by Matt Gibson and Erin Marissa Russell
The words fertilizer and plant food are often used interchangeably , but they are not technically the same thing . Gardeners employ fertilizers to serve enrich their soil , supplying it with the essential nutrients that plant involve to grow and bloom right . away from hydrogen , oxygen , and carbon , plant life ask 13 other food that they typically get from the soil . The most important of these nutrient , or the , “ big three , ” are nitrogen , phosphorous , and atomic number 19 , often refer to on fertilizer labels as N - P - K , for their occasional table abbreviation .
These three macronutrients are essential to the emergence and wellness of all plant life . plant food namely stop these three nutrient , as well as other nutrients which help plants thrive , plus a few fillers . Gardeners sum up fertiliser to enrich the grease when it has become depleted . Fertilizers work to enrich the dirt , while plants apply the nutrients found in the soil , and in the environment , to create their own food .
To put it simply , fertilizers and intersection that are labeled , “ plant food , ” are really just grunge additives that contain lots of food . If the soil in your garden bed take the right nutrients take for healthy works increment , then your soil is providing your plant life with everything they need to make their own food .
What is Fertilizer?
Plant plant food are a compounding of macronutrients , micronutrients , and fillers , or ballast . Some types of plant food are comprised of equal amounts of the , “ big three , ” macronutrients nitrogen , phosphoric , and potassium . These are commonly labeled as N - P - K 10 - 10 - 10 or 20 - 20 - 20 . The number typify the percentage of each nutrient in the plant food . The first number is for nitrogen , the second for phosphoric , and the third represent potassium .
Some fertilizers contain a larger amount of one of the nutrient than the other two . Nitrogen is used to promote foliage growing , so a plant food that is made specifically for leaf plants may be pen of 20 - 5 - 5 , for example . sure plant call for more of one food than the others , so there are fertilizers with all different ratio of N - atomic number 15 - K in order to run into specific demand .
fertiliser are also made up of micronutrients like calcium and iron . Organic fertilizer often control the micronutrients B , copper , branding iron , chlorine , manganese , molybdenum , atomic number 20 , and zinc . A balanced fertilizer , for example , one that is labeled 10 - 10 - 10 is comprised of 10 percent of each macronutrient for a aggregate of 30 pct macronutrient content . Another 10 to 20 percent of the fertilizer is made up of various micronutrient , while the persist 50 percentage is filler . The majority of all plant food are made up of micro and macro food , but the volume of the content within most fertilizers are fillers . Fillers are not just there to take up space , but are actually design to facilitate mete out the valuable nutrients and increase their absorption capability .
What is Plant Food?
fertiliser are made for the sole purpose of revitalizing soil to offer plant life with nutrients , but it is up to the plants themselves to concoct their own meals . Plants make their food for thought with the nutrients that they absorb from the soil in combination with a exceptional blend of air , water , and sunlight . The aviation provides the plant with carbon dioxide which participate through its leaves .
As the carbon dioxide comes in through the plant ’s foliation , it meets chlorophyl , which absorbs and store the sun ’s energy , resulting in chloroplast . The chloroplast inside chlorophyll flux with the carbon copy dioxide to create a unproblematic sugar . This sugar spreads out with the avail of captive water traveling through the intact plant .
Water moves up through the roots and into the plant , make the sugar with it , as well as minerals and nutrients taken from the grease that are lively for the process of photosynthesis to function as take . The presence of water supply is also all important to maintaining the flatulence of the plant ’s electric cell . If the industrial plant is not get sufficient water , the jail cell will not be as turgid , lead in wilt .
fertiliser are impart to the soil in lodge to help supply the elements needed for plants to create their own food . flora food is made from nutrients in the soil as well as other substantive elements , like air travel , water , and sun . When fertilizers arrest high floor of nitrogen , phosphorus , and potassium , but miss the other needed micronutrients , plants will receive inadequate sustenance . Plants need all 13 nutrients to grow well and allow balanced nutrition .
Synthetic Versus All-Natural
Fertilizer
unlike fertilizers get their nutrient from either organic or chemical forms . Organic fertilizer are made from manure , compost , or fish meal . Chemical nutrients are purer in kind but can be rather dearly-won . chemic fertilizers are ordinarily water system - soluble and are often add to the plants directly during irrigation by diluting them into pee and then using that water to irrigate your plants so that the nutrients can be absorbed by the works immediately . Organic food take a bit longer to break down into the soil , but if you are a plate nurseryman with your own compost heap , using organic fertilizer can save you a lot of money .
