What are the Different Types of Fertilizer?
Fertilizer adds nutrients and texture to soil that needs to support trees, vegetables, herbs, shrubs, and flowers. The different types of fertilizer depend on whether your soil is acidic, alkaline, sandy, clay, rocky, weak, or rich. Fertilizer can be divided into organic and chemical types, those that help fruit versus leaves, and those that feed specific plants or improve the overall quality of soil. Two different types of fertilizer are inorganic and organic. Examples of inorganic fertilizer are chemical additives that are designed for plants to directly absorb, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These three essential elemental nutrients should naturally occur in healthy soil, but some plants require more of them. Organic fertilizer, like bat guano, compost, peat moss, wood ash, and manure, are general soil amendments. They don’t burn or harm plants and have long-term positive effects on the soil without damaging ground water, but have lower concentrations of nutrients. Mos
• Complete Inorganic Fertilizers – these types of inorganic fertilizers contain all three major macronutrients, Nitrogen, Phospherus, and Potassium. • Special Purpose Fertilizers – these types of fertilizers are formulated especially to target certain plants’ requirements or certain soil deficiencies. • Liquid Fertilizers – these types of fertilizers come in a variety of formulations and even include orgainc fertilizer, complete fertilizer as well as special purpose fertilizer. • Slow-release Fertilizer – these types of fertilizers are formulated to release their nitrogen at a steady pace. • Fertilizer with Insecticide – these types of fertilizers are prepared and combined with an insecticide. WHAT IS WEED & FEED? • Weed and feed is a product that contains both a fertilizer and a herbicide. • Weed and feed product labels often indicate it contains a “broadleaf control” (a pesticide). • It may be granular (applied by a spreader) or a liquid (applied with a hose). • Is often mistakenly u
There are several types of fertilizers. Most common are the general purpose lawn & garden fertilizers. They may be pelletized or granulated, and are usually formulated to address various plant, soil and climate zone requirements. They are sized to be used in a standard drop or cyclone spreader. Individual macronutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, are also available, as are micronutrients, usually in powder or granular form, but they should be used sparingly, and only when recommended as a result of a soil test, or to correct a specific plant or soil deficiency. Most nutrients are also available in liquid form, and can be used as a drench or as an ingredient in foliar sprays. It is a little-known fact that plants feed as efficiently through their leaves as they do through their roots. What is NPK? The three primary plant nutrients: NPK (macronutrients) are nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K). NPK numbers are required by law to be printed on all fertilizer bags
