18-18-18 fertilizer is a water-soluble and granular fertilizer that contains an equal ratio of Nitrogen (18%), Potassium (18%), and Phosphorus (18%). But do you know what is 18-18-18 fertilizer used for?
This fertilizer is used to ideally grow vegetables, flowers, ornamentals, and fruit trees. The main reason for its popularity is the presence of growth initiation macronutrients in it. This article contains complete information regarding the use of 18-18-18 fertilizers and their benefits for your garden.
Stay tuned if you need complete information regarding this fertilizer, its application, and where to find it.
What Is 18-18-18 Fertilizer Used for
The 18-18-18 fertilizer works best on vegetables, flowers, ornamentals, and fruit trees. You can easily use this fertilizer for the increased growth of fruit trees such as citrus. You can also use it to grow sugar beets, tomatoes, eggplant, potato, pepper, and other leafy vegetables. If you have fruit in your garden, you need to use 18-18-18 fertilizer on your fruits to make them grow healthy.
There are different types of fertilizers available in the market that you can find in the market; some are soluble in water, and you can use them for soil and foliar applications. You can easily use this fertilizer for fruit trees and vegetables in the fruiting stages. There is an equal and balanced ratio of NPK in this fertilizer.
This ideal ratio is perfect for healthy leaves, better root systems, branches, and overall health of this fertilizer. Nitrogen is essential for better metabolic reactions of plants by helping in photosynthesis, respiration, and nitrogen fixation. It also ensures proper leaf growth and makes protein, DNA, amino acids, and nucleic acids for the plants.
Phosphorus helps maintain the ATP structure of the plant. It also helps in supporting the root and shoot of the plant. Potassium is another essential fertilizer component; it helps move water, nutrients, and other carbohydrates through the plants. It dissolves in water easily and is readily absorbed from the soil.
Is 18-18-18 Fertilizer Good for Lawns
The 18-18-18 fertilizer contains a unique NPK ratio and is perfect for plant growth. It helps in thriving the grass and providing a lush green lawn. Even if it contains all the essential nutrients for perfect growth, that does not mean you can add this fertilizer anywhere. You must check if it contains the proper nutrients for the perfect lawn growth, as an extra amount can damage the lawn.
If the available nutrients in the grass are insufficient, it will not grow as it should. You will damage your lawn badly if you are not careful with how much fertilizer you use. You can also check the nutrients present in the soil and then add them according to the requirement. After you test the soil, you need to check the information panel of the selected fertilizer and check if the NPK ratio is enough for the proper growth.
Where to Buy 18-18-18 Fertilizer
There are different types of local lawn and garden stores where you can find this 18-18-18 fertilizer. You can also ask them some basic questions about this product and ensure reading all the package instructions before applying for it. If the instructions on the packaging are unclear to you, you can also look it up online to find out the precise procedure for fertilizing your grass.
This fertilizer is available for purchase on a variety of websites, such as Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and several more. You can write about the product and get your answer immediately. You can also source it with the help of other gardeners or gardening shops near your house. These websites will also give free delivery and help you save some money.
How to Apply 18-18-18 Fertilizer
You can apply the 18-18-18 fertilizer by spreading this fertilizer in the form of granules or as liquid as you water the plants. You can also use fertilizer spikes as, in some cases, gardeners add them, and they prove to be highly effective. Spikes release into the soil speedily, but if you add granules or liquid, they are slow-releasing and stay in the soil longer than the spikes.
To apply this fertilizer, you need to follow these steps.
- Before planting a new sapling into the soil with fewer nutrients, you need to add some granules or triple 18 fertilizer. It will help the plant grow properly and maintain health.
- When you plant the sapling, add the water-soluble option of the tripe 18 fertilizer. After this, you must ensure enough water is available to soak this fertilizer and ensure that the fertilizer is highly absorbed.
- Another way to give this fertilizer is by making a water-soluble powder of these fertilizers. When you add this powdered fertilizer, it ensures good growth. But you can also end up burning your leaves.
- If you want to enhance fertilizer growth in your garden, you can try different methods. However, it is best to use this triple 18 fertilizer after the transplantation.
Is 18-18-18 Fertilizer Good for Flowers
You cannot say that triple 18 fertilizer is a terrible flower fertilizer, but it is also not the best. Flowers need minimal potassium and phosphorus, and this fertilizer contains very high amounts. It causes a lot of phosphors to be lost in soil leaching, and it causes pollution in the environment. The triple 18 fertilizer is not ideal for flower beds as they are sensitive and don’t need these macronutrients in large amounts.
Phosphorus and potassium of 18 ratios are very high for their proper growth. You need to look for 3-1-2 amounts of fertilizer to grow your flowers healthily. Flowers grow healthy in a 3-1-2 fertilizer ratio; you can also say that the nutrient they need the most is nitrogen.
They need nitrogen in higher amounts as compared to the other nutrients. Phosphorus should be the lowest, and potassium must be second in number. When you adjust the ratio in such a way, you can use NPK for flower beds, but triple 18 is intolerable.
How Much 18-18-8 Fertilizer Should You Use
You must use a pound of triple fertilizer on every 300 square feet of your vegetable garden. It adds to the nutrition; you don’t need to worry about over-fertilizing. You need to fertilize the soil with triple 18 fertilizer before planting. You can then repeat this process after 2 to 4 weeks before harvesting these fertilizers.
Adding 1 pound of this fertilizer is enough for 300 square feet, and you can grow your vegetables by adding them once per month during the growing season of these vegetables. If you use a lot of fertilizer, this can increase the dryness in your plants. That’s why you need to monitor your garden after applying this fertilizer.
Monitoring the garden after applying this fertilizer is powerful as it contains nitrogen in high content. Using too much can also burn the plants. If you notice your plants’ leaves turning brown, plants are burning and will dry after 2 weeks of fertilizing. If you see any such conditions, you need to stop inserting the fertilizer and give enough water to your plants to wash some fertilizer.
Final Thoughts: What Are the Uses of 18-18-18 Fertilizer
If you want to grow your plants healthily, you need this fertilizer. Different types of fertilizers are available in the market, which differs because of their difference in NPK ratio. This article contains complete information on triple 18 ratio fertilizer. If you think you need this ratio for your plant, this article will help you add this fertilizer along with other necessary information. In this way, you can fertilize your lawn effectively!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will 18-18-18 Fertilizer Help Plants Grow Properly?
Fertilizers help plants grow correctly, and Triple 18 is also a fertilizer. You need it for the growth of the plants. All plants need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, more or less. That’s why, when you add this triple 18 fertilizer into the soil, the nutrients will start to fill in the soil’s deficiencies, help the plants grow correctly, and add nutrition.
2. Is 18-18-18 Fertilizer Good for Lemon Trees?
Lemon trees need nitrogen in high amounts. You need a fertilizer that contains a high nitrogen ratio, but there is also a limit to that nitrogen ratio. An ideal NPK fertilizer should not be more than triple 8 to 6. Triple 18 is much more than 8 or 6. Some gardeners say that triple 18 is suitable for more citrus plants so that you can use it for lemon trees, but asking some experts is also essential.
3. Should I Use 18-18-18 Fertilizer for My Indoor Plants?
It is effective to use triple 18 fertilizer for indoor plants, but only after careful consideration. First, check the needs of your plant then apply this fertilizer in a dilute form and the required amount.