Planting is fun especially when the plants grow healthy, but sometimes planting can be tricky. There will be lots of obstacles in growing them like aphids, grasshoppers (my bestie), etc. Add the right soil, and right mixture you need to know so the plants can grow in full bloom. I am not very knowledgable in planting and 6 months since I began putting my hands on the soil, I still have a lot to learn with gardening.
A lot of what I learn about gardening is thanks to the internet. (Thank you, Youtube vloggers! 😆) Recently, I have also influenced my mother to watch agricultural vlogs on Youtube and she found out about a certain fertilizer called "Triple 14" or "14 14 14".
I don't know why it was named Triple 14 but most likely because of its 3 components: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. It is said that it has the complete nutrients for the plants. The Triple 14 is surprisingly cheap, Php 25 ($0.5 USD) per kilo. The fertilizer looks like uncooked tapioca pearls. Lol.
There are various ways to incorporate the fertilizer to the plants. Here are 3 ways I know:
Poke a hole, about an inch, in the soil near the plant's roots and put some of fertilizer. One to five pieces is enough per hole. If the plant is quite big, then poke more holes around the plant. Don't forget to cover it back with soil. Apply this before watering the plant.
Scatter a bunch of the Triple 14 around the plants then water. No need to poke a hole.
Dilute 1 can of Triple 14 (use the small cyclindrical sardines can to measure) into 16 liters of water. Leave it overnight before watering it to plants.
I am still not sure how often you should use the fertilizer. Some say once a month while others say only once for the entire plant's growth. It is best to apply the fertilizer before the plant bears fruits.
Meanwhile, my mother have been using the Sevin insecticide before so this is what we got as insecticide. However, she already forgot the proportion to be diluted on water. That's what we have to find out later on. Aphids are nasty and have already began affecting about 3 of our tomato plants.
That's all for my gardening update today! 🌱
