Fertilizer: don't call it plant food

89.3 WRKF Baton Rouge | By Dan Gill

Published February 27, 2016 at 5:17 AM EST

February, March, and April are popular months to fertilize. There's some real confusion about what fertilizers are and why we use them. That confusion comes about because of the terms we use, such as "plant food" and we're "feeding" them.

Instead, fertilizer contains the elements the plants need to make food. Scientists have found there are 13 elements in the soil needed by plants to grown healthy. The elements used in the greatest quantities are nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.

Louisiana News

Dan Gill

Dan is an Associate Professor in Consumer Horticulture with the LSU AgCenter. He is the spokesperson for the LSU AgCenter’s "Get It Growing project," an effort encouraging home horticulture throughout Louisiana. Dan is also author of "Month-by-Month Gardening in Louisiana" and co-author of the "Louisiana Gardener’s Guide."

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