Potassiumplays a central function in flora chemistry and physiology , specifically with the movement of water , nutrient uptake , and saccharide content within plants .
As such , if your land lack potassium , your plant may grow stunted and have reduced takings . This is why you need to have it away fertilizers that are high in potassium .
Fertilizer that is high in potassium are lucerne ( Medicago sativa ) , bat guano , incinerate cucumber skins , clay ( illite ) , compost , granite detritus , greensand , kelp , manure , sawdust , soybean repast , sulfate of potassium hydroxide magnesia , and Sir Henry Wood ash .
This article will provide you with everything you need to know about the benefit of potassium for plants , what fertilizers are gamy in potassium , how to apply them , and more interesting information . understand further for more !
Table of Contents
What Does Potassium Do For Plants?
atomic number 19 is an essential macronutrient that helps in plant life outgrowth . It is associated with water movement , nutrient consumption , and carbohydrates found in plant tissue .
For perennial harvest , potassium helps them establish resistance to get through the winter time of year . Other role include increase source growth , improving drought resistance , and reducing the risk of disease .
Do I Need a High Potassium Fertilizer?
It depends on your soil . This is why gardeners demand to transmit land tests before proceeding with fertilization . If your grime is insufficient in K , you would need to apply a fertiliser that has eminent sum of it .
Why Do Plants Need Potassium?
works need K for industrial plant outgrowth and to achieve optimum yield . Soils usually control 20,000 share per million of potassium , but only modest amounts are promptly available for plant at any given time . This is why we must supplement this using plant food , especially if the grime is lacking .
How Do I Know When My Plants Need Potassium?
You would know this when you guide a soil test , but you’re able to also tell by appearance alone . K - substandard plants are droop or wilted and have an overall stocky show .
Leaf blade are small and may be coloured to blueish - green since the growth of young leaves is inhibit . Some flora may have blotchy or reverse V - shaped greensickness on their older farewell .
What Fertilizer Is High in Potassium?
Alfalfa (Lucerne)
Alfalfa , a variety of legume , is often dehydrated and flex into a meal or shot to use often as animal feed . It can also be used as a dirt amendment since it increase organic content and offers high availableness of trace minerals and triacontanol , a natural growth stimulant .
The distinctive psychoanalysis for alfalfa is 3 - 2 - 1 or 2 - 1 - 2 . However , its potassium content can reach as high as 3 % . It is pronto useable at feed storehouse and has a slow release prison term of 1 to 4 months . One disadvantage is that it may still take tincture seeds from the plant life .
Bat Guano
Bat guano is an agricultural fertilizer used since the nineteenth century and is made from bat excrement that is turn into pellets . Although it is considered a natural nitrogen-bearing fertilizer , it also offer a little amount of atomic number 19 . Specifically , it has an NPK analysis of 8 - 5 - 1.5 .
Burned Cucumber Skins
These brown , roasted Robert Peel of cucumbers are write out into several small small-arm and added directly into the dirt as a instinctive informant of both daystar and potassium . It can also be dry out out under the sun , burnt , pulverise , and turned into ash tree before applying as fertiliser or compost .
Burned cucumber vine skin have a whopping NPK analysis of 0 - 11 - 27 . That ’s the highest amount of potassium on this listing , and it ’s also a very inexpensive choice .
Clay (Illite)
Clay that contains illite is rich in potassium and can even be used as an active constituent to produce potassium - nitrogen fertilizers and K chloride . It usually contains 3.5 % to 8.3 % potassium , which is importantly higher compared to Lucius DuBignon Clay containing kaolinite .
Compost
Compost is considered a soil amendment rather of fertilizer since its chief office are to loosen up the grunge , ameliorate its drain and ventilation , and increase its nutrient - hold capacity . The organic matter present in compost provides food for fishing worm and beneficial microorganisms to fly high .
There is about 1.13 % to 2 % atomic number 19 found in compost since most of it is strip when compost absorbs water , foreshorten as much as 25 % of potassium tier . To provide 10 % potassium , you would need to apply 70 quid of compost per 1,000 square feet of horticulture expanse , but this is costly .
Granite Dust
As the name suggests , granite debris is made from humiliated granite . Although it is used in construction and engine room , it is a undecomposed source of daystar and potassium , but its nourishing handiness is slow - releasing . However . it is most commonly used as soil amendment instead of fertilizer . The NPK psychoanalysis of granite dust is 0 - 1 - 6 .
Greensand
Greensandis formed in shallow marine seas and is mostly composed of a unique mineral scream glauconite . It increases the body of water retention and nutritive - uptake capacity of soils . In the past , it was used as an cheap plant food , but today , it is considered more of a ground conditioner .
virginal glauconite alone contains up to 8 % atomic number 19 and modest amounts of trace element . Since greensand also contains non - beneficial constituent , its potassium content may fall between 0.1 % to 7 % . It is the ideal fertiliser to use for organic factory farm when your soil want a born source of K .
Kelp
Kelp is available as a repast or pulverisation ( which contains polished seaweed ) and is used mainly as a root of touch mineral . It is often combined with fish - found fertilizers , such as fish meal and Pisces the Fishes emulsion , to enhance industrial plant growth .
In meal form , kelp has undistinguished amounts of potassium as well as atomic number 7 and atomic number 15 and has , therefore , no NPK analytic thinking . In powdered class , it has an NPK analytic thinking of 1 - 0.1 - 2 or 1 - 0 - 4 . It has a speedy release time of up to 1 calendar month .
Manure
Livestock fauna can excrete 80 % to 90 % of the atomic number 19 that is feed to them . For example , if you eat your oxen with 100 Akko of corn , they can produce manure with enough potassium content to fertilize 75 acres of planting expanse . Potassium in manure is piss - soluble , making it readily usable for plants to absorb .
Sawdust
compost sawdust , to be specific , is a respectable source of nitrogen , Lucifer , and atomic number 19 . Pure sawdust should not be used as plant food since it does not carry any significant amount of substantive macronutrients that can help in industrial plant growth . Composted sawdust contains 0.017 % of K .
Soybean Meal
Although used mainly as an animate being provender product , soya bean meal is grow by heating , flaking , and ground soya . It is promptly uncommitted at feed stores and is considered a sluggish - release N fertilizer , but it has considerable total of potassium .
The distinctive NPK psychoanalysis for soybean meal is 7 - 2 - 1 or 7 - 1 - 2 . It must not be applied at the time of planting since it can suppress seminal fluid germination . alas , almost half of the conventionally raise soy in the market are GMOs .
Sulfate of Potash Magnesia
Also ring potassium - magnesium sulfate , this type of plant food hold in about 22 % phosphate and is of course hap as the mineral , langbeinite , which is usually add together to commercial fertilizer . The sulphate of potash magnesia is an fantabulous seed of both water - soluble potassium and magnesium .
Wood Ash
Wood ash is a skillful reference of soluble K , but is not recommend to be consistently used as fertilizer or ground amendment because they raise the pH levels of soil speedily and can become acid . Unless you need your pH levels modified , apply wood ash tree sparingly .
The modal wood ash tree has an NPK depth psychology of 0 - 1 - 3 . However , it can give concentration of up to 5 % , along with other factor such as calcium , Mg , and sulfur .
How to Use High Potassium Fertilizer?
Organic Fertilizers – https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/234.pdf
Greensand as a Soil Amendment – https://ucanr.edu/sites/nm/files/76652.pdf
Potassium for crop production – https://extension.umn.edu/phosphorus-and-potassium/potassium-crop-production
Compost Use and Soil Fertility – https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/compost-use-soil-fertility
