What is the Advantage and Disadvantage of NPK Compound Fertilizer

The use of chemical fertilizers was very favorable for a long time. In fact, according to the FAO, more than 40% of today’s population would not exist if such fertilizers had not been used. For example, the famine and population decline that North Korea suffered in the 20th century was due to the fact that its neighbor and ally, the USSR, stopped providing any kind of fertilizer.

Check now

As we can see, fertilizers are very necessary, especially today with the amount of people we are, we could not supply ourselves in any other way. Therefore, chemical fertilizers, being used in intensive agriculture, are the most popular. But it is important to bear in mind that a bad use of this type of fertilizer, or an excess of it, can cause severe problems in the long term.

What are chemical fertilizers?

They are those compounds made artificially from minerals and gasses, created through a chemical process, as their name indicates. On the one hand, there are simple fertilizers, those containing a single nutrient, such as nitrogen, potassium or phosphorus. They are used when only one nutrient is to be added or a higher concentration of another is required.

On the other hand, there are compound fertilizers, made up of several or all of the main nutrients, such as NPK fertilizers. These are used to obtain the best yields or to provide the soil with a better quality of life.

Goto Lvwang Ecological Fertilizer to know more.

Advantages of chemical fertilizers

If chemical fertilizers are used, it is because of the multiple advantages obtained. These are:

• Quick solution to problems: as they act in the short term, this type of fertilizers are very useful in critical situations, when plants do not seem to be developing properly or when there is a shortage of food due to crop erosion.
• Soil adjustment: whether the soil has a very high or low acidity level, it can be adjusted with chemicals to get the most out of it.
• Increased productivity: the goal of using these chemicals is to get more, better and bigger food. With nitrogen or potassium, injected directly into the soil, you get the best vegetables.
• Low costs: compared to the other more natural options available, such as organic or bio fertilizers, chemical fertilizers have lower costs, but only when using those with only one main nutrient (compound fertilizers are more expensive).

Disadvantages of chemical fertilizers

It is mainly their excessive use that gives chemical fertilizers a bad reputation. The consecuentes of the overuse of chemicals are as follows:

In conjunction with terms such as fertilizer, garden, plant nutrients, etc., the letters NPK or the term NPK value always come up. What do these obviously important terms mean and what kind of influence do they have on beautiful, healthy flowers and robust and (or) high-yielding plants?

The letters are the chemical symbols for the three major components of NPK mineral fertilizers (compound fertilizers, complete fertilizers):

„N“ is the chemical symbol for nitrogen. Nitrogen takes on an array of different functions in the plant and is therefore particularly important. Mainly, it is responsible for plant growth and regeneration. If there is too little nitrogen present, the plants do not grow sufficiently and any yield decreases. An excess, however, has several disadvantages: it leads to delayed flowering and fruit ripening; plant tissue becomes very soft and therefore less stable; and eventually, diseases and pests are more likely, which is what leads to a reduction in yield.

The letter „P“ refers to Phosphorus, which is also a main nutritional element in plants. The essential functions of phosphorus care for the transmission and storage of chemical energy, as well as root formation. In addition, it is essential for photosynthesis. Thus, phosphorus is helpful from the beginning, meaning that it supports the seed, for example, during fertilization. But also later during the blooming period. A lack of phosphorus causes plants to remain small and stunted and stalks to remain thin. What's more, the leaves turn color, the roots hardly grow and flowering is delayed. In contrast, a (rarely occurring) excess of phosphorus damages the plants indirectly, by reducing the amount of trace elements available.

The letter „K“ stands for Potassium, the third essential nutrient. This material provides for water absorption and thus for an appropriate balance of water in the plant. That also leads to strong plant tissue and a high resilience and resistance. At the same time, it promotes resistance to diseases, extreme weather conditions, such as the cold, etc. A lack of potassium makes the plant become limp and impairs formation of the root. In addition, the plant transpires more during dry periods and takes less water. Too much potassium causes a disadvantageous concentration of salt and thus a reduced intake of positive nutrients, such as magnesium, etc. In addition to the three main nutritional elements mentioned above, which are present in large quantities in NPK fertilizer, plants still need other important nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and sulfur, and trace elements (copper, zinc, iron, etc.) for growth and the formation of biomass. Therefore, these are also found in fertilizers, but only in smaller amounts.

Since not all plants have the same nutritional needs, there are NPK fertilizers with different compositions. That is, the specific material that is especially important for the plant is present in the fertilizer at a higher percentage or in a greater concentration.The different compositions are distinguishable from each other by a series of numbers on the product, the so-called NPK value.

For example, green plants benefit from a fertilizer with a value of 7-3-6 (7% nitrogen, 3% phosphorus and 6% potassium) or 14-8-20, whereas for flowering plants that require an increased amount of phosphorus, for example, a 7-8-6 or 6-8-7 fertilizer is recommended. The ratio of nutrients to each other is important because the nutrient concentrations are very different, changing the frequency with which you have to fertilize.

Note: The numerical values and the nutrient ratios are meant as guidelines - not more. Following the guidelines strictly and rigidly is neither necessary nor possible because you cannot know the precise needs of the plant anyway. You know just as little about the content of the substrate, in which the plant is growing. For this reason, a preemptive soil analysis is sometimes recommended.. It can help us to learn exactly how the soil is composed and what nutrients might be missing. NPK fertilizer should be used primarily when the plant needs very many nutrients. This especially the case in the growth phase, but is not limited there. The reason for this is the fact that many soils and substrates at that time have a lack of Phosphor, Potassium & Co. or do not receive these nutrients over the course of time, insufficiently providing for good and sufficient plant growth.

NPK fertilizers are available in solid (micro granules, granules) and liquid form. For plants it is actually irrelevant what fertilizer you choose, as long as the composition is the same. Nevertheless, both types have advantages and disadvantages:



Solid NPK fertilizer delivers its nutrients slowly. Thus, it has a long-term effect, which many horticulturalists appreciate. Rain does not wash it out of the ground as fast. Thus, it is ideal for outdoors. This kind of fertilizer is usually administered to the plants through the so-called process of top-dressing, which means that the product is sprinkled evenly over the entire surface of the soil and not worked into it. Deep fertilization is only preferable for deep-rooted plants (such as fruit bearing plants and trees) in order to supply the roots with more speed and effectiveness. Using solid fertilizer also raises the question of point fertilization.

Liquid NPK fertilizer is mostly used with potted plants and rarely with outdoor cultures. Then, both the watering method (liquid fertilizer is added to the water) and point fertilization, which supplies selected individual plants, come into question. Another method is the so-called foliar fertilization method (onto the underside of plant leaves), which is only recommended for a few plants (e.g. orchid and tillandsia).



Conclusion: Compound fertilizers (NPK) have, apart from the slightly higher price, many advantages. They are easy to use and rich in nutrients; they should be used where there is a specific lack of all the main nutrients. If that is not the case, you can also use binary fertilizers or nitrate fertilizers. These have only two (e.g. potassium and magnesium) or even just one essential nutrient (e.g. nitrogen) and are therefore often not as expensive as NPK fertilizers.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of NPK Compound Fertilizer. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.