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Technical Bulletin: Fertilizer Guide

This technical bulletin provides a 6-step process for calculating fertilizer needs based on a soil test report. The steps include: 1) determining nutrient ratios from the soil test, 2) selecting a fertilizer with matching ratios, 3) calculating the fertilizer rate needed, 4) determining the area to fertilize, 5) calculating the total fertilizer needed, and 6) converting the rate to a volume for application. An example is provided where a soil requires nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in a 1-3-2 ratio, and the calculations show applying 5 cups of 10-20-20 fertilizer to a 200 square foot garden.

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Roshan Kumar
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134 views2 pages

Technical Bulletin: Fertilizer Guide

This technical bulletin provides a 6-step process for calculating fertilizer needs based on a soil test report. The steps include: 1) determining nutrient ratios from the soil test, 2) selecting a fertilizer with matching ratios, 3) calculating the fertilizer rate needed, 4) determining the area to fertilize, 5) calculating the total fertilizer needed, and 6) converting the rate to a volume for application. An example is provided where a soil requires nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in a 1-3-2 ratio, and the calculations show applying 5 cups of 10-20-20 fertilizer to a 200 square foot garden.

Uploaded by

Roshan Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Technical Bulletin

Fertilizer Guide
By Joel Symonds

The following 6 step procedure will guide you through the process of taking your soil report information
to calculate the amount of fertilizer you need to apply to your garden or lawn soil.

1. Nutrient ratio
The first step involves looking at your soil test report to identify the requirements of your main
nutrients- Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium (N-P-K).
Example nutrient application rate: N at 0.123 lbs/100ft2, P at 0.369 lbs/100ft2, & K at 0.246 lbs/100ft2.
Before you can select an appropriate fertilizer, you will need to convert these N-P-K requirements into a
basic ratio; do this by dividing each number by the lowest occurring value.

Example: N: 0.123/0.123 = 1.00, P: 0.369/0.123 = 3.00, K: 0.246/0.123 = 2.00


Based on the example soil test results, N-P-K are required in an approximate ratio of 1-3-2.

2. Matching a fertilizer ratio


In order to fertilize your soil exactly as recommended in the report, your must find a supplier that sells
single nutrient fertilizers (i.e. Urea: 46-0-0, Rock phosphate: 0-5-0, or Potassium sulphate: 0-0-50). Most
often however, garden centres sell complete or mixed fertilizers to the public (i.e. fertilizer that contains
a percentage of all three main nutrients, N-P-K). Finding a mixed fertilizer that perfectly matches your
soils needs will rarely occur. In almost all cases you will have to choose from a few mixes, one that best
matches your needs. As a result, some compromise may be necessary and you may not be able to apply
one or more of the nutrients at the recommended rate. Since nitrogen is usually the most limited
nutrient, you should always ensure N is applied at the appropriate rate.

Example: your local garden centre stocks 20-7-3, 10-0-10, and 10-20-20.
The fertilizer ratio that best matches your required nutrient ratio (1-3-2) is the 10-20-20.
3. Fertilizer rate
The numbers on the fertilizer bag (10-20-20) indicate that 10% of the bag’s weight is nitrogen (N), 20% is
phosphorous (P2O5), and 20% is potassium/potash (K2O). To convert the required nutrient application
rate into the required fertilizer application rate, divide the nutrient application rate by the percentage of
nutrient in the fertilizer (be sure to use the decimal percent).

Example: 0.123 lbs/100ft2 of Nitrogen = 1.23 lbs fertilizer/100ft2


0.10 (10% N in fertilizer)

4. Area to be fertilized
Next you need to determine the square footage of your garden (in 100ft2).
Do this by measuring the length and width of your garden in feet and follow the formula:

length (ft) x width (ft) = ft2

Example: 20 ft long x 10 ft wide = 200 ft2

5. Fertilizer application (by weight)


Next you will need to combine steps 3 and 4 to determine the total amount of fertilizer needed for your
whole garden or lawn area. Do this by completing this equation:

lbs fertilizer/100ft2 x 100 ft2 of garden or lawn = lbs fertilizer for garden or lawn

Example: 1.23 lbs fertilizer/100ft2 x 2 (100) ft2 of garden or lawn = 2.46 lbs of 10-20-20 fertilizer

6. Fertilizer application (by volume)


Since it is difficult for most home owners to weigh a fertilizer, applying by volume is usually preferred.
Sources state that 2 cups of dry fertilizer weigh approximately 1 lb. (this may vary by fertilizer type).
Convert your application rate to cups by following the formula below:

lbs fertilizer for garden or lawn x 2 cups/lb = cups of fertilizer for garden or lawn

Example: 2.46 lbs fertilizer x 2 cups/lb = 4.92 or 5 cups of 10-20-20 fertilizer

Final fertilizer value


**Therefore the final calculation has determined that you should apply 5 cups of a 10-20-20 fertilizer to
your 200 ft2 garden or lawn area.

FoReST Laboratory, Lakehead University


955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1
Web: http://www.forestlab.ca Email: [email protected]

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