Quote:
Originally Posted by Chironex
Do tell Richard, do tell.....
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Before the onset of cold weather, plants that will sit outdoors in soil through the winter will benefit from a "winterizing formula" -- something that is low in nitrogen, very moderate in phosphorus, and medium in potassium. Basically you are giving the plant something to store in its roots. The nitrogen should be low because any lively growth will suffer damage from the cold weather. There is no way the phosphorus can get to the roots unless the fertilizer is water soluble and applied as a soil drench or foliar feed. The potash can travel through the soil to the roots without any problem, so even a product like K-Mag works as a winterizer. What I used this year (2008) was 10-20-30 +micronutrients, applied in early November and December. In other parts of the world, you will probably start earlier.
Some winterizing products contain potassium silicate which will make the foliage of some plants more durable during winter weather. This is good for evergreen fruiting plants like bananas and citrus but of course if you apply silicate formulas to leafy vegetables they can become tough and unpleasant to eat.