This question came to me from a co-worker who has just started gardening. She wanted to know what I meant by a balanced fertilizer. Well, the standard definition is any fertilizer that contains equal amounts of the three basic nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. These are the 3 numbers you see on the front of a fertilizer label, such as 10-10-10 or 12-12-12. A balanced fertilizer will suffice for most plants. However most fertilizers will be some odd combination of numbers that the manufacturer thinks is right for a specific group of plants. The fact is they all supply enough of a boost for your plants, especially if you’ve taken the time to enrich your soil with organic matter.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2008) licensed to About.com, Inc.
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