Understanding different kinds of fertilizer

There are several types of fertilizers: granular, water soluble, and liquid. You can easily tell them apart just by looking at them.

Granular Fertilizers

Granular fertilizers are the most commonly used type of fertilizer and generally come in a dry pellet form. They provide convenience plus good value. Many granular fertilizers are formulated to slowly release their nutrients over time, so they are the perfect choice for people who want to spend less time working on the lawn and garden, and more time enjoying it. There is a wide array of formulations designed to address specific varieties of plants and their specific requirements, from trees & shrubs, vegetables, roses & flowers, to lawns. Yet each should be considered thoroughly before use, as some will be made from synthetic sources, while others will be made from natural/organic sources. Some will have will be slow release, while other will breakdown quickly. They may even be controlled release through moisture and heat.

Water-Soluble Fertilizers

These types of fertilizer is designed to dissolve completely in water creating a fertilizer solution. Using this solution you simply water your plants, just to the point of moistening the root zone. They are a great choice for fast growing plants such as flowers and vegetables, indoor plants, and container gardening. Each formulation not only contains the three major nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorous & potash but each contains 6 to 7 other micro-nutrients, for optimum plant health and growth They are slightly more labor-intensive than granular fertilizers but for the hands on gardener they will give you fantastic results that will have your neighbours green with envy.

Liquid Fertilizers

There are a multitude of liquid fertilizer formulas, such as blends for your lawn, vegetables, flowers, containers, or indoor plants. They generally come in a concentrated form that must be diluted with water, but by using a hose-end sprayer, they not only are easy to apply over a larger area, but there is no delay in absorption by the plants; plus with their small jug size they are easy to store.

Natural Organic Soil amendments

Popular with organic gardeners are composts, and manures. Although the can be referred to as fertilizers, these materials are more so used to improve soil texture than to enrich soil. They have a low level of nutrients compared to granular and water-soluble fertilizers, and their nutrients do not release slowly over time.