What Your Fertilizer Should Be Doing For You

Whether you have a little veggie garden at home or a large-scale farming operation, fertilizer chemicals in South Africa are a highly influential part of the process. Since the different regions of our country have such different conditions, even when planting the same crops, the chemicals are all the more relevant. So in order to keep your soil well prepared, you need the right fertilizer chemicals.

Improve the health of your soil

Have you ever heard people talking about using compost and fertilizer chemicals to feed their plants? It is quite shocking to realise how few people know that there is so much more to it. The fact is that these composts and fertilizers are actually there to help improve the health of your soil as well, and can be a huge help to your crops.

A common problem faced by farming suppliers in crop farming is the prevalence of incorrect pH levels in the soil. A pH of 7 is neutral, while anything above it is more alkaline and below it is more acidic. The ideal range for most plants is between 5.5 and 8. But what if your soil doesn’t reflect the right pH levels?

Fertilizer chemicals can provide you with a reliable solution to this problem with one of two products. Limestone has been shown to lower acidity, and sulphur has proven effective at lowering alkalinity. You just need to test your soil regularly so that you can make use of the correct fertilizer chemical as needed.

Fun fact: if you don’t have quick and convenient access to farming suppliers with sulphur products, you could also try throwing down some pine needles. They’re not as effective as sulphur, but they may help.

Grow healthy crops

The fertility grading and nutritional level of your soil also have a hand in your crop yield and quality. Better humus content means a better fertility grading, and this can be calculated through the soil organic carbon status (SOC). The SOC is based on measurements of factors such as sand, sandy loam, loam and clayloam.

Once you have measured the relevant factors and found which of them need to be elevated or lowered, you can get the necessary fertilizer chemicals to correct the levels. Once your humus content is optimised you will be able to reap greater rewards from your crops.

Create a more efficient environment

With the current drought crisis in the Western Cape, South Africa is more aware of the importance of water efficiency than ever before. By making use of proper fertilizer chemicals and getting your soil to an optimal nutritional state, your land will also be more water-efficient.

If the soil is healthy, it provides the proper nutrients to the plants, and the plants become less prone to wasting water through transpiration. So your plants grow healthier, require less water, and you get a great harvest.

Get great fertilizer chemical solutions in South Africa from Eco-Fert, experts in fertilizer solutions. They’ve got a wide range of products and extensive knowledge to help you improve your soil and crops. For anything else you might need, have a look at our agricultural directory and find the sort of farming supplier that you’re looking for!