Mineral, organic, phosphorus, potash and nitrogen fertilizers: their types and characteristics

The use of mineral fertilizers by gardeners experienced, in the process of development of agricultural technology, both the peak of popularity and the decline, up to the complete rejection of inorganic compounds. However, both excessive enthusiasm for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compounds, as well as ignoring these elements, did not lead to anything good. Too many factors depend on the correctness of their introduction into the soil: soil composition, type of fruit and vegetable crop, climate and growing conditions.

The need for strict adherence to the rules for making mineral additives has given rise to a myth about the complexity of their use, but this is not so. To understand the features of the use of inorganic compounds, their types and distinctive qualities, today's article will help.

What are mineral fertilizers and why are they needed?

Organic fertilizers, unlike mineral fertilizers, have a broader spectrum of action, and contain all the compounds necessary for plants in their entirety. Inorganic compounds are characterized by a directional effect, they should make up for specific shortcomings in the composition of the soil or correct the development (growth, vegetation, fruiting) of the crop.

Mineral fertilizers are divided into two main groups. These are simple fertilizers (single-component) and complex fertilizers (having two or more elements in their composition). Most often, experienced agronomists tend to use the second type of mineral compounds, since this allows solving several tasks at the same time to compensate for nutrient deficiencies in soil and adjust its acidity.

Types of mineral fertilizers

Mineral fertilizers, no matter how complex they are considered, are always based on one or more leading components:

• potassium;
• nitrogen;
• phosphorus.

It is these substances, supported by micro and macro elements that complement them in each type of supplement, that are responsible for the he althy development, flowering and yield of garden crops.

Nitrogen

Fertilizers containing nitrogen organize the construction of the cellular structure of the plant, that is, they are a source of vegetable protein, without which the growth of green mass is impossible.

Mineral nitrogen compounds are divided into five groups:

• Nitrate. These include potassium, calcium and sodium nitrate. Nitrate nitrogen fertilizers suppress the acidic soil environment and are suitable for all kinds of plants. Nitrate fertilizers can be applied at all periods of crop development, but special attention is paid to a sufficient amount of nitrogen in the soil when green ovaries are formed.

• Ammonium. Completely compensate for the lack of nitrogen in the soil, but can contribute to soil acidification, so they are applied together with chalk or lime.
• Ammonium nitrate. Universal top dressing, perfectly perceived by all garden and horticultural crops. It is introduced during the preparation of the site during the period of autumn digging or directly under the root of each seedling bush during planting.

• Amide. These include urea and urea. They can be used for foliar fertilizer, while being well accepted by both the ground and underground parts of the plant.
• Liquid form. These are ammonia water, various ammonias, anhydrous ammonia. They have a long-lasting effect, so they require fewer applications. Alternatively, they are preferred for use in suburban areas, frequent visits to which are not possible.

Most of all nitrogen is required for sandy and sandy loamy soils. Plants planted in such soils without proper pre-feeding can be easily recognized by small, dull-colored leaves, no or little side shoots, and slow growth.

Phosphoric

Phosphorus mineral additives are responsible for oxygen exchange, that is, the process of photosynthesis of seedlings. Without the participation of this element, the green mass and, first of all, the deciduous part of the crop, changes color to a darker one, and then begins to die off, stopping the growth and development of the entire plant.

Fertilizers containing large amounts of phosphorus are applied during autumn digging. Below is a list of the most popular mineral phosphate fertilizers used for most types of vegetables, flowers and berries:

• "Superphosphate".
• "Ammophos".
• "Diammophos".

• Metaphosphate Potassium.
• "Phosphorite flour".
• "Nitroammophoska".

Most common among phosphate mineral fertilizers are mixed types of dressings containing at least three components. An example of such a complex-mixed composition is "Nitroammophoska", which is perfectly absorbed by the root system of a plant during all periods of its development.

Potash

Potassium mineral fertilizers are used during dry summers or when regular watering of seedlings is not possible. Potassium sulphate is considered the best example of potash fertilizers, which, in agrotechnical instructions, is used to grow potatoes and other root crops that need moisture retention in the soil, but do not tolerate chlorine well.Examples of potassium compounds without chlorine: potassium nitrate, potash, potassium-magnesium sulfate.

