The arrowroot plant is native to the tropics of South America. It has a long history of cultivation by native peoples, who developed an extensive treatment process for extracting the usable powder from the roots. The roots are washed, scraped, beaten, soaked, pulped, and finally forced through a sieve.
A 100 pound bag of 16-4-8 contains 16 pounds of nitrogen, 4 pounds of phosphorus and 8 pounds of potassium. The rest if filler and minor elements. Even though it may cost more, a fertilizer containing slow release nitrogen is more efficient and cost effective in our sandy soils.ounding this number to six, you would apply six pounds of 16-4-8 fertilizer per 1000 square feet of lawn area. Using 12-4-8 fertilizer, you would apply eight pounds per 1000 square feet.
What to use. A complete fertilizer that supplies nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, such as 10-8- 6, is often suggested. This formula can vary somewhat, but usually the nitrogen content (the first number) will be higher than the phosphorus (second number) or potassium (final number). It is always best to have a reliable soil test run before fertilizing, as much of our soil already has sufficient amounts of phosphorus and needs no extra.