Water soluble fertilizers are a powerful tool in modern agriculture, providing fast nutrient uptake and precise control over fertilizer applications. Their benefits make them ideal for fertigation, hydroponic systems, and high-demand farming systems. However, like all agricultural inputs, they require careful management to prevent issues such as nutrient runoff, over-fertilization, and high operational costs.
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By adopting the best practices outlined in this blog, farmers and gardeners can optimize the use of water soluble fertilizers to enhance crop yields, improve plant health, and contribute to more sustainable farming practices. Understanding both the pros and cons will ensure that water soluble fertilizers are used efficiently, reducing environmental impact and maximizing profitability.
Either from soil testing or a lifetime of experience, you know that your field or commercial lawn needs a little extra boost of nutrition from time to time. All fertilizer comes with an NPK ratio, or a nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium ratio, that tells you how much of each nutrient is being fed to your crops.
That first element, nitrogen, is probably the most important one. It’s vital in the early growing stages for nearly everything from corn you eat to the grass on your golf course.
What Nitrogen Rich Fertilizers Do for Your Plants
What does nitrogen fertilizer do, and why is nitrogen so important? First of all, it makes plants look healthy and green. Nitrogen is the reason plants not only grow tall and strong, but why the foliage is so deep in color and voluminous. It’s essentially the backbone of healthy plant growth.
How Nitrogen Causes Healthy Growth
Nitrogen is essential in the formation of amino acids. Amino acids from proteins, which make up the physical structure of plants. The use of high nitrogen fertilizers can lead to more robust plants with more healthy leaves, flowers, and stalks.
Another important piece to the puzzle is chlorophyll, or the pigment that makes plants green. Nitrogen is a significant component in the makeup of chlorophyll. In the process of photosynthesis, chlorophyll captures the light of the sun so that it can be turned into energy. Without sufficient amounts of chlorophyll, the plant will starve.
When to Apply High Nitrogen Fertilizers
While proper soil nutrition is important in all stages of growth, applying a high nitrogen fertilizer shouldn’t be done too early in the season.
A natural waste product of soil organisms is ammonia. Ammonia is a valuable compound made up of nitrogen and hydrogen. It sticks to the roots of the plants and dissolves in water to deliver a high concentration of nitrogen into those roots. It can be used up fairly quickly. However, if there is too much of it to be completely dissolved in water, the excess ammonia can “burn” the roots and kill the plant. Young plants in early growing stages are particularly at risk for this. This is why applying too much too early isn’t recommended.
Most plants need the most nitrogen during the early reproductive stages when the plant is growing quickly. This is the point in the season where application of nitrogen rich fertilizers is highly recommended.
Different Applications Have Different Benefits
Liquid
Applying the high nitrogen fertilizer in liquid form allows it to be absorbed more efficiently. By being absorbed into the soil, the microorganisms and roots can use it right away. Liquid fertilizers that are high in nitrogen are perfect for applying during those rapid growth portions of the plant’s development.
Dry
Dry or pelleted fertilizers are generally good for a slower release of nutrients. The pellet has to break down or be consumed by the microorganisms. In this way, you can control how much your plants get and are at less of a risk of burning your roots with too much ammonia.
The disadvantage of dry fertilizers that are high in nitrogen is that they may sit on the surface level, which increases the risk for the volatile compounds to be evaporated into the air. The University of Nebraska - Lincoln recommends irrigation at the same time as application to prevent some of this loss.
Nitrogen in Organic Fertilizers
The same process of nitrogen uptake happens when using organic or synthetic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers, especially dry pelleted organic fertilizers, help with a controlled release of nitrogen since they aren’t in a pure chemical form.
When made from organic materials, the microorganisms need to consume those materials in order to extract the nutrients that they, and the plants, love.
Once again, these controlled releases usually mean that the roots have less of a risk of being burned by ammonia. These controlled release fertilizers also mean that plants have plenty of nitrogen when their need for it is greatest, but also get a small amount during those stages of growth when only a little is needed.
Let’s Get Growing!
From grass to soybeans to hay, everything that grows needs nitrogen. Some things need more than others, and they may need it at different points in the growing season.
Soil tests are the best way to determine the nutritional needs at any given time so everything you grow gets just the right amount to grow quickly and thrive.
Fertilizers are chemicals substances that farmers use daily to improve the growth and productivity of crops. Fertilizers provide beneficial nutrients that plants need to grow. Furthermore, families may also use them for flowers and plants to help them grow in a garden. Many fertilizers examples are suitable to be used on a large farm. Such farms may involve thousands of acres of crops.
The development of a large range of fertilizers examples has taken place to assist the growth of different crops. Consequently, these crops can grow under different weather conditions and under different types of soil. Chemical ingredients present in fertilizer are a cost-effective way to promote plant growth. Also, there is a strict regulation of fertilizer by both federal governments and state governments. This ensures the safety of the environments as well as of the people who use them.
