A quick guide to: NPK fertiliser and why your plants need it -

NPK fertilisers are the initials of the essential chemical elements that make up plant foods.

N – Nitrogen

P – Phosphorous

K – Potassium

They are vital for healthy plant growth, but not always readily available in the soil. Some soils are deficient in one or more element and need some extra help, and certain plants require exceptionally high levels of an element.

Range

To make the most of your plants, there’s a range of NPK fertilisers available with different ratios of each element. This means you can tailor the fertiliser to the specific needs of your garden, saving time and money.

The percentage levels of each element present in the fertiliser are indicated by three numbers, representing the N-P-K in that order.

For instance, a balanced fertiliser for general purpose usage will read 5-5-5, which is an equal 5% of each element.  A high nitrogen fertiliser would be shown as 12-5-5, and high potassium would be 5-5-12.