POSTED BY KIM — When you’re ready to start fertilizing your annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, or lawn, choose the right fertilizer for the job. To do that, it’s important to understand the NPK levels in each fertilizer – nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. You’ll probably need a different fertilizer for your lawn — say, something high in nitrogen — vs. a fertilizer for your annual flowers, where you want to maximize blooms.
What does each nutrient do?
- Nitrogen helps plant foliage to grow strong.
- Phosphorous helps roots and flowers grow and develop.
- Potassium (Potash) is important for overall plant health.
Another way to think of it is: up (nitrogen for lots of strong, leafy growth), down (phosphorus for strong root development and flowering power), and all around (potassium — overall good health).
In the spring, Peggy likes to use Triple Super Phosphate, which is 0-45-0, in her beds to help establish strong root development early in the season. I like Osmocote’s Flower & Vegetable Food, which is 14-14-14. I use it in the spring on my perennial beds, roses, hydrangeas, and trees.
For flowering annuals, I strictly use Miracle Gro’s Bloom Booster, which is 15-30-15 — that high middle number is going to give my heavy-feeding annuals lots of food so they can keep blooming.
And then you get into the whole chemical vs. organic debate — but that’s another post! For now, if you need any advice or recommendations regarding fertilizing, let us know…
1 Comment
March 28, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Thank you for the useful information. I always forget what NPK is for. now I can remember.