Potassium chloride, the second type of these mineral fertilizers, is enthusiastically perceived by horticultural crops, but on one condition - if the soil of the cultivated area is light enough, and top dressing is carried out not on the eve of planting, but in winter.

Complex

Complex fertilizers usually include all three main nutrients, plus a few additional trace elements that increase the versatility and functionality of the preparations. Before applying mineral fertilizers of complex composition to the soil, it is necessary to assess the nature of the soil - in sandy and sandy loamy soils, complex top dressing is introduced in spring, in heavy loam - in autumn.

The simplest complex mineral fertilizers are two- and three-component sets. These are nitrogen-phosphorus, phosphorus-potassium and nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium mineral fertilizers.

Complex-mixed

For those gardeners who do not dare to completely move away from organic fertilizers, but have already appreciated the benefits of mineral supplements, special organomineral fertilizers containing humates are commercially available. This type of complex-mixed top dressing, produced in granules, maintains an optimal chemical balance of the soil and preserves the active microflora in the soil.

Pure mineral compositions of complex-mixed additives combine all the same three leading components - nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, in the formulas of a different ratio of each of the elements in relation to the others. Modern manufacturers, in an effort to maintain the purity and versatility of the composition, are trying to exclude chlorine components and other by-products of chemical reactions from combined dressings.

Examples of mineral fertilizers of complex combined composition:

• "Ammofoska".
• "Nitrophoska".
• "Diammofoska".

With the apparent similarity of the composition, the mixtures are represented by various formulas and have recommendations for use under the conditions of specific external and internal factors.

Microfertilizers

Microfertilizers are necessary to maintain a he althy state of all garden and horticultural crops, without exception, especially in the vegetative stage, which determines the yield and quality of fruits.

Mineral microfertilizers are used less widely than fertilizers containing organic derivatives. For the most part, they are not suitable for spraying plants and are applied to the soil exclusively in liquid form.

Popular mineral microfertilizers:

• boric acid;
• magnesium borate;
• iron sulfate;
• ammonium-sodium molybdate;
• potassium permanganate;
• zinc sulfate.

For each type of crop, it is desirable to select a specific composition of a multicomponent additive saturated with microelements, but relatively universal mixtures are allowed. In this case, the only nuance of feeding for different plant groups will be the observance of individual dosages.

Use of mineral fertilizers: general tips

Any types and compositions of mineral fertilizers are recommended to be applied to the soil when the seedlings recover after transplantation and actively go green, which will indicate a good rooting of the plant. In terms of time, this will be at least 20 days of the waiting period and is applied only if all the bushes in the garden are he althy and active in development.

Previously, before mineral fertilizers are applied, the soil is thoroughly moistened.If, after the process of introducing fertilizers, a film has formed on the surface of the soil, after a few hours the soil is loosened. It is very important to observe the dosage of inorganic additives, since an excess of a solution or an overestimated concentration of a diluted substance can lead to the opposite effect.

It is impossible to allow the mineral mixture to fall on the green tops of plants with the root method of fertilizing - the leaves, when in contact with such solutions, become covered with necrotic ulcers, and the flowers fall off.

Pros and cons of using mineral fertilizers in the garden

Organic fertilizers are less controversial in terms of agrotechnical use, although, on closer inspection, both their overabundance and improper use, taking into account the nature of the soil and climate, entail no less devastating consequences for the crop. The minus of mineral additives, relative to organics, is only that, if they deviate from the norms of application in the direction of increasing concentration, they tend to accumulate in the soil and change its chemical composition.

In addition, trace elements, as part of complex mineral fertilizers, with an illiterate combination, completely block the possibility of crop development and are even capable of permanently sterilizing the soil.

On the other hand, with a rational approach to mineral fertilizing, the yield of fertilized crops increases several times, the fruit is harvested earlier than the standard time, and the appearance and taste of the fruit are most consistent with the crop grade indicators.

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