Types Of Fertilizer

Fertilizer is as important to plants as food is to humans. Fertilizer is important because it provides plants with the essential nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) that are necessary for healthy growth and increased yield.

Fertilizer is a chemical or natural material added to the soil to improve the fertility. Without sufficient fertilizer, plants can become stunted, yellow or produce smaller fruit or vegetables.

Going to the garden center in the spring for fertilizer can be confusing if you do not know what you need. All fertilizer comes with an analysis - three numbers - that let you know how many nutrients are in the fertilizer you are using. Let me explain how it works. When I ask our customers if they are applying fertilizer, the say "Oh yes, I use Miracle Grow" .

I am happy to hear that they are using fertilizer but this does not tell me what they are feeding the plant. On the container, there is a group of three numbers. For example, if is the analysis: 10-18-9 (N-P-K)

N - nitrogen for plant color and growth

P - for the fruit and flowers

K - for strong roots

An analysis of 0.5-0.5-0.2 is a very weak formulation of fertilizer (manure). An analysis of 10-52-10 (bloom boost) is a much higher formulation. 20-20-20 is an all purpose formulation.

Fertilizer comes in many different forms, and increasingly, people are using more of the natural organic based fertilizers.

Following is a list of the different types of fertilizers and what we recommend for each type. It will help you get an idea of what you may want to use for your plants.

Slow Release Granular

The benefit of using a slow release granular fertilizer, is that is provides a slow release of nutrients to the plant over time. Usually from 30 days to even 4 months. For a vegetable garden this ideal. Slow release granular fertilizer comes in organic and inorganic formulations.

Inorganic Fertilizers

Inorganic fertilizer is made up of materials that are mined or manufactured from non-living materials. They can be in the form of a liquid fertilizer, powder, or slow release. Liquid and powder fertilizers are formulated for the plant to take up the nutrients immediately. If you choose to use inorganic fertilizer in your landscape choose one with a controlled or slow release formulation. This is ideal for trees and shrubs.

Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizer is made up of materials that are derived from plants and animals. One of the most common of these materials is manure. Manure can be spread across soil and worked in to provide nutrients to the soil. The benefit of manure is that it improves the quality of the soil by adding organic matter. Adding 5 or 6 bags of manure to your vegetable garden every year is a great way to keep the soil quality high for abundant produce. With the low NPK analysis of manure, it is still important to fertilize during the season, even if you have provided your garden with manure. You may wish to use an inorganic liquid fertilizer for your plants for a quick intake of nutrients along side the manure.

For gardeners who want to avoid chemical fertilizers, you can use a fish emulsion (mix water with fish emulsion and sprinkle around your plants - anaysis of 5-1-1) or a manure tea (put manure in a pourous bag and steep it in water for some time - until the water is the color of tea) and use this as a liquid fertilizer. These should be done every two weeks.

Dry Fertilizer

Dry fertilizer can by applied by scattering it over the entire garden prior to planting , down a row of plants, or at the base of your plants. If you create a soil ring around your plant when you place it in the ground, the fertilizer will stay contained in that area, and water will be caught and stay in that area as well. If fertilizing with dry fertilizer after planting, water the plants to clean off any fertilizer that attached to the leaves or stem. Do not apply fertilizer on wet foliage. Rinse it off if it on your plants.

Water-Soluable Fertilizer

Water soluable fertilizer is used a quick boost for vegetables and flowers. Liquid concentrate or crystals (powder) is mixed with water at a ratio stated on the packaging. This can be used on your plants once per week. This can be applied with a watering can or a fertilizer injector that can be attached to the end of a hose. The nutrients are easily taken in by the plants and used immediately. Very convenient way to fertilize container grown plants.

Mycorrhizal Fungi

This type of fertilizing is becoming more popular. This fungi exist as extremely tiny microscopic threads. They all interconnect into a web under the ground and can go for hundreds or thousands of miles long around the base of a plant. The mycorrhiza connects with other mycorrhizae to form an underground network all working together to create harmony in plants, and help out plants that need support. They make the plant more able to take up nutrients if the plant is growing is a poor area. If you spot a tree growing out of a rock outcropping and you wonder how it can survive - the mycorrhizal fungi are the reason it can survive.

Companies are now adding it to their soil mixes to give plants a boost at planting time. When planting shrubs or trees, it is a great idea to fill a pail with water, add some mycorrhizal fungi (see package directions as to how much) and soak the entire root ball in the pail of water for at least 1 minute. Remove the shrub from the water and place it immediately in the hole you created to plant it. Back fill with the soil you have. If the root ball is too big, put the tree in the hole and pour water with mycorrhizal fungi onto the root ball of the tree until it is very wet. Your plants will do so much better with this method of planting shrubs. It is the only way we do it at our company now.

Once you have done this, the mycorrhizal fungi is always there. It is a living thing and doesn't go away.