Resource Book on Horticulture Nursery Management

Fertilizer Requirements
Plant Type When to Feed Remarks
Annuals Before planting Spread manures and fertilizer before turning
soil. Feed again when plants are branching.
Bulbs Early summer Add fertilizer to planting hole. Cover it with a
light layer of soil so bulbs are not placed
directly on top of fertilizer.
Evergreens Early summer If pruned, feed again in monsoon.
Fruit Trees Monsoon Supplement with nitrogen at commencement of
monsoon in addition to annual feeding.
Hedges Monsoon If pruned, feed again at start of monsoon.
Perennials When
appears
new growth Feed again when flower appear.
Roses Spring and summer Do not feed in winter as newly encouraged
growth may be damaged by cold weather.
Shrubs Monsoon For mature plants, one feed per year.
Trees Monsoon Feed again in monsoon.
Tubers Monsoon
September
&
Vines Monsoon
September
&
Cover fertilizer with a light layer of soil so
tubers are not coming directly on top of food.
Apply fertilizers in monsoon.
Potting
Pot the plants in Loam and compost mixture, many plants perform very well in
containers. Most of them are ornamental plants. Select right type of container and fill it
correctly. Place broken pieces of bricks, gravel or coarse sand on the drainage hole. Add
2.5 cm draining layer of sand and mixed soil on it .The small containers are filled with
peat moss or Coco peat. Water the plants carefully and regularly during early stages of
development. The sun light requirement of plant should be met to have good growth.
Repotting
When the plants mature or overgrow in the pot they are to be repotted. The plant is
carefully removed with earth ball intact. Congested roots and shoots are cutoff before
repotting. The earth ball is reduced to the size and replanted in new pot with replenished
soil and organic matter. Some of the plants do not require repotting, simply changing top
soil of the pot serves the purpose. Some plants like fern, calathea, caladium, orchids and
anthurium overgrow the pot in three years hence one should not change pot every year as
they are very poor replanters at frequent intervals.
Protection from Insects and Diseases
Insects: Most of the plants are attacked by insects and pests. Mainly cell sap
sucking insects are common in horticultural plants. Another important pest is leaf eating
caterpillar. They feed on foliage of the plant and cause damage to the plants. It drastically
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