What do the three numbers on a fertilizer bag mean?
The three numbers represent the amount of each of the mineral elements in the bag of fertilizer. For example, a bag of lawn fertilizer that might have the analysis of 24-5-12, representing the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N-P-K) in the bag. The number for each element represents the percentage of material in weight for the total bag. For this example, in a 50 lb. bag, there would be 12 lbs. of actual nitrogen, 2.5 lbs. of phosphorus and 6 lbs. of potassium. Reading the label provides rate information that shows how much N-P-K will be applied during an application.
