The
well-being of your plants depends on a good fertilizer. Do not be
under the impression that soil and water are enough. Many plants need
to be boosted with fertilizers in the spring season.
Choosing
the right fertilizer among so many different types available can be
tricky, especially if you are a beginner and you don’t understand
all the technical terms.
There are three major elements
that can boost your plants – nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. I
recently posted an interesting article – Things to consider when
buying fertilizer in which I explained why your plants will be
needing these three nutrients.
Types of fertilizers
You
will find four different types of fertilizers on the shelves at your
local store.
1. Organic
2. Synthetic
3. Granular
4. Liquid
Organic
fertilizer – nitrogen sustain release (fair price)
Organic
fertilizer is derived from the decay of animal matter like the cow or
poultry manure or vegetable matter (like the compost
in your backyard). The finished product is like soil and it is a
completely natural solution that tends to break down slowly when
releasing nitrogen. It is great for improving the texture and density
of your plants, and it is a great way to amend the composition of
your soil if earlier it was poor in nutrition for your
plants.
Synthetic fertilizer – nitrogen quick release
(fair price)
Synthetic fertilizer is chemically
manufactured. It is an engineered fertilizer specially made for the
immediate release of nutrients by rapidly penetrating the soil. The
disadvantage of this type of fertilizer is that the results don’t
last long enough. Moreover, it is easily washed away during the rain,
so you would have to reapply again. Note that if you happen to apply
this fertilizer in excess, you risk burning your plants.
Granular
type – ease of use (fair price)
This is the most popular
variety of fertilizers. You typically buy it in bagged form. You can
basically apply them with your hands. You should note however that
there are two types of granular fertilizers – slow-release and
fast-release. Slow-release provides 2-6 months (based on water and
heat). As for fast-release, the fertilizer may last around 2 weeks
(works better for cold weather) and it cost less than the
slow-release. It is important to use the right because of the risk of
burning the roots of the plants. Watering on a regular basis will
allow the nutrients to break down in the soil.
Liquid
fertilizer (a little bit more expensive)
This type of
fertilizer comes in concentrated liquid form. Not all nutrients are
generally available in the N-P-K ratio of fertilizers
available on the market.
N-P-K stands for Nitrogen-Potassium-Phosphorous on which I wrote an interesting article on Things to consider when buying fertilizer.
Liquid fertilizer contains nutrients readily available to bolster soil microorganisms and improve the soil structure. Read the notice well as the concentrated liquid should be mixed with water before application. It is easy to use but works only in the short term. It boosts the plant by making nutrients available immediately to roots and leaves.
Finally, depending on your plants’ requirement, you can try any of these different types of fertilizers at different time intervals and see to which type your plants respond really well. Note that you should be cautious in the amount of fertilizer you are using. Read the notice and follow the instructions well.
I hope this post will help you to choose your fertilizer. Good luck with your plants!
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