Fertilizers refer to chemical substances whose application takes place to the crops to boost their productivity. Furthermore, farmers use them on a daily basis to enhance crop yield.
The composition of fertilizers involves the necessary nutrients needed by the plants. Moreover, such essential nutrients are phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen. Consequently, an enhancement takes place in the water retention capacity of the soil, which in turn, increases fertility.
The composition of fertilizers makes them suitable food for plants. Furthermore, various chemical fertilizers examples provide beneficial nutrients that plants need to grow.
In addition to carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which they get from the atmosphere and water, plants need 14 essential nutrients for their growth and health, which fertilizer provides.
Most chemical fertilizers examples consist of 14 essential nutrients to assist plant growth. Most noteworthy, these nutrients are nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), nitrogen (N), zinc (Zn), phosphorus (P), molybdenum (Mo), potassium (K), chlorine (Cl), sulphur (S), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and boron (B).
There are six different fertilizers examples. These types are mentioned below:
Inorganic fertilizers are one of the chemical fertilizers examples that involve various essential nutrient elements. Furthermore, they are made not by natural means but rather by chemical means. Moreover, these examples assist in the growth of crops. The inorganic fertilizers are of the following two types:
Nitrogen Fertilizer- It contains nitrogen that crops require for their development. Furthermore, chlorophyll’s main constituent is Nitrogen that maintains a balance in photosynthesis. Moreover, they are also a part of amino acids that constitutes protein.
Phosphorus Fertilizer- The main nutrient in it is phosphorus. Furthermore, Phosphorus plays a key role in the growth and development of the plant cell. Moreover, this type of fertilizer is beneficial for the growth of roots.
Organic fertilizers are the second main type. Furthermore, experts obtain this type of fertilizer from living beings. Here, the composition of fertilizers is such that soil enrichment takes place.
The soil enrichment takes place due to the carbonic compounds that play an important role in the growth of plants. The increase of the organic matter content of the soil takes place with the organic type. Moreover, this type of fertilizer also facilitates the reproduction of microorganisms and improves soil characteristics.
On can obtain organic fertilizer from the following products:
Municipal Sludge
Agricultural Waste
Livestock Manure
Industrial Waste
Below is a description of the advantages of a fertilizer:
A fertilizer facilitates easy storage, transportation, and application.
For supplying a particular nutrient, one can choose a particular fertilizer because of its nutrient particular nature.
It is of a water-soluble nature that can dissolve in the soil in an easy manner. Consequently, this facilitates plant absorption.
Their effect on the crops and plants is rapid.
They enhance the crop yield
Fertilizers facilitate sufficient food production that helps in feeding a large population.
They are safe, reliable, and are of a predictable nature.
Fertilizers involve the following disadvantages:
They are expensive due to which many farmers cannot afford them.
The ingredients in the fertilizers sometimes can be toxic to the respiratory system and to the skin.
Excessive use of fertilizer harms the plants and diminishes the fertility of the soil.
Leaching can occur due to fertilizer
Fertilizers can make their way to the river thereby causes eutrophication.
Long term use of these substances over time can diminish microbial activity.
The pH of the soil can be disturbed by these substances.
The use of fertilizers can take place for various purposes. Furthermore, such uses are mentioned below:
Their use takes place to provide much-needed nutrients to the plants.
Their addition takes place for the improvement of the yield of the crops.
Nitrogen-rich fertilizer is used by people for the greening of lawns.
The improvement of the fertility and texture of the soil can take place by using organic fertilizer.
The use of these substances takes place by gardeners to fulfil the nutritional need of plants.
The addition of these substances takes place in potted plants that replace the lost nutrients.
The population of the world continued to increase which puts significant pressure on the food resources. Furthermore, it is a huge challenge for governments to feed the growing demands of such populations.
In such a case, agricultural production decline is highly undesirable. This happens due to a lack of nutrients, pests, and soil fertility loss. Consequently, this points to the immense importance of fertilizer in agriculture.
A fertilizer can benefit the plants in the following ways:
The tolerance of plants towards pests enhances due to fertilizer, thereby causing healthier crops. Due to this, there has been a reduction of reliance of plants on harmful insecticides and herbicides, thereby, producing healthier crops. Consequently, diseases have reduced.
The water holding capacity of a plant can improve due to fertilizer.
The potassium content is present in these chemical substances. Furthermore, the strength of the stalks and straws of the plants increases due to these chemical substances.
The fast development of roots becomes possible by the phosphorus content of these chemical substances.
For more information, please visit NPK 20-20-20 fertilizer.
This substance facilitates the fast formation of seeds in the plants.
An enhancement of the growth of the plants takes place by the fertilizer.
Question 1: What is meant by NPK in a fertilizer?
Answer 1: The value of the three macro-nutrients that the plants use is shown by way of the three numbers on fertilizer. Furthermore, these are the three macro-nutrients, which are as follows:
Nitrogen (N)
Phosphorus (P)
Potassium (K)
For short-form, use of NPK takes place.
