What do the three numbers on a bag of fertilizer mean?

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They represent the percentages of plant nutrients by weight. Just remember “up, down and all around.” The first number represents the nitrogen, the second represents the phosphorus and the last one represents the potassium. These numbers are always expressed in the same order.

  • What is the nitrogen needed for? It’s the up. It promotes plant growth and greening thus providing more foliage, color and density.
  • What does the phosphorous do? This is the “down” number. It stimulates cell building and root growth, and is particularly beneficial in helping seedlings, flowers and vegetables to develop.
  • What does the potassium do? It assists plants in forming starches and proteins thus promoting plant hardiness, disease resistance and a tolerance to drought and cold. It’s the “all-around” number.

What does the phosphorous do?

This is the “down” number. It stimulates cell building and root growth, and is particularly beneficial in helping seedlings, flowers... More »

What does the potassium do?

It assists plants in forming starches and proteins, thus promoting plant hardiness, disease resistance and a tolerance to drought and... More »

What is a good all-around, multi-purpose fertilizer?

A 12-12-12 helps promote growth and is good for all vegetables, flowers, fruit and nut trees, shade trees, evergreens and shrubs. A 1-1-1... More »

What do numbers on electrical cable mean?

They refer to the number and types of wire inside the cable. For example, 14-2 means the cable has two 14-gauge wires inside. 12-3 G means the cable... More »

What do the teeth-per-inch numbers mean on sawblades?

The numbers indicate the number of points per inch on a saw... More »

What do the teeth per inch numbers mean on sawblades?

The numbers indicate the number of points per inch on a saw... More »

What do the numbers—such as 8-32—mean on a machine screw?

The first number is the diameter. The bigger the number the bigger the screw. The second number is the number of threads per... More »

How much ground will lawn fertilizer cover?

Lawn needs are usually based on nitrogen needs and vary from 1 to 6 pounds needed per 1,000 square feet per year. Specific amounts depend... More »

I’ve heard I need to mix both brown and green materials in my compost pile. What does this mean?

Brown ingredients are carbon-based materials, such as dried leaves. Green ingredients are nitrogen-based materials, such as fresh grass clippings.... More »

What does the R-value on insulation mean?

R refers to resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the effectiveness of the insulation. The R-value depends on the type of... More »