Applying liquid fertilizer to your lawn or garden can help give a needed boost of essential nutrients to your plants or grass. These mixtures can vary in proprietary chemical compositions, but all liquid fertilizers have a few main ingredients in common. Understanding more about these ingredients helps you choose the right fertilizer to keep your plants or lawn looking its best all season long.
Most liquid fertilizers contain nitrogen. Nitrogen, known by the symbol N, promotes dark green grass, thick foliage and stimulated top growth in grasses and plants. Nitrogen is great for producing green lawns, but too much nitrogen can stymie the growth of flowers and vegetable. It's best to use a balanced fertilizer and apply it in the amount recommended on the packaging to avoid adding excessive nitrogen. If you are planning to fertilize for the first time, consider having your soil professionally tested to determine the nitrogen levels in your lawn and how much nitrogen should be added. The compounds that produce nitrogen in fertilizer vary widely but may include animal manure, ammonium, urea or nitrate.
Potassium is another essential ingredient found in most liquid fertilizers. Potassium, also known by the symbol K, promotes healthy roots and root development. Most fertilizers contain potassium in the form of muriate of potash or potassium chloride. Because potassium chloride is easily dissolved in water, plants can absorb it more quickly in a liquid-based fertilizer. As with nitrogen levels, you can test your soil with a kit or have it checked professionally to determine current potassium levels and avoid excess applications that can burn grass and other plants.
Phosphorous is the third main ingredient found in most liquid fertilizers. Phosphorous, also known by the symbol P, aids in plant photosynthesis, as well as flower production. In plants that produce fruit, phosphorous helps the fruit production cycle by transferring energy within the plant's structure. A lack of phosphorous means that plants will not produce fruits and that seeds produced by the plant may not germinate properly. Adding too much phosphorous to your lawn or garden may result in a lack of zinc for plants, leading to stunted growth.
Micronutrients are ingredients that plants require for proper growth but may not be contained in all liquid fertilizers. Examples of common micronutrients include calcium, zinc, boron, sulfur, magnesium, iron and copper. To determine whether a liquid fertilizer contains all or some of these ingredients, read the label on the bottle. All fertilizers contain a guaranteed analysis that shows the percentage of each ingredient. For best results, select the proper balance of micronutrients for your soil based on regular testing.
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