64 



The Weekly Florists' Revie«r. 



Mabch 28, 1911. 



with it. This makes it stronger and so 

 it should be applied in smaller quantities. 



Commercial Fertilizers. 



Commercial fertilizers, or chemical fer- 

 tilizers, as they are also called, are used 

 merely to supply nitrogen, phosphorus and 

 potassium, and so naturally fall into 

 three groups. Of those bearing nitrogen 

 there are several of importance in green- 

 house work. Dried blood, which should 

 contain fourteen to fifteen per cent of 

 nitrogen, is insoluble and so must decom- 

 pose before the nitrogen is available. 

 This makes a good form both for incor- 

 porating with the soil and also for a 

 mulch. I 



Sodium nitrate is the only nitrogen salt 

 that can be used in solution, as all the 

 other soluble salts of nitrogen become 

 fixed as soon as they come in contact with 

 the soil. However, they become available 

 in a short time. The released sodium 

 may correct soil acidity or may liberate 

 calcium, potassium or magnesium from 

 the soil. Care must be exercised in the 

 use of sodium, as it deflocculates the soil, 

 leaving behind the carbonate of soda. 

 When this happens, the clay soils are 

 likely to become sour. 



Ammonia salts increase the amount of 

 lime removed from the soil. The sul- 

 phates and chlorides act as acids and the 

 soil finally becomes sour. This is partly 

 caused by molds using the nitrogen and 

 setting the acids free. As nitrogen can 

 only be taken into the plant in the form 

 of the nitrate, these compounds must be 

 converted into nitrates before being avail- 

 able. Bacteria play an important part in 

 this conversion. Ammonium sulphate is 

 the more useful of the two, owing to its 

 greater abundance and lower cost. 



Phosphorus and Potassium. 



Phosphorus may be secured from sev- 

 eral sources. Steamed bone carries from 

 twelve to fourteen per cent of phosphorus. 

 It should be weU steamed and finely 

 ground. The steaming removes most of 

 the nitrogen, which is in the form of 

 fats. The organic structure of the bone 

 is also destroyed, making it soft and so 

 reducing it to a finer state of division. 

 The more finely ground, the larger the 

 surface exposed to the agencies of decay, 

 and so the sooner it will give up its phos- 

 phorus. 



Natural rock phoBphate is not readily 

 enough available for greenhouse crops, 

 and so should not be used unless mixed in 

 the compost heap, where it is made avail- 

 able by the fermentation. When used 

 in this way, it should be quite efficient 

 and has the advantage of not being in- 

 jurious when used in large quantities. 



Acid phosjAate, which is the natural 

 rock treated with acid, is likely to be 

 corrosive and injure plants unless mixed 

 with the soil several days before plant- 

 ing. 



All phosphorous fertilizers should be 

 added to the soU before planting. 



Potassium salts in the form of the 

 sulphates and chlorides may also defloc- 

 culate the soil. Potassium sulphate is 

 perhaps the best of the potassium salts 

 to use. Kainit is a mixture of soluble 

 salts of potassium, magnesium and so- 

 dium as it is mined. Considering the 

 potassium only, it is one-fourth as strong 

 as commercial potassium sulphate. Wood 

 ash is another source of potassium, but, 

 to be of value, it must contain at least 

 five per cent of potassium. Wood ash 

 also contains large quantities of lime. 



Probably the best forms of commercial 

 fertilizers for greenhouse work are dried 

 blood, ammonium sulphate and sodium 



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