Fertilizer Ingredients

It is a well-known fact that, application of fertilizers can provide the nutrients, essential for plant growth. They are generally applied on the soil or leaves of the plants to promote rapid growth and development. Fertilizers generally come in three basic forms; dry, soluble and time released. Soluble fertilizers are dissolved in water, while the time released fertilizers can come in both dry and soluble form, and they are released slowly over a period of time.

Fertilizer Ingredients

Whether organic or synthetic, the key ingredients in fertilizers are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, usually referred as NPK. These are the primary macro nutrients, found in any fertilizer. However, their concentration can vary considerably from one fertilizer to another. The concentration of these three main components of fertilizers are expressed as, three numbers printed on the label of a particular fertilizer. For example, if a fertilizer is labeled as 10-5-5, then it contains 10% nitrogen, 5% phosphorus and 5% potassium. Here is a brief explanation about these fertilizer ingredients and their role in plant growth.

Nitrogen (N)
Nitrogen is one of the vital nutrients, required for rapid growth of plants, growth of foliage and fruits. Plants synthesize proteins from nitrogen and they also need this nutrient to develop seeds. Plants generally, assimilate nitrogen in the form of nitrate, ammonium, organic nitrogen or molecular nitrogen. Though nitrogen is vital for healthy growth of plants, an excess of it can result in overgrowth, which can make the plants weak and vulnerable to diseases and insects. Therefore, nitrogen rich fertilizers are usually applied, when the plant establishes itself.

Phosphorus (P)
Plants require sufficient amounts of phosphorus for blooming and fruit production. Phosphorus is also required for growing strong roots, resistant to rot diseases, and to store energy in the form of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Fertilizers containing phosphate is usually applied on the soil before planting, and continued until the plant establishes itself.

Potassium (K)
Potassium is mainly required for strengthening the plants. A deficiency of this macro nutrient can result in stunted growth and reduced yields. Phosphorus can stimulate early growth in plants, by increasing protein production, and increase their resistance to diseases and insect damage. Potassium rich fertilizers are typically used before or during the winter period. However, it should be kept in mind that, an overuse of potassium rich fertilizers can kill the plants.

Secondary Macronutrients and Micronutrients

Along with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, some fertilizers can contain a small amount of calcium, magnesium and sulfur, which are termed as secondary macro nutrients. They are as essential for plant growth, as the primary macro nutrients, but their requirement is usually managed with the help of manuring and liming practices. In addition to all the primary and secondary macronutrients, plants also require traces of iron, copper, manganese, boron, molybdenum, chlorine, zinc and nickel, which are called micronutrients. Many fertilizers contain these nutrients in a small amount.

Know more about

• Chemical Fertilizer vs. Organic Fertilizers
• Different Types of Fertilizers

Apart from the macro and micronutrients, some amount of sand, sawdust or granulated limestone can also be found in fertilizers. These are known as fillers and they help to prevent the fertilizer from getting hard. They can also ensure that, the basic fertilizer ingredients, i.e. nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus do not become too concentrated. Without fillers, high concentration of these nutrients can burn or kill the plants, instead of benefiting them. To sum up, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the main fertilizer ingredients, along with some micronutrients, secondary macronutrients and fillers.