant growth. Phosphorus and potassium also strengthen a plant’s immune system.
This explains why fertilizer for foliage plants is different from fertilizer for crops.
But there are many other components to soil.
Fully composted matter adds natural nutrients as well as improving moisture retention in the soil. Peat or sphagnum moss will improve water retention while lowering the Ph. Lime raises the Ph to make the soil more “sweet”.
Strands of fungus in your soil are like getting a gold star in soil health. If your soil is truly healthy then this fungus will grow in your soil. The fungus helps spread nutrients around and also helps the plants to absorb those nutrients. Congratulations!