How to tell real fertilizer from fake? Keep these methods in mind
As the saying goes: "Fool the land for a moment, and the land fools you for a year." Once farmers buy and use fake or inferior chemical fertilizers, the losses caused are hard to make up for, which both dampens farmers' enthusiasm and harms farmers' interests. Below are the common methods for identifying real and fake fertilizers: Visual inspection First look at the fertilizer packaging. The fertilizer packaging bag must indicate the product name, nutrient content (grade), trademark, net weight, standard code, factory name and address, contact phone number, production license number and fertilizer registration number, etc. If the above markings are absent or incomplete and the packaging is rather rough, it may be fake or inferior compound fertilizer. Pay special attention to fertilizers whose packaging bag seals show obvious signs of being opened; this phenomenon may indicate adulteration. In addition, pay attention to the production date on the production certificate inside the fertilizer bag. If fertilizer is stored for too long, the total nutrients will be lost. Second, look at the fertilizer's granule size (or crystalline state). High-quality fertilizer has relatively uniform granule size and specific gravity, a smooth surface, and is not prone to absorbing moisture or caking, while fake and inferior fertilizer is exactly the opposite, with uneven granule sizes, a rough surface, high moisture, and easy caking. Third, look at the fertilizer's color. High-quality fertilizer has very uniform color, with no obvious color difference, and the entire granule is uniform from the inside out. Most fake fertilizer, however, is colored on the surface and easily loses its color.
As the saying goes: "Fool the land for a moment, and the land fools you for a year." Once farmers buy and use fake or inferior chemical fertilizers, the losses caused are hard to make up for, which both dampens farmers' enthusiasm and harms farmers' interests. Below are the common methods for identifying real and fake fertilizers:
Visual inspection First look at the fertilizer packaging. The fertilizer packaging bag must indicate the product name, nutrient content (grade), trademark, net weight, standard code, factory name and address, contact phone number, production license number and fertilizer registration number, etc. If the above markings are absent or incomplete and the packaging is rather rough, it may be fake or inferior compound fertilizer. Pay special attention to fertilizers whose packaging bag seals show obvious signs of being opened; this phenomenon may indicate adulteration. In addition, pay attention to the production date on the production certificate inside the fertilizer bag. If fertilizer is stored for too long, the total nutrients will be lost. Second, look at the fertilizer's granule size (or crystalline state). High-quality fertilizer has relatively uniform granule size and specific gravity, a smooth surface, and is not prone to absorbing moisture or caking, while fake and inferior fertilizer is exactly the opposite, with uneven granule sizes, a rough surface, high moisture, and easy caking. Third, look at the fertilizer's color. High-quality fertilizer has very uniform color, with no obvious color difference, and the entire granule is uniform from the inside out. Most fake fertilizer, however, is colored on the surface and easily loses its color.
Hand feel Grab a handful of fertilizer and squeeze it hard several times. Fertilizer with an "oily and moist" feel is relatively reliable in quality. Fertilizer that stays dry as before is very likely fake or inferior fertilizer.
Dissolution Put fertilizer granules into a small amount of water. After some time, you can judge based on how the fertilizer dissolves. Good-quality fertilizer granules will absorb water, swell, spread out, and dissolve; after shaking, the dissolution is stable with almost no residue. Fake and inferior fertilizer is the opposite of the above: it dissolves poorly and shows residue.
Burning The burning method is one of the simple methods for judging whether fertilizer is real or fake and for identifying whether its concentration is high or low. Heat or burn fertilizer granules, and identify the fertilizer's quality from the melting situation, smoke, smell of the smoke, and residue. After heating, fertilizer will bubble, melt, smoke, and give off an ammonia smell, and the granules will become smaller; the higher the concentration, the less residue. High-quality high-concentration fertilizer burns completely, with almost no residue. Conversely, fertilizer that cannot burn, or that can burn but has no ammonia smell, is very likely fake fertilizer.