Understanding Fertilizer Labels
Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ in a Minute
Episode Archive
Episode #39 | Original Air Date: April 23, 2020
Related Resources
- Ask IFAS: The Florida Fertilizer Label
- Ask IFAS: Soils and Fertilizers for Master Gardeners: The Florida Gardener's Guide to Landscape Fertilizers
Transcript
If you choose to apply fertilizer, it’s important to understand the label.
The label includes a series of numbers that indicate the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, by weight. For example, a 16-4-8 fertilizer contains 16 percent nitrogen, 4 percent phosphorus, and 8 percent potassium.
The label also lists all of the other nutrients as part of the guaranteed analysis, and information about how to properly apply the product. The fertilizer label specifies if it is water soluble or controlled release, indicating if the nutrients will be available immediately to plants or slowly over time.
Remember, apply only as much fertilizer as plants need and follow UF/IFAS guidelines and any local ordinances.
Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ in a Minute is a production of the University of Florida’s Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program, IFAS Extension, and WUFT-FM in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
