Understanding fertilizer

Have you ever wondered what the three numbers on a bag of fertilizer are? It's surprising that most people don't know or even care what the numbers mean. They buy in to an slick, packaged, lawn care program which unfortunately is geared more toward selling product than maintaining a healthy lawn.

The numbers represent the percentage of each of the three most important elements to plant growth. The first is nitrogen (N), then phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).

Generally, nitrogen is the most important and it is available in many forms. Nitrogen is responsible mainly for providing lush, leafy top-growth and deep green color. Fertilizers can release nitrogen to the plant slowly over time, quickly for immediate results, or both depending on the blend.

Read more about fertilizers:

Plant Nutrition

A Closer Look at Nitrogen