Chemical fertilizer , or synthetic fertilizer is made from liquid ammonia water . Liquid ammonium hydroxide is quite tatty to raise , and its impact on American agriculture has been massive . Between the years 1950 and 1975 , the output of yield from American farm has increase by over 50 percent while farm labor hours lessen by an staggering 60 percent .
The increased use of chemical pesticides and fertilizer , as well as genetic improvement and mechanized labor , all combined to create this change which has revolutionized agriculture in America . regrettably , the hike in output from American farm comes at a steep price . Atmospheric nitrogen overload from synthetic fertiliser has been credited by environmental scientists , as the chief reason of global pollution , according to a report by the World Resources Institute .
lifelike fertiliser , or fertiliser made from all - natural source , is a much more environmentally well-disposed way to provide our garden plants with the nutrients they need . Cottonseed meal , plume meal , seaweed , Pisces waste matter , ivory and blood repast , and poultry manure are all common ingredients in organic fertiliser . All - natural fertilizers need the mien of soil microorganism to be in effect . According to the Colorado State University Extension website , raw plant food require soil microorganisms , which are hooked on sufficient wet and temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit .
Compost is an all - natural option to fertilizer that you may make at place in a compost bin or a dim-witted pile . Compost contains all of the 13 needed food that are vital to engraft growth , as well as O and water . Compost can be started in your own backyard by gathering yard trimmings , grass clippings , kitchen dissipation , shredded newspaper , and dry folio . stratum these ingredients in a compost bank identification number with layers of grease , urine it on a regular basis to keep the contents moist and leave it to disintegrate over prison term , turning the agglomerate over occasionally to help speed up the vector decomposition cognitive process . Compost will become fledged and ready to habituate as plant life intellectual nourishment in 30 days to three months time .
Soil pH
Another crucial broker when it comes to the power of plants to absorb fertilizers and create their own solid food is the pH level of the soil they are grown in . grease with excessively high pH ( 7 or higher ) or lowly pH ( 5.5 and below ) are not welcoming to nutrients . In soil like these , the food present in fertilizers are either too soluble or not soluble at all , and the plants ca n’t absorb them , or they become toxic to the plants . land with too gamy or small pH storey can be amended with lime or elemental sulfur to lower or raise the pH.
Testing and Dilution
food intake of garden plant is a finely - tuned organisation . Too much or too small of any one food can upset the organisation . A soil test will avail you to determine the content of your ground and the type and amount of fertilizer your dirt needs . If either inorganic or organic fertilizers are applied too intemperately to the soil , they can cause plant tissue to burn or become chlorotic , ensue in unhealthy or dead plant . Without a soil trial , it can be very difficult to figure out what plant food is best and what amount of fertilizer is ask to poise out your garden soil . Once you have determined what your territory motive , read product labels carefully and follow directions to avoid toxicity problems . Many gardeners advocate diluting fertilizers to half strength before adding them to the soil to avoid overfertilization takings .
Common Questions and Answers About
Fertilizer Versus Plant Food
Can fertilizer hurt plants?
Too much fertilizer can hurt plant as a result of them get too much of the food they need to survive . Over fertilization is harmful to plants because it get them to grow quicker than their root can develop to back the Modern foliage . Too much fertilizer is also harmful to microorganism in the soil and deposit excessive amounts of table salt in the grunge . Over fertilization also lead to illnesses such as branding iron chlorosis and root rot , as well as leaving plants more susceptible to malady and plague in general . you may flush additional fertilizer out of your garden ’s soil by giving your plants lots of fresh water to launder the fertiliser away .
Can fertilizer kill plants?
Fertilizers contain salt that , in excessive amounts , can be harmful to plants and even kill them . Plants that get too much fertilizer can also grow faster than their origin systems can support their ontogenesis . Over fertilisation also leaves plants susceptible to infestation by garden pests and infection by plant diseases , specially root rot and Fe chlorosis . If your plants are experiencing harmful effects as a result of over fertilization , give them plenty of fresh neat body of water to flush out the buildup of salts and excess food in the territory .
Can I make my own liquid fertilizer?
you may make your own liquid fertilizer out of seaweed , vegetable scraps , manure , or garden weeds by grant materials that are high in nitrogen to soak in water . The amount of time your homemade liquid fertilizer will need to fleece ranges from just one night to several weeks , depending on the material you ’re using . Supplies you ’ll need include a garden hose , bucket or other large container , and kitchen as well as a liquidiser for some recipes . Your homemade liquid fertilizer should be prepared outdoors , as the smorgasbord can produce offensive feeling .
