Pros and cons of granular and liquid fertilizers

Pros and cons of granular and liquid fertilizers

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Theoretically, plants can&#;t tell the difference between nutrients supplied by the granular and liquid fertilizers, but they both have advantages depending on the farming application.

There are several ways to categorize fertilizers. One logical way to look at them is as &#;granulars&#; and &#;liquids.&#; For the purposes of this comparison, anhydrous ammonia (technically a liquid) will not be considered.

Dry fertilizers are generally incorporated into granules. Fertilizer blends can be created by mixing individual granular fertilizer of known analysis (e.g., 46-0-0, 18-46-0 and 0-0-60) in the proper ratio to create the desired blend. Dry fertilizers can be ground applied as a broadcast; applied at planting as a band, often placed 2 inches to the side and 2 inches below the seed (2-by-2 placement); or applied as sidedress and cultivated shallowly into the soil. When farmers have access to custom blended granular fertilizer, they can fine-tune their crop fertility program and potentially improve crop production efficiency. If all goes well, this can result in more profitable crop production.

Liquid fertilizers have greatly increased in popularity in recent years. They can be either ground applied or foliar applied. Liquids can be broadcast, used in a band application at planting and as mid-season sidedress. When foliar applied, the plant nutrients are absorbed through the leaves and are more readily available for plant use than if ground applied. However, the availability of foliar applied nutrients is short-lived and not continuous for the rest of the growing season. Foliar applications are a good way to correct mid-season deficiencies or supplement soil applied nutrients.

Although there is no difference in the total amount of nutrients supplied by either granular or liquid fertilizer for a specified plant nutrient application, there are differences:

• Spatial: The distance from plant roots to fertilizer nutrients. Less mobile nutrients like phosphorus can&#;t get closer than the individual granule containing them. In liquid form, they are more mobile in the soil water solution.
• Salt content: Granular fertilizers can be &#;hot.&#; Roots can steer away from a band of granular fertilizer that contains high levels of nitrogen and potassium. Liquids are often preferred for &#;starter.&#;
• Consistency: The nutrient content is identical in every drop of liquid fertilizer, while granulars have individual nutrient components in each granule.
• Equipment: The cost of converting equipment to handle liquid fertilizer can be an obstacle.

Here is a short list of advantages of both fertilizer types.

Liquid

• Ease of handling and application (once set up)
• Ease of blending
• Uniformity of application
• Starter and in-season application
• Blend with crop protection products

Granular

• Cheaper in bulk
• Easier to store (does not &#;settle out&#; over time or &#;salt out&#; in cold weather)
• More efficient for heavy pre-plant applications
• Slow-release options (polymer-coated urea)

Michigan State University Extension does not necessarily recommend one type of fertilizer over another. However, farmers should consider costs, ease and convenience of application, and potential plant response when making fertilizer decisions.

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Nah-nah-nana-nah-nah, hope you&#;re having real fun. If your garden is anywhere near Minnesota, and you&#;ve pledged your allegiance to only using water-soluble fertilizers (Peter&#;s, Miracle-Gro, etc.) you could have used the stuff every two weeks starting in late April and still not fertilized a (non) bloomin&#; thing. Been a little rainy.

I don&#;t want to come off as a complete granular snob &#; I use Peter&#;s to fertilize my containers, and splash it on big beds of annuals, why not? But this heretofore extremely wet season is a good example of why it&#;s hard to beat granular fertilizers scratched in around perennials, vegetables, trees and shrubs.

Water-soluble fertilizers only work so long as the water remains around the root zone. Well, plants don&#;t snort it up the second it arrives, they like to graze. Meaning that when it rains every day like it has been, the water-soluble fertilizer gets washed through the root zone, particularly of shallow-rooted annuals and perennials.

Luckily I gave my trees and shrubs the proper amount of granular fertilizer around the start of May, meaning they have been gently and purposefully fertilized during this continuing monsoon season. I could go out there right now and dump gallons of Miracid around the evergreens, and it would be history by the time the skies dump buckets of rain again tonight.

Granular fertilizers are a type of soil additive. Scratching them in with a hand claw loosens the soil, and breaks topsoil tension. The granular sits in the soil and releases a little bit of N-P-K every time the plant is watered, or after a rain. One treatment typically lasts about a month, though there are season-long, time-release granulars also available to try.

Water-soluble &#;plant food&#; is an adrenaline rush of nutrients, and like so many drugs, the effects wear off far too soon. Plants become junkies, waiting for their next hit. And if fertilizing means you have to water, as is the case with water-soluble fertilizers, what exactly do you do when your soil is too wet in the first place?

What about the benefits of &#;foliar feeding&#; touted by the water-soluble manufacturers (well, one, anyway)? There is some credence to their claims when it comes to annuals. Aside from that, the differences are negligible. Plants draw a huge majority of the nutrients they need through their roots, not their needles and leaves.

And are water-soluble fertilizers easier, more convenient that granular? I&#;ve already stated that I use them on my containers, and for big beds of annuals. Well, I&#;m picking the fertilizer type that best fits the situation. Annuals in containers need constant moisture, and aggressive feeding. There isn&#;t much soil surface after I&#;m done potting up a container. Big beds of annuals are dicey to get into, after I&#;ve planted the annuals. All these reasons make water-soluble fertilizers the best choice.

But when it come to trees, shrubs, my perennials (those that I fertilize), and your vegetables, I&#;m sold on granular fertilizers, and use both organic and synthetic.

Don Engebretson
The Renegade Gardener

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