Information Post: FERTILIZER

It’s been extremely busy these past few weeks so unfortunately, I haven’t the time to post(Though I am not even sure if anyone is even reading these). One thing that was on my mind though was making a regular post about fertilizers and the nutrients that effect plant growth. Since it’s a very diverse item we sell, I will explain fertilizers and it’s many uses and perks to the best of my knowledge.


Most fertilizers are comprised of macro nutrients and trace minerals(usually the better quality ones contain minerals as well). To start this series off, lets start with the 3 numbers that label different kinds of fertilizers. The 3 numbers on each bag refer to the fertilizers nutrient content, NPK, which refers to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.


Nitrogen effects on foliage is color and growth. If you want to understand why it causes it to green up, it’s because nitrogen is vital to chlorophyll(basically the green pigmenting found in plants, algae etc…), which is essential in photosynthesis. This allows plants to create energy from light to produce sugars from Co2 and H2o which then promote growth.



Phosphorus is mainly known for root establishment. During the early stages of a plant’s life, phosphorus can greatly help with vigorous growth as well as maturation and blooming. Phosphorus(phosphate) can benefit growing plants, flowers, lawns etc… if mixed in the soil where plants absorb the macro nutrient through the roots.

Something noteworthy; Phosphorus is difficult to absorb if the soil is in colder climate areas or colder seasons. In situations like these, water soluble phosphorus would promote growth. Lastly, compacted soil will also restrict the amount of phosphorus being absorbed through the roots. Why? Compacted soil/lawns have limited space in the root zone(compacted soil has no give basically so it’s difficult for plants to penetrate hard turf) so this reduces phosphorus uptake and plant growth as well. Compaction also decreases the soil volume that plant roots penetrate, limiting their total access to phosphorus in the soil.



Potassium(labeled as Potash) is much like nitrogen in which it promotes growth. However, whats more important is that it is absolutely crucial for the health of the plant by fighting disease. Simply adding nitrogen to a plant or lawn may not rectify a poor growing plant. The chances of potassium deficiency may also be a major contributing factor of yielding poor results for plant production. A plant with low potassium levels also has trouble regulating water levels therefore will effect growth levels. A good indicator of deficiency in this nutrient is the inability to handle temperature changes or drought.


Now I assure you there is more to it than just this. For example the numbering, percentages and also coating of fertilizer all contribute to what a fertilizer may do to your lawn, trees, plants etc… I will make sure that I come to touch up on this subject in the future! Just remember though, one compound of NPK is not enough to create a great plant. All three with accordingly with each other to yield the best results. The name difference is which percentages of each nutrient would benefit the plant in it’s current situation.