Fast-acting chemical fertilizer means good fertilizer? A full breakdown of each element's role

Many farmer friends today judge the quality of a fertilizer by whether it acts quickly. This is a very serious misconception about fertilizing; in fact, it is quite the opposite, fast-acting does not necessarily mean good fertilizer. The speed at which a fertilizer acts is related to the content of each element, the application method, the fertilizer type and so on, but generally speaking, a fertilizer that only pursues immediate effect will certainly cause damage to crop growth in other ways.

1. Fast-acting does not necessarily mean good fertilizer

This mentality of pursuing quick results is caused by the majority of farmer friends lacking fertilizer knowledge and having a relatively low level of cultivation. Although some fertilizers have good effects, because their effects appear slowly and cannot produce immediate results, they are often neglected by farmers who think their effects are poor. Meanwhile, some fertilizers with high hormone content or mainly based on nitrogen are favored by many farmers because they act quickly.

Generally speaking, the fertilizer effect periods of chemical fertilizer products are as follows (for reference only):

Ammonium bicarbonate acts the same day, with a fertilizer effect period of 15 days;

Ammonium chloride acts in three days, with a fertilizer effect period of 25 days, and fertilizer deficiency in the later stage;

Urea acts in seven days, with a fertilizer effect period of 45 days;

Compound fertilizer acts in ten days, with a fertilizer effect period of 90 days;

Biological fertilizer generally acts in about one month, and its effect is not very obvious on crops with long growth cycles, but its fertilizer effect can last 6-8 months;

Hormone-type substances themselves do not have much nutrition and do not provide much practical help for increasing yield; fertilizers need long-term supply, and it is best to apply them in proportions according to the physiological characteristics of the crop at each stage. There is no need to blindly pursue quick results.

2. Inferior fertilizers have a big impact

In order to cater to the “quick effect” mentality of vegetable farmer friends, many illegal manufacturers add excessive hormone-type substances to water-flush fertilizer and reduce the content of nutrient elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, putting the cart before the horse. This kind of hormone fertilizer can take effect 1 to 2 days after being applied by flushing, and the surface effect is very obvious. For example: leaves and stems grow rapidly, fruits expand quickly, and there are many fruits. Vegetable farmer friends then think this is a fertilizer with a very obvious effect, a “good fertilizer”. As a result, after continuous use 2-3 times, they will find that the lower leaves of the plant turn yellow, the stems are thin and weak, and the fruit growth is poor. The normal growth period of the vegetable and the fruit picking period are severely shortened. This is the consequence of abusing hormones.

Few farmers notice that after application, this kind of fertilizer often causes problems such as excessive vegetative growth, poor flower bud differentiation and premature aging of crops, and instead reduces the overall yield. Especially for a product like biological fertilizer, after being applied to the soil, the strains need a process to adapt to the soil environment and reproduce. If the temperature is relatively low, the effect will be slower, but it cannot be considered a bad fertilizer for this reason. Some crops, after using biological fertilizer, even show poorer early growth than those using normal fertilizer, especially wheat and some vegetables that need transplanting. What is the reason for this?

Crop growth follows a pattern: only with deep roots can there be lush leaves. Roots form in the early stage, stems grow in the middle stage, and fruits form in the late stage. If fertilization is unreasonable or hormones are used, then when the roots should be growing, the stems and leaves grow excessively and the root system weakens. No matter how vigorous the stems and leaves are, it is only an appearance, and the result will only be premature aging and death of the crop. What we pursue is yield and quality, not stems and leaves. Many people now complain: my crops are growing so vigorously, other people's crops are only average, why is my yield not as high as theirs? Then you should think about your own fertilizing problem.

In short, when choosing fertilizers, we cannot judge the quality of a product solely by growth vigor. We must understand that the ultimate goal is yield and quality. A fertilizer that can increase yield and ensure quality is a good fertilizer.

3. Four methods of deep fertilization

When chemical fertilizers are applied to the soil for crops to absorb, their utilization rate is generally not high. For example, the utilization rate of nitrogen fertilizer by rice is about 50%, and the utilization rate of phosphate fertilizer is 20%-30%. If deep fertilization is adopted, the fertilizer utilization rate can be greatly improved and fertilizer loss reduced. The characteristic of deep fertilization is to apply fertilizer deep into the plow layer, where it is slowly absorbed and used by crops. There are four methods of deep fertilization:

(1) Deep application during field plowing

This is one way of deep application as base fertilizer. The method is to drain the field water until it is nearly dry before plowing, then evenly spread the fertilizer on the field surface, then plow and harrow level, and afterward transplant rice seedlings.

(2) Deep application on the surface layer

This is another way of deep application as base fertilizer. The method is, after the last plowing before transplanting rice seedlings, to spread the fertilizer on the field surface, then harrow the field and transplant rice seedlings.

(3) Deep application of ball fertilizer

This is one way of topdressing. The method is to make chemical fertilizer, fertilizer mud and water into ball fertilizer in a certain proportion, each weighing about 100 grams. For topdressing, one ball fertilizer is inserted into the middle of every 4 rice seedlings, at a depth of 7-10 cm.

(4) Deep application of liquid

This is also another way of topdressing. The method is to prepare chemical fertilizer or farmyard manure with water into a fertilizer liquid, then apply it into the soil with a fertilizer applicator, preferably to a depth of about 10 cm. The main methods of deep fertilization for rice are the above. Among them, deep application of ball fertilizer has the best effect, and for deep fertilization, topdressing is preferable.