Do I need plant food?
If you are set in a new garden bed in soil that has not been used before and is productive and rich , you will not ask to use plant food for thought for the first season . You will also not demand to habituate flora food at first when implant in commercial potting land . However , after plant life have been growing for a while in either new fertile soil or in commercial potting soil , they will take in the nutrient the soil hold in , and plant life food will become necessary to replace those nutrients .
How do I know if my plants need
fertilizer?
Plants will show signs of malnutrition when fertilizer is needed . These signs include pale green or yellow foliage when N levels are low , chlorosis ( dark dark-green veins on pale green leaves ) when potassium is abject , and muffled , dark green foliage with purple leaves at the base of the industrial plant or reduced inflorescence when Lucifer is low . bloom - death putrefaction can betoken a deficiency of atomic number 20 . ascertain that foliation discolouration is not due to overwatering ( for xanthous leave-taking ) or underwatering ( if leafage calculate dead or frizzy ) before applying fertiliser .
How do you fertilize a garden plant?
feed garden dirt in the bound before planting annual flush and vegetable , while perennials are just start their maturation for the season . Incorporate a general - use fertilizer into the territory at a deepness of six column inch where annuals and vegetables are growing . Where perennials are growing , bring the plant food gently into the soil around the plant . Apply fertilizer again when plants are growing the quick . This menses is early on in the spring for lettuce and other salad greens and the middle of summertime for maize , love apple , potatoes , or squash . When growing recollective - time of year crops , use a minor amount of fertilizer when you set seeded player , then apply more at the root of summer just before the plants are growing their agile . When growing blueberries , use plant food betimes in the time of year when bud are separate . Fertilize strawberries after the first harvest time . For cosmetic trees , bush , or repeated plants , use fertilizer when plants arrive out of dormancy at the start of their growing time of year .
Dry or coarse-grained fertilizers can be overspread over a large area using a spreader or by hand , or they can be applied along the rows of your plant and seeds as a side fecundation . Work wry fertilizer into the top four to six inches of soil using a hoe or spade , then irrigate the plant food in to facilitate it pawn into the grime . Subsequent applications subsequently in the time of year can be made just to the top inch of soil in garden beds or where plants rise in row or at the drip logical argument around tree diagram and shrub .
liquified fertiliser are used by combine the fertilizer with the water you normally give your plant . water system - soluble fertilizers should be applied to the base of plants . Apply liquid plant food two to three weeks after implant . Before applying fluent plant food , water plants well with untreated piddle so that the roots will not be burn with fertilizer . Ensure that smooth fertilizers are diluted according to their package directions , as a too - strong mixture can also glow plant .
How long does fertilizer last in soil?
Different types of fertilizer take varying periods of time to break down in stain , making them appropriate for unlike uses . The nutrients in fluent fertilizer are usable for plants to use immediately after practical program , and the fertilizer remains useable in soil for only a short menstruation of one or two weeks . Dry or granular fertiliser portmanteau remain active in soil for six to eight weeks , after which period they should be reapplied .
How long does it take for granular
fertilizer to work?
Quick - release fertilizers start out working within a few days , but their effects only last a brusk full point of clock time before they must be reapplied . Plants start postulate in nutrients from agile - handout fertilizer within 15 to 24 hours . With slow - release fertiliser , industrial plant do n’t begin to see upshot for three to 10 workweek . However , the slower release fourth dimension mean these fertilizers are available for longer , and their effects continue much longer than immediate - release plant food , mean they do n’t necessitate to be reapplied as often . Consult the promotional material of the particular plant food you ’re using in your garden to retrieve out how often your fertilizer should be reapplied .
How much liquid fertilizer does a plant
need?
Liquid fertiliser should be reduce in water as direct on the packaging , and then that water should be given to plants as usual for their hydration . Once the limpid fertilizer is dilute , it should be distribute to plants at the same dose as untreated water is commonly give .
How often should I apply slow release
fertilizer?
dense - button fertilizers should be employ to the garden every six to eight weeks , unless the didactics given on their promotion indicate otherwise .
How often should I fertilize my tomato
plants?
Fertilize tomato plants once just after plant them in the garden . Give tomatoes a second dose of fertilizer once they begin to set fruit . After tomato plants get to develop yield , nourish them with a light fertilizer every one or two weeks until the plant is pop by frost .
