To anticipate a healthy growing plant would mean to provide a wide range of essential nutrients for your plant. The amount of fertilizer, you ask? Well that depends much on how often you need to apply it and also the amount of fertilizer you mean to use. The former would depend largely on the conditions of your soil and the types of crops you are trying to grow.
Essential Nutrients
Nature plays a major role in the nutritional cycle of which growing plants get nutrients from the soil and then would eventually die and rot, bringing the nutrients back to the soil. You can imitate nature as well in maintaining your garden by recycling your organic waste in a compost bin and the compost will return nutrients to the soil. Hence, it is always a good idea to have a compost bin in your garden. Note that the soil would also need extra boost from other sources, for instance organic and inorganic fertilizer.
Below are the primary nutrients where each macro-nutrient promotes a different type of growth:
(N): This nutrient encourages leafy growth.
(P): An essential nutrient for healthy roots and promotes the ripening of fruit
(K): Available in the form of potash which promotes flowering and good food production.
The proportion of these primary nutrients is expressed as a ratio of N: P: K on labels of fertilizer packs.
Other secondary nutrients are calcium, magnesium, sulphur, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zink. These are needed is smaller quantities.
Types of Fertilizer
Organic fertilizer: Originate from organic materials such as animals, plants, bones, fish (high in phosphorus) and hoof (high in nitrogen), is slow acting because they have to be broken down by micro-organisms in the soil before the nutrients are ready for plants.
Inorganic fertilizer: Manmade. Most are manufactured, but a few such as rock potash, naturally occurring minerals that are mixed. Concentrated and is quick acting because they are soluble in water and hence are readily made available to the plants
