Efrain Rosenthal

Even if you do not see the letters N-P-K, but you see a set of three numbers, for example, 5-10-5, you can correctly assume it stands for 5% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 5% potassium, always in that order. This fertilizer contains 20% nutrients; the remaining 80% is minor nutrients or fillers. Plants need about 16 nutrients; some they get from the air and water, and others are nutrients like iron, calcium, and chlorine from soil.

Here's a brief look at what each nutrient contributes to plant growth.

Nitrogen, the first number referenced in an NPK sequence, plays a key role in a plant's coloring and chlorophyll production, making it an important factor in leaf development. Fertilizers high in nitrogen are often used for grass or other plants where green foliage growth is more important than flowering. At the opposite end of the spectrum, gardeners sometimes encounter the problem of nitrogen depletion—the yellowing of typically green plants often indicates a nitrogen deficiency.

The middle number in an NPK series refers to the percentage of phosphorous in the fertilizer product. Phosphorus plays a key role in the growth of roots, blooming, and fruiting, which is why it is an essential nutrient for your plants in spring. Phosphorus contributes to many fundamental plant processes, such as rooting and seed formation.

The final number in the major ingredients listing gives the percentage of potassium in the product. Potassium contributes to the overall health and vigor of plants. It is known to help strengthen plants' ability to resist disease, assist in the movement of water and nutrients in the plant, and can be especially important in areas that experience cold or dry weather.

In addition to the major nutrients that are usually noted on the front label, most fertilizers also include additional ingredients that are listed on a side or back label. This may include other nutrients like calcium, magnesium, iron, micronutrients, and even the percentage of organic matter and fillers. Although the minerals and micronutrients are less critical than the major nutrients, a good fertilizer product will include small amounts of other ingredients as well.

A fertilizer listed as "10-10-10" is considered a balanced or "complete" fertilizer because its nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium proportions are equal. Meanwhile, a fertilizer labeled "10-0-10" is an "incomplete fertilizer."

An incomplete fertilizer is not necessarily inferior to a complete fertilizer. Identifying the right fertilizer for your needs depends on a variety of circumstances. If your soil already has an excess of one of the three nutrients in NPK, you could be harming some of your plants by adding more of it to the soil—in this case, an incomplete or unbalanced fertilizer may be the right choice.

For this reason, it is important to test your soil before applying fertilizer. Otherwise, whenever you add anything to your soil, the effect (whether positive or negative) is left to chance.

Organic fertilizer ingredients are soil nutrients from plant, animal, or mineral sources. Products labeled as "organic fertilizers" must specify which nutrients are organic and must be identified as synthetic or natural by percentage. For example, the label might read, "20 percent of nitrogen (6 percent synthetic, 14 percent organic)."

Organic fertilizer sources might include manure, alfalfa meal, kelp, blood and bone meal, fish emulsion, cottonseed, sewage sludge, soft rock phosphate, and green sand.

Worthy of note: Organic fertilizers made wholly from natural ingredients often have lower concentrations of the three major nutrients, so you will often need to use larger amounts. The upside is they usually contain many additional nutrients that feed the plant and the soil. It is strongly recommended that if you are only using commercial synthetic fertilizer, supplement it with some type of organic matter, such as compost or manure, for more holistic soil health.

To properly give your plants the nutrients they need, you need to evaluate what they currently have (or will have if doing a new planting). Not all types of plants have the same nutrient requirements, and you can cause ill-wanted effects when applying amendments haphazardly.

Amendments are supplements like fertilizer that you add to the soil to improve its condition; they can fix a number of factors, including nutrition, water permeability, or pH level. Agricultural lime is a type of amendment you use to reduce acidity in the soil, just like sand or grit is an amendment used to increase the porosity of the soil, aiding in drainage.

If you do not choose the right fertilizer, and if your soil pH is already too high or too low, your plants cannot access some nutrients, even if you give them fertilizer. Knowing what's already in your soil is crucial because you can do more harm than good when applying a fertilizer high in nitrogen to an already nitrogen-rich soil. For example, nitrogen feeds foliage at the expense of flowers, which can affect flower production.

Here are the steps for choosing the right fertilizer:

Since every plant has different fertilizer needs, we know that one plant may require more fertilizer while another might require less or none at all. In most cases, a regular fertilizer schedule will keep your plants vigorous. However, too much fertilizer can kill your plant, often burning the foliage and roots if given too much too quickly or applied directly on the foliage.

How do you know how much to use and how often? Follow the guidelines on the fertilizer label combined with the plant's specific care instructions. Also, check your local extension office for recommendations for fertilizer needs in your region; some regions have more acidic soils than others.

For a simple example, we know in the spring a lawn requires nitrogen-rich fertilizer. One pound of nitrogen might be recommended per 1,000 square feet of lawn. If your lawn is 1,000 square feet and your fertilizer contains 20% nitrogen, you should evenly apply 10 pounds of the fertilizer over the entirety of your lawn. In most cases, lawns benefit from fertilizer once a month from April to November, with a pause during the hottest months of July and August; however, this is variable based on how rich the soil already is. That's why soil analysis is important. You never want to over-fertilize, if you can avoid it.

Variables that affect how much and how often you should fertilize:

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