To help the nutrients penetrate the soil, aerate the lawn before applying fertiliser. This also helps improve surface drainage and prevents compaction.

Not only does compost contain the major nutrients, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (potash), but it contains trace nutrients like magnesium and humus. Humus it the magical substance that turns rock dust into soil.

Many times seeds are sown and appear not to germinate when in fact they have been eaten by slugs overnight. Their appetite is voracious and their taste in plants extraordinarily varied but they all prefer succulent seedlings that are least able to resist the damage.

Traditionally the best way to improve the fertility of your soil has been to apply farm yard manure, often just called FYM. In today's world of city living and agribusiness it's not as easy to get as it once was but do not despair, there are alternatives you can use effectively.

Wonderful strimmers and weeders are available, but the help refuses to use them. Between aging and knowing that I'll continue to lose valuable plants with this philosophy, it was time to change.

the weather is changing everywhere. Places which couldn't grow tomatoes easily can now support hardy olive trees and palms. And grapes. Places which once got lots of rain no longer do.

it's a beneficial fungus on a carrier. Still sounds unpleasant, doesn't it? In appearance, it resembles a coarse powder, brown in colour and completely safe to handle. In function, the fungus associates with plant roots and increases phosphorus uptake, which in turn, stimulates root development.

Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) help plants grow in different ways and an understanding of this will help you when choosing the correct fertiliser for a plant or for a stage in the development of a plant.