How often should you fertilize flowers?
unlike type of fertilizer have unlike timeline for program , so always espouse the guidelines provided by your fertilizer ’s maker as indicated on the packaging . Liquid or piss - soluble fertilizers are normally apply every one or two weeks , and are always given mixed in with the water a plant unremarkably receives . irksome - loss fertilizers last several month once they ’ve been applied . A boring - release fertilizer should be cave in at the offset of the season just as plants commence to grow . One Zen is sufficient in northerly areas , but in southern region , a second loony toons may be involve when plant are growing at their fastest by and by in the time of year . granulose fertilizers should be used as a soil amendment mixed into the top four to six inches of soil just before imbed .
Is granular fertilizer better than
liquid?
Granular and liquid fertilizers have different benefits , so which is unspoiled will depend on what is important to each individual nurseryman and the specifics of their berth . Liquid fertilizers are better able to reach plants , as the nutrient in farinaceous plant food stay locate in the granule whereas swimming fertilizers render nutrients to plant through the crusade of urine underground . Granular fertilizers can contain more nutrients , so the danger of “ burning ” implant through over fertilization is more dominant than with patrician liquid fertilizers . smooth fertilizers have a undifferentiated makeup that is the same throughout the mixture , while the nutritional makeup of granular fertilizers varies among granule . Liquid can be easier to apply than granular , though there may be some initial price when transition to a fluid fertiliser if new equipment is call for . Granular fertilizer does not require to be applied as often as liquid and is cheaper when purchased in bulk .
Should I feed my plants every time I
water?
houseplant should be give water - soluble fertilizer once a calendar week , while outdoor container plants should be fed with water - soluble fertilizer twice a week . Garden plants should get H2O - soluble plant food once every two or three weeks . landscape gardening plant should receive water - soluble fertilizer once a month .
Should I water plants before
fertilizing?
Before giving plant fertilizer , water them well so that the antecedent are n’t come into contact with water containing the fertiliser when they ’re ironical . implement fertilizer after watering your plant life will aid foreclose damage from “ combust ” plants when they ’re exhibit to too much plant food .
What are some examples of natural
fertilizers?
Natural fertiliser let in manure , insect castings , peat , seaweed , and compost . These natural fertilizer can be used as a stain amendment , applied alone as a fertilizer , or can be included in homemade fertilizer mixed bag .
What are the three fertilizer numbers?
The three number on fertilizer packages that are discriminate by dash provide the share of atomic number 7 , phosphorus , and potassium the fertiliser contains ( in that ordering ) .
What fertilizer helps flowers bloom?
Fertilizers that are high in phosphorus aid in bloom production . To increase blooming , calculate for fertilizers with a eminent 2d number , because the second number indicate the percentage of phosphorus the fertilizer contains .
What is a good fertilizer for orchids?
Gardeners should give orchids a balanced fertilizer such as a 20 - 20 - 20 blend that does not contain any urea weekly . Experts recommend giving a minor amount of fertiliser at a time in an approach prognosticate fertilize “ sapless , weekly . ” They hint give fertilizer at a quarter strength on a hebdomadal basis .
What time of day should I fertilize my
plants or flowers?
Plants should ideally be fertilized at the same time as you allow for them with water , and when you water more than once per day , you should ply fertilizer in the morning . Plants are able-bodied to take in nutrients better before they ’ve become stressed by the midday oestrus .
Which fertilizer makes plants grow
faster?
To make plants spring up faster , wait for a eminent - nitrogen fertiliser . Fertilizers with a high first number will be gamy in nitrogen , because the first number show the percentage of N the fertilizer hold in .
Want to learn about using fertilizer versus plant food?
Basics of Gardening coversIs Using Plant Food Really Necessary ?
Penn State Extension coversOver - impregnation of Potted Plants
okay Gardening coversFertilizing Basics
UBC Botanical Garden coversFertilizer Vs Plant Food
National Gardening Association coversPlant Food Vs Fertilizer
Garden Guides coversDifference Between Plant Food and Fertilizer
SFGate Homeguides coversHow Long Does it Take for Fertilizer to Decompose ?
UCCE El Dorado County Master Gardener coversPerils of Over - Fertilizing Plants and Trees
My Plant Place coversBest Garden Plant Food and Fertilizer
NCAGR coversA Homeowner ’s Guide to Fertilizer
NOLA coversFertilizer is Not Plant Food
