A common recommendation for vegetables is to apply 1 pound of a 10-10-10 fertilizer or 2 pounds of a 5-10-5 (or 5-10-10) fertilizer per 100 feet of row.

When you shop for fertilizer you will see three numbers on the box or bag. The first number is nitrogen, the second is phosphorous, and the third is potassium. The numbers tell you the percentage of that nutrient in the bag.

Studies have found that the ideal ratio of those nutrients for flowering plants is 3-1-2. (That’s 3% Nitrogen, 1% phosphorus & 2% potassium.) So look for that ratio on the label of packaged fertilizers; anything close to a 3-1-2, a 6-2-4 or a 9-3-6 should be ideal.

These include blueberries, gardenias, rhododendrons and citrus. Plants don’t care if they get nutrients from organic or synthetic fertilizers, Miller noted. It’s all the same to them.

These fertilizers are high in nitrogen. Nitrate help plants to grow faster by encouraging formation of more & more leaves. Common Nitrates: Ammonium sulphate, Ammonium chloride, Calcium-ammonium nitrate, Urea.

A balanced fertilizer is a fertilizer which has three numbers which are about the same, like a 10-10-10. The problem with balanced fertilizers is that they are much higher in phosphorus than what most plants need — at least in relation to the amount of nitrogen and potassium which plants need.

You can use rose fertilizer on vegetables and other plants. It’s known as rose fertilizer because it often has an (NPK) combination that’s suitable for roses, such as the 4:3:2 in Rose Tone. But with the right amounts, this combination would still be sufficient for vegetables.

Rose growers, in particular, are strong advocates for using Epsom salts. They claim it not only makes the foliage greener and lusher, but it also produces more canes and more roses. For ongoing rose care, mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts per gallon of water and apply as a foliar spray.

Generally speaking, the best time to fertilize landscape plants is around the time they begin to grow actively. The worst time to fertilize plants is at the end of their growing season. Trees, for example, begin to wake up and grow in early spring, and typically are fertilized once in February or March.

Quite a few plants, including trees, shrubs and most perennials, will be fine without it. Fertilizer is sometimes described as “plant food,” but that’s a misconception: Plants make their own food through photosynthesis. In nature, plants absorb these nutrients from the soil, and good soil always is the best source.

Plants need to be fertilized because most soil does not provide the essential nutrients required for optimum growth. It took nutrients from the soil to build those plant tissues. By fertilizing your garden, you replenish lost nutrients and ensure that this year’s plants have the food they need to flourish.

NPK stands for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium which are three of the most important nutrients required by plants. The numbers following NPK are the percent amounts of each nutrient. An NPK value of 10-5-5 means that the fertilizer contains 10% nitrogen, 5% phosphorus and 5% potassium.

Apply the first spring application when new growth begins and the second application 30 days later. Apply the first fall application after the grass’s fast summer growth slows and the second application 30 days later. Mow your lawn three days prior to spreading the fertilizer.

You need to break the total amount into several applications, applying about 1/2 to 1 pound of actual nitrogen each time. Apply any more than that, and you may burn the lawn. Any less, and you don’t get much effect. You can add some slow-release fertilizers in larger amounts.