From hard-core gardeners to novices, most people know you have to fertilize your plants to get the results you want. But reading a fertilizer bag can be intimidating if you don't understand what you're reading.

" /> From hard-core gardeners to novices, most people know you have to fertilize your plants to get the results you want. But reading a fertilizer bag can be intimidating if you don't understand what you're reading.

" />

CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 02/21/03

Know the numbers on a fertilizer bag

By Clint Waltz
University of Georgia

Volume XXVIII
Number 1
Page 24

From hard-core gardeners to novices, most people know you have to fertilize your plants to get the results you want. But reading a fertilizer bag can be intimidating if you don't understand what you're reading.

Most folks have heard of 10-10-10, but they may not know what the numbers stand for.

So what are the numbers?

They refer to the percentage of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P2O5) and potassium (K2O). So in a bag of 10-10-10, 10 percent of the weight of the bag is actual nitrogen, 10 percent is phosphate and 10 percent is potassium.

Knowing how much nitrogen is in a bag of fertilizer is fairly easy. The percentage is listed right on the bag. However, it's not as simple for phosphorus and potassium.

To determine the actual amount of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) you have to do a little math. Use these formulas: P2O5 times 0.44 equals P, and K2O times 0.83 equals K.

Complete fertilizers

A bag containing all three of these nutrients -- nitrogen, phosphate and potassium -- is considered a "complete" fertilizer. A product with any of these three missing is referred to as an "incomplete" fertilizer.

All plants need nutrients for proper growth and development. But various nutrients affect plants differently and are needed in varying amounts. All essential nutrients are required to sustain vigor so the plant can better resist environmental stresses, weeds, diseases, insects and other pests.

When it comes time to select a fertilizer, select a brand that includes these three primary nutrients.

Clint Waltz is a Cooperative Extension turf specialist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Clint Waltz
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES welcomes 2024 cohort of Rural Scholars 11/20/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation. Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Mergoum at Creature Comforts CAES News
That's the spirit! 11/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras, Claire Sanders Kinnard
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Professional brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile.
Contest-winning concept becomes viable business for alumnus who developed solar-powered, self-propelled chicken coop as a student. CAES News
Poultry in motion 11/14/24 Sean Montgomery
Chris Ayers emerged from his orange and black rough-terrain vehicle with an ear-to-ear grin. “This is Chiktopia,” he said, sweeping his arm wide to indicate the back half of a 3,600-square-foot warehouse on his family’s farm in Ball Ground, Georgia. “This is where I manufacture and assemble the chicken coops. Everything is done entirely from over here.”
UGA Grand Farm Site Plan web CAES News
UGA Grand Farm wins stage two of 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund competition 11/13/24 Jordan Powers
Startups in the agricultural technology sector face significant barriers on the path to establishment, including access to training and capital. These barriers are heightened for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to start new companies. The University of Georgia Grand Farm, part of a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm, aims to change that.
TiftonCampusSunset2 CAES News
CAES Transfer Pathways Program expands enrollment access for rural students 11/12/24 Emily Cabrera
The Transfer Pathways Program is opening new doors for rural students who dream of attending the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). In partnership with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and Southern Regional Technical College, students who complete required coursework at these institutions can transfer to CAES to complete bachelor’s degrees in one of three majors — agribusiness, agricultural education, and agriscience and environmental systems.