Question 2: Is urea a form of fertilizer?
Answer 2: Urea is a type of nitrogenous fertilizer that one purchase from the market. Furthermore, this particular fertilizer has the highest Nitrogen content, which is approximately 46 percent.
The main function of urea is to provide the plants with nitrogen. This way, green leafy growth takes place. The aiding of the photosynthesis process also takes place by urea.
Question 3: Which fertilizer makes leaves grow faster?
Answer 3: The Nitrates (the leaf makers) fertilizer is the one that makes laves grow faster. That is why this fertilizer is also known as the leaf maker. Furthermore, these types of fertilizers have high nitrogen content.
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All plants require nutrients for their growth and other functions. Fertilisers are applied to the soil to increase fertility so that the plants can grow vigorously and reproduce.
Get to know the different type of fertilisers, their advantages and disadvantages and when to apply them in your home garden.
Macro and Micronutrients
Macronutrients and micronutrients are essential for plant growth. Macronutrients such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) are required by the plant in relatively large amounts while micronutrients like Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Boron (B), Molybdenum (Mo) and Manganese (Mn) are needed in smaller amounts.
Nitrogen
Promotes growth of leaves of the plant
Phosphorus
Promotes the formation of lateral and fibrous roots
Promotes flowering
Increases the strength of plant stems
Potassium
Promotes formation and enlargement of fruits
Increases disease resistance
If such nutrients are not adequate, adding fertilisers in the soil or growing media will help the plants to obtain them.
Types of Fertilisers
Fertilisers are classified as complete and incomplete and usually distinguished by the series of three numbers on the labels on their packs, like 14-14-14 or 16-20-0. These three numbers represent the value of the Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) ratio of each pack, in which the higher the number the more concentration of nutrients in the fertiliser.
Complete fertiliser contains these three primary nutrients of NPK and usually comes in the form of granules or pellets. Incomplete fertilisers supply only one or two of the primary nutrients and is available often in the form of soluble crystals.
How to Identify Fertilisers?
Organic fertilisers come from only plant or animal products or by-products such as chicken manures, leaves and compost. Generally, most organic fertiliser will be darker coloured and in the form of powders, granules or of uneven texture.
Inorganic or synthetic fertilisers are produced artificially and come from sources other than animals or plants. They usually contain mineral and chemical products. Since they are manufactured, they are available in various forms such as granular white crystalline, granular colourless or coloured crystalline.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Organic fertiliser
Advantages
Disadvantages
Release nutrients gradually (Prevents over fertilisation which is harmful to plants)
Improves the structure of the soil and increases its ability to hold water and nutrients
Little to no risk of toxic build-ups of chemicals and salts that can harm the plants
Renewable, biodegradable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly
Nutrient ratios are often unknown, and the overall nutrient percentage is lower than chemical fertilisers
May attract pests and diseases
It takes time for the nutrients to be supplied to the plants and improvements to the plant may take more time
Inorganic fertiliser
Advantages
Disadvantages
Nutrients are available to the plants immediately and improvements can occur in days
Highly analysed to produce the exact ratio of nutrients desired
Standardised labelling makes ratios and chemical sources easy to understand
Relatively inexpensive
Chemical fertilisers are made from non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels
They help plants grow but do nothing to improve soil structure
Chance of over fertilisation if used wrongly. This can not only kill the plants but upset the entire ecosystem.
Chemical fertilisers tend to leach or filter away from the plants, requiring additional applications.
Toxic build-up of chemicals and salt
Before you apply fertiliser, you should have your soil tested to determine what type of fertiliser your soil needs. Your plants may also show visual clues (symptoms) that aid in determining the nutrient deficiency.
Common Symptoms of Nutrient Deficiency
Nitrogen (N)
Phosphorus (P)
Potassium (K)
Leaves turn pale yellow (chlorotic)
Poor, stunted growth
Stems, petioles and underside of leaves turn purple, orange or red.
Occur first in lower leaves
Tips of older leaves turn brown, or the plant has a burnt appearance on leaf tips and margins
Magnesium (Mg)
Iron (Fe)
Boron (B)
Paleness between veins on older leaves.
As symptoms progress, leaves shrivel and die
Yellowing (Chlorosis) between veins on younger leaves
Tips of leaves become hook in appearance
Learn how to make your own fertiliser and pesticide here.
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Participate from the comfort of your home with online activities such as talks and demonstrations, video tutorials of activities and promotions offered. Free guided tours will also be offered on site (with safe management measures). Enjoy Gardeners’ Day Out online at www.nparks.gov.sg/GDO.
CIB Awards
The Community in Bloom (CIB) Awards recognises excellence in gardening efforts by community groups and aims to encourage community gardeners to improve the standards of their gardens while continuing to enjoy gardening as a fun and healthy activity.
This year, the CIB Award focuses on community gardens in schools and organisations, as well as a new category of indoor gardens. Click here for more information.
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