1. Fertilizer Application 6.02
Are you ready to fertilize?

2. Fertilizer “how-to”
Method used should be practical, effective, and cost efficient
Method used affects nutrient availability for plant use
Fertilizer must be dissolved and reach plant roots

3. Ways to Fertilize Banding Sidedressing Topdressing Perforating
Broadcasting
Fertigation
Foliar spraying

4. Banding
Place a band of fertilizer about two inches to sides and two inches below seed depth
Don’t place below seeds because fertilizer will burn roots

5. Sidedressing
Placing a band of fertilizer near the soil surface and to the sides after seedlings emerge from soil

6. Topdressing
Mixing fertilizer uniformly into the top one to two inches of growing media around the plant

7. Perforating
Placing fertilizer in 12”-18” holes drilled 18”-24” around the canopy drip line of fruit trees.
Cover the holes and the fertilizer slowly releases.
Typically done on fruit and nut trees

8. Broadcasting
Spreading fertilizer to cover the entire production area.

9. Fertigation
Incorporating water-soluble fertilizer into the irrigation system of greenhouse and nursery crops.
Concentrated injections
Proportioners or injectors used to dilute

10. Proportioners Venturi-simple, inexpensive, less accurate Hozon
Miracle Gro/Scotts applicator
Depends on water pressure

11. Proportioners
Positive-displacement is a Smith injector, expensive but very accurate
Commander proportioners
Physically inject and mix specific amounts of concentrations into water
Commander-very accurate
These are for commercial or
extreme hobby growers

12. Foliar spraying
Spray micronutrients (like Fe and Ca) in a solution onto plant leaves
Used to reverse nutrient deficiencies
Fertilizer concentration cannot be too high or will lead to leaf burn

13. Complete Fertilizer Contains amounts of NPK
Example: or or

14. Incomplete Fertilizer
Fertilizer that is missing one of the primary macronutrients
Example: or or

15. Fertilizer Facts
The 10 of means that of X lb bag of fertilizer, 10% is N, 10% is P and 10% is K
If the ratio is and you have a 100 lb of fertilizer, what is the value in pounds of each nutrient?

16. Fertilizer Ratios
If you have a fertilizer that is , that is a 1:2:1 ratio.
What if you have a ?

17. Organic versus Inorganic
Organic was once alive
More expensive
Not chemically deriven
Manure, vermicompost

18. Inorganic Fertilizers
As the price of fuel goes up, so does fertilizer. Thus, what is the main ingredient in synthetic fertilizers?
Why can they be bad for the environment?

19. Soluble v. Insoluble Soluble dissolves in water
Insoluble slowly degrades
Slow release fertilizers are coated with a polymer

20. Who am I?

21. Fertilizer: Stuff to Remember!
Soluble vs. Insoluble
Organic vs. Inorganic
Ratio of Fertilizer Application
Mrs. Riedel loves you… most of the time.