Artichoke Fertilizer

Oct 3

Talk about a lack of information and a bunch of different information on the internet, just search for anything about “fertilizing artichokes” and you’ll quickly give yourself a headache.

The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that fertilizing artichokes is not optional if you plan on eating anything substantial this season. There are two reasons your artichokes won’t produce and that is sunlight and fertilizer.

Fertilizer gets your artichokes out of dormancy faster and the plant has to get large enough to say “I’m ready to flower.”

In this article, I’m going to share what has worked for me and what hasn’t when it comes to artichoke fertilizer and it’s effects on my harvest.

Fertilizer for Artichokes

I think everyone agrees that artichokes are heavy nitrogen feeders. In fact, they consume more nitrogen than any other plant in my garden.

By feeding your plants enough nitrogen you will maximize your yield of buds and heart size.

How to Read Fertilizer Labels

In case you’re new to gardening, all fertilizers have what is called an NPK listed on the package. You’ll see this as three numbers like 10-10-10.

Those numbers represent nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It’s always in that order. Each number represents the percent of each element present. For example, ammonium sulfate has an NPK of 21-0-0. That means it contains 21% nitrogen and none of the other nutrients.

Best Fertilizers for Artichokes

I personally use ammonium sulfate for my artichokes because it has a high nitrogen content and therefore requires less application.

But you can use any nitrogen-heavy fertilizer including blood meal which has an NPK of 12-0-0. You’ll just have to use more of it.

Compost is also your friend when growing artichokes. Starting new crowns and seeds in compost-rich soil will encourage your plant to grow well.

Do Artichokes Need Phosphorus and Potassium to Grow

Yes, artichokes need both. However, I’ve never added these to my soil before planting. Those who recommend fertilizing with these nutrients usually recommend doing it at planting before you place your artichoke crowns or seeds in the soil.

Personally, I’ve found from my experience that if you use enough compost, you won’t need to add these additional nutrients through a fertilizer.

I do however add some 5-10-5 fertilizer mid-fall before my plants go into dormancy which sets them up for the next year. If you live somewhere you can grow artichokes as perennials, I recommend adding a phosphorus heavy fertilizer at this stage.

When to Fertilizer Artichokes

I’ve found that fertilizing before planting, once in the fall, and then every 4 weeks once crowns emerge works best for me. Keep in mind that I live in California where artichokes grow as perennials. This would change if you are growing artichokes as annuals in cooler temperatures.

Before Planting

Ammonium Sulfate (21-0-0) looks like little crystals.

You can plant artichokes from seeds or crowns; however, it is safer to plant from crowns. You’re more likely to get the same plant.

This year I planted 6 new artichokes from seeds to see what would happen. I started with a soil test and found that my nitrogen levels were at zero. It was terrible soil.

Because of that, I added a heavy dose of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0 NPK). I added nearly an entire cup and worked it into the soil before planting. Unless your soil is nitrogen-rich, you’re going to add some type of nitrogen fertilizer before planting both seeds or crowns.

If you’re using an organic blood meal instead, you’ll add about double the amount you would if you were using ammonium sulfate because it has a lower nitrogen percentage. I’ve used both and they both work great.

I also start with at least a 8 foot deep hole when planting and I fill around 3/4 of it with compost. This usually satisfies my plant’s potassium and phosphorus needs.

You could also use a 10-10-10 balanced fertilizer instead and it would probably be fine. But I personally prefer compost. It has so many benefits and you can make it yourself with kitchen scraps and yard waste.

After Crowns Emerge

There’s a lot of different advice on how to fertilize at this stage, but I tend to follow the University of California guidelines. I figure since California is the largest producer of artichokes in the US by far, those would work out best for me. So far, they haven’t let me down.

In keeping with the UC advice, I fertilize my artichokes every 4 weeks once the first crowns emerge with 1/10 pound of nitrogen.

If you’re using ammonium sulfate, that is about 1 cup. If you’re using blood meal, that’s about 2 cups.

If you live somewhere Mediterranean like where artichokes grow year-round, you’ll start feeding them nitrogen in the fall. If you live in cooler areas where they grow as annuals, you’ll begin this fertilizing pattern in the spring.

During Harvest Season

I live in a climate where artichokes can be grown as perennials. During early spring I cut back on nitrogen and apply about 1/4 of the amount I suggested earlier in my 4-week intervals.

Before Dormacy (If Growing as Perennial)

If you are growing artichokes as a perennial, I add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of 5-10-5 fertilzer mid-fall before the plants enter dormancy for the winter. You could also use a 3-5-3. But this is the only time (besides adding compost throughout the growing season) that I add phosphorus and potassium to the soil.

How to Fertilize Artichokes

Fertilizing artichokes is very easy. You want to apply the fertilzer as a side dressing next to and around your plants. If you mulch them, carefully pull back the mulch to apply the fertilizer.

Make sure you don’t apply fertilizers too close to the base, they shouldn’t touch the plant. Water them into the ground and cover the soil back up with mulch.

Dry fertilizers like blood meal and ammonium sulfate soak into the soil easily with water. It won’t take much.

Can You Overfertilze Artichokes

Yes, yes you can. It’s hard to do, but possible. Over-fertilizing can burn your artichoke’s roots and in extreme cases, kill your plant.

Too much nitrogen also results in an explosion of leaf growth at the expense of flower formation. And the flowers are the part you eat on an artichoke.

So while you want to feed them a good amount of nitrogen, too much could result in a smaller harvest.