Fertilizer Types

Experience is best indicator

Understanding fertilizer and the ways it can be applied will help pare down the many options that intimidate some gardeners. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on which types of fertilizers confer the most benefit to particular plants. Experience with your lawn or garden is always the best indicator of what works best.

The most frequently used variety of fertilizer is still synthetically produced NPK fertilizer. While composed primarily of micronutrients and filler, the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the vital ingredients that promote growth. Typically they come in water soluble solids that are applied with a fertilizer spreader which gets the nutrients into the soil. You’ll also find liquid fertilizers that are applied with foliar spraying. Convenience should be your main concern in choosing between these two options.

Plant fertilizers are often concentrated and tend to “burn” and overfeed. An overfed plant is more susceptible to disease and any nutrients it can’t use will runoff into the water supply or feed less desirable plants elsewhere. This is easily solved with slow-release products made by agri-businesses like Lesco or Scotts.

In spite of the slight disadvantages, don’t let naysayers discourage the use of chemical fertilizers. The little evidence that suggests inorganic methods poison the soil is highly debatable. Using land for agriculture will inevitably necessitate replenishing the micronutrients in the soil, regardless of the fertilizer used.

En vogue or effective?

Organic farming techniques are gaining in popularity and effectiveness. These include the expected materials like compost and manure, but peat, seaweed, and crop residue also number among organic fertilizers. Among the most beneficial advantages is that all nitrogen found in organic materials is insoluble, in effect mimicking a slow-release fertilizer. Add the effect of replenishing microbes and micronutrients to the soil and it is difficult to justify paying for pricier synthetic fertilizers.

But don’t run off to buy a heaping pile of manure just yet, especially if you need consistent results or have a lot of ground to cover. Since organic fertilizers are a very dilute source of nutrients, frequent application is the key to getting a good yield. The reliable outcomes and easy transportation costs of chemical fertilizers have secured their position as the preferred products among large scale farmers and the most competitive gardeners.