Re: Percentages in fertilizer

In a message dated 3/22/99 9:30:51 AM Eastern Standard Time, rreynold@tiac.net
writes:

<<         I am in the process of ordering Urea and Potash for the parts of
the
 growing season that require those elements.  In an attempt to order them
 blended by a local company, i was asked what percentage of Urea i needed (an
 that is not reflected in the 46-0-0 formula, said the salseperson). Thus,
 what concentration of it would i need to grow giant pumpkins?
 
                                                         S. Lial
 Jennifer 
  >>
Jennifer,
   I can't tell what % and how much without knowing what your soil needs. The
best bet is to take a sample of your soil to your nearest soil lab and have it
analyzed . Tell them you are growing pumpkins. They should send you back a
report saying to add a certain number of pounds of 10-20-20 or whatever per
1,000 square feet. From there you can go to the fertilizer guy and tell him
the formula you want. You won't need him to custom blend anything for you. He
probably has something that is close. If the report says to use  30 pounds of
5-10-5 and he only has 10-20-10... just use half as much. I  custom blend
fertilizers once in a while, but usually the fertilizer plant has something
close. Custom fertilizer blending usually requires a minimum order of a ton or
two of fertilizer, which you won't need. Hydroponics or fertilization in a pot
in a greenhouse requires precise control of fertilizer application. A field
soil is much more forgiving and need not be overquantified. I'm not saying to
be sloppy or careless in how you apply fertilizer, but take the
recommendations and get close and you will be O.K. If the test says use 30
pounds of 10-16-12 and you can get 30 pounds of 10-15-10.......you will be in
the ballpark. If your fert. recommendation is in pounds of N,P and K per acre
you can break it down. When a bag says 5-10-5...that means 5% N, 10%P, 5%K in
the bag. So if you have a 50 pound bag, it contains 5%N times 50 pounds=
2.5lbs N per bag. If the report says 100 pounds N per acre, you would need 40
bags . Generally, if you have to buy alot of fertilizer, get the strongest
formula that has the proper ratio. 10-20-10 costs more than 5-10-5, but you
only need half as much.....so the 10-20-10 ends up being cheaper. If you are
just growing a few plants, bring the soil test to the fertilizer guys and they
will sell you the right stuff. You may only need a few bags.
                                         pumkinguy

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