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We eat food for energy which allows us to grow. Plants use sunlight to make sugars to allow them to grow. Unfortunately, sunlight alone isn’t quite enough for healthy plants. Although It is obvious that they need water, they also need other important elements to build strong stems and healthy roots. These elements are what fertilizers are all about, and it is important to recognize that plants need some help from us in the form of fertilizers to stay healthy.

All plants evolved for a specific ecosystem, from which the plant could draw everything it needed. Two things have changed: plants are grown in places different than those they evolved in - the monocultural lawn or the pot on the windowsill - and they have been hybridized for desired characteristics.These changes mean that all our plants need some help from us to thrive. What the current ecosystem cannot provide, we must in the form of fertilizer..

All fertilizer bags list a triplet of numbers - a sort of menu - to help users understand what the fertilizer is formulated to accomplish. Furthermore, fertilizer containers also list the ingredient by name which supplies the elements. In general, these ingredients are either natural and organic or synthetic in nature, a fact which may affect brand choice.

The three key elements are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium denoted by N - P - K. The numbers represent the percentage by weight of the component in the fertilizer. Nitrogen aids in the development of chlorophyll and encourages plant growth. Phosphorous aids in the development of both the root system and the flowers. Potassium is instrumental for disease and pest resistance. All three together, in the right proportion for any given type of plant, equals a balanced plant diet.

The numbers vary for any particular mix. This allows for selection of a mix that brings about the desired result. For example, to increase the green that chlorophyll engenders, say for a lawn, one would select a high nitrogen percentage. New plantings will benefit from a high phosphorous content, and all plants need potassium.

The goal is to select the fertilizer that best matches your plants’ needs.

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15y ago

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