Selecting the right fertilizer for your crops may be the difference between a strong or disappointing harvest. With so many types of products out there, it can be difficult to determine which is right for your farm. You can often use a mixture of multiple options at different stages of growth to obtain the best results. To help you understand what’s available to you, here are some commonly used fertilizers and their uses.  

What Types of Fertilizers Can You Use?

1. Organic

Organic fertilizers contain anything from livestock manure to agricultural waste like straw and cottonseed meal. They increase soil nutrients and improve its structure, making way for healthy new growth. By repurposing these waste products, this type of fertilizer also helps reduce environmental pollution.

2. Nitrogen-Based

Nitrogen promotes protein growth in plants, assisting during photosynthesis and increasing yield. Mainly used for vegetable crops, they contain different balances according to your farm’s needs.

For example, nitrate nitrogen is helpful for corn and wheat, sodium nitrate boosts growth in beets and radishes, and calcium nitrate is common for poppy and sugar beets.  

3. Phosphorus-Based

Available in water-soluble and insoluble versions, this material’s effectiveness depends on its pentoxide content and your crop and soil. It can be combined with nitrogen-based varieties to reduce nitrogen loss, improving the quality of crops used for raw materials and those meant for consumption. 

4. Potassium-Based

Potassium chloride is the richest option in this family, ranging from 60 to 62% potassium content. It can range in color from red and pink to white, and comes in four granule sizes. At 50% content, potassium sulfate is rated lower, but works better for crops requiring less chloride, including tobacco and potatoes.

Other versions can use higher sulfur contents to be more soluble while maintaining low salt indexes, or include nitrogen for added benefits.

The experts at Farmers Cooperative in Live Oak, FL, know what combination of fertilizers is right for your crops.  Since 1946, they’ve served Madison and Suwannee counties, providing everything from custom-blended fertilizers to farming equipment. Visit them online to learn more about their products, or call (386) 362-1459 to schedule a delivery.