How often should you fertilize your artichoke plants? Fertilizing an artichoke plant is easy and can be done by following a few simple steps.
What are artichoke plants and where do they come from?
Artichoke plants are in the species Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus and they grow throughout Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia as well as parts of Australia. This herbaceous perennial vegetable is a member of the Asteraceae or aster family which also includes some common landscape plants such as dandelions, daisies.
How to care
Some artichoke plants grow as perennials while others are grown from seed. The perennial variety can live for up to 75 years in the ground and will produce artichokes year-round. Varieties that need to be planted every few years should be started indoors about six weeks before the last frost has passed, transplanted outside one foot apart when they reach three inches tall, and harvested after their second or third season producing a large edible flower bud with scales on its surface which protect the heart inside. An artichoke plant needs only four hours of full sun each day but is mostly light tolerant so it can do well in partial shade if needed too.
How to fertilize
After the last frost has passed, artichoke plants need to be transplanted outside and planted one foot apart. Transplants should have reached three inches tall before they are put outside for a second or third season of production with an edible flower bud that has scales on its surface. An artichoke plant needs only four hours of full sun each day but can tolerate light shade if needed too, so planting these hardy vegetables 18 to 24 inches away from other plants is advised because it produces a chemical called cyanide which will kill nearby plants when in close proximity to them. Artichokes don’t like wet feet so make sure there isn’t standing water near their new location after transplanting them into the soil!
The benefits of fertilizer on your artichoke plants
Fertilizer is an important part of healthy, productive artichokes. Artichoke plants need nitrogen to make proteins and chlorophyll that give them their distinctive green color. Fertilizing increases the number of nutrients in a plant’s soil which may mean bigger leaves or better size if you are picky about such things. You can use composted manure as a natural way to fertilize your artichoke plants but it still needs some kind of chemical fertilizer too for best results. It usually takes between the one-half pound and two pounds per 100 square feet yearly to get the desired effect so using less than this will not help much at all!
NPK Ratio
The NPK ratio is how much nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N-P-K) are in a fertilizer. For plants like artichokes that need lots of growth to sustain themselves, you want an N/P/K ratio of about 14/14/-18 or 12/12/-16 on average for best results!
Common questions
How often should I fertilize my artichoke plants?
If you want to make sure your plant stays healthy and strong, then you’ll need to fertilize it at least twice per year. The best times for this are around the beginning of April or May (late winter/early spring) and again in September or October before the rains start coming back.
What kind of fertilizer should I use on my artichoke plants?
Artichoke plants need fertilizer. It is hard to say how much they need. They need between the one-half pound and two pounds per 100 square feet yearly. Use less than this and the plant will not grow as well.