Let say you have a soil mix with vermiculite mixed in. When there is water available the vermiculite hold on to it, when there is not, it releases it.
So when applying liquid fertilizer the vermiculite take on some of the nutrient. When the soil dries out, it releases it.
When there is frequent watering or rain there is no problem.
But what happens when there is a dry period?
Let say there is infrequent watering with fertilizer. Than the vermiculite hold on to the nutrients. When the water evaporates the nutrients are left behind.
When the next feeding has a higher concentration of fertilizer than whats in the vermiculite, osmoses sais its stays inside the vermiculite in stead of releasing it.
So the vermiculite might get more and more saturated with fertilizing.
Now there is a dry spell, with the nutrients "locked" inside the vermiculite and the plants start to show sings of under fertilizing.
At this point one tries to correct this by adding fertilizer. This in turn adds new nutrients and take the nutrients out of the vermiculite. The plant gets hit by much fertilizer and suffers in term.
Does this make any sense or am i thinking of this in the wrong way?
So when applying liquid fertilizer the vermiculite take on some of the nutrient. When the soil dries out, it releases it.
When there is frequent watering or rain there is no problem.
But what happens when there is a dry period?
Let say there is infrequent watering with fertilizer. Than the vermiculite hold on to the nutrients. When the water evaporates the nutrients are left behind.
When the next feeding has a higher concentration of fertilizer than whats in the vermiculite, osmoses sais its stays inside the vermiculite in stead of releasing it.
So the vermiculite might get more and more saturated with fertilizing.
Now there is a dry spell, with the nutrients "locked" inside the vermiculite and the plants start to show sings of under fertilizing.
At this point one tries to correct this by adding fertilizer. This in turn adds new nutrients and take the nutrients out of the vermiculite. The plant gets hit by much fertilizer and suffers in term.
Does this make any sense or am i thinking of this in the wrong way?