Why you should NEVER use a 10-10-10 balanced NPK fertilizer

Learn to fertilize correctly with the right NPK. Don't waste money on a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer.

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Why you should NEVER use a 10-10-10 balanced NPK fertilizer

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[Devilcity]

Using 10 - 10-10 for years, plants grow very well and very satisfied.

[williampalchak]

I've used multiple blends, for multiple applications, over the past 40+ years. Best all round results came from 10-10-10 in both the northeast and gulf coast. Compost and manure is the way to go, but not always practical.

[timothywolfenden]

This fertilizer is awesome....10-10- 10 is gold!

[tjcihlar]

There are plenty of nutrients and minerals in every soil. The amount of soluble nutrients might be small, but if you have healthy bacteria and fungi in the soil, they will unlock those nutrients.

[ricoproia]

I have used 10-10-10 in my gardening for years. Never had any problems. Also when watering I use miracle grow liquid . My plants love it and My neighbors are always impressed.

[dvrmte]

My soil is generally low in all nutrients. I use 10-10-10 as a preplant fertilzer for field corn.The potash and phosphorus isn't needed at sidedressing so I use a nitrogen only fertilizer. Other vegetables generally get diammonium phosphate and potassium sulfate preplant, with a sidedressing of nitrogen if needed.
Most of garden also gets an inch or two of compost yearly. 1/4 is always planted in a cover crop.

[destinyblankenship]

I've used 10-10-10 fertilizer for the last 30 years never had a problem

[MoebiusUK]

My container grown Miracle Berry plants do very well in with 13-13-13 citrus fertiliser. The substrate is a 50:50 peatmoss and perlite mix, which is quite acidic.

[jcribbdvm]

There is an enormous amount of misinformation and/or suppression of valid information everywhere drowning out any source of simple, proven, rational and contemplative information, that it is beyond daunting for anyone trying to make sense of it all. Thank you for holding the line while giving us hope along w great gardening advice.

[shawnbottom]

"If you can't measure it, you can't improve it." The best answer is to test your soil. Even when taking an organic approach, the "wrong" compost and manure sources can leave your garden high in phosphate too, which happened to me. Started testing my soil, and my garden has never been better. I've improved what material sources I use for compost and supplement with fertilzer based on what samples tell me.

[hkulqop]

I'm also a very long time (Southern hemisphere) gardener, and have tried various products during that time. Lived in three different regions, one cold, one wet and the other dry - where I am now. Each region had diffrent soil types hence different requirements. Some years were good and some not so. About 12 years ago we had a couple of devestating earthquakes which bought tons of liquifaction to the surface. It appears to have contained years and years of nutrients. For three years I had fantastic crops, without adding anything other than compost. I do home composting. Two years ago I used sheep pellet and chicken manure mix for the first time mixed in with the compost. Crops were reasonable. I put it on again for this season. Takes a while to break down but now I have huge croping. Too much for me and family, also distribute to some neighbours and the rest goes to the homeless mission.

[darthvadorskates]

Amazing how many people don’t even think before they post. Plants like all living things require different vitamins and minerals for optimal health, growth, and productivity. Just because 10-10-10 “works for you” does not mean you’re providing an optimal environment for your plants to grow and thrive. Also, just like every person is different, so are plants as well soil types and conditions.

[DamBevers]

When growing plants, there are always multiple factors that determine what the ideal fertiliser is. I garden for a hobby, so not an expert, but I can say that each gardener should familiarise themselves with all the relevant factors. You mentioned doing a soil test, which is great. The climate. The permeability of the earth, drainage, and whether the good earth is just covering a layer of clay a few feet down. I recommend to everyone to explore their soil 4 feet down. You can dig a hole with a shovel, which yields the most visibility, or use a core extraction type soil sampler. The type of plants matter. Hardy plants do better at regulating mineral intake. Delicate plants, which are often deciduous and have delicate leaves, can be more affected by a chemical imbalance. The time of the year you fertilise matters. The dosage of the fertiliser is what a scientist will say is the most important. Almost anything is not harmful at all in a small enough dose yet is also dangerous at too high a dosage. And finally, if you’re planting plants you intend to harvest, rotating crops every year or every other year helps create healthier soil, more abundant and sweeter fruit and veggies. I recommend anyone to learn what each crop does to the soil and that way you’ll achieve much better results. Permaculture largely addresses the diversity and effects of individual plant types on soil quality and agro yield.

[Mastadex]

Yep, I fell for this trap when I first started gardening. After about 5-6 years my plants were having a hard time in the summer. The soil was compact and basically dead. After that I discovered Robert's books and went down one hell of a research rabbit hole to mend my ways... This is a good video. I wish someone told me this ages ago.

[Backyard_gardening_beekeeping]

As a gardener of many decades, I have great respect for Professor. This video, however, is not helpful to new gardeners. It is like saying one should never use salt in cooking because you are going to add too much salt and ruin everything. 10-10-10 is just a fertilizer that is clean, economic and high in P and K. It should not be the only fertilizer to use, but it is one of the best fertilizers for vegetables and flowers. I recommend 10-10-10 and its cousins (12-12-12, 19-19-19 and 21-21-21) to all my gardening friends. You can make whatever NPK you want by mixing a little 10-10-10 with 46-0-0, 0-0-60, 10-0-0 03 21-0-0. 10-10-10 is a must have for all serious gardeners. Hoard a few bags of 10-10-10 when it is on sale.

[ChivoXL]

Happens here in our lake, we always get algal blooms in the summertime due to too much fertilizer run off some from commercial agriculture but majority from residential people trying to get their lawns as green as possible. I use a 16-16-16 from Walmart because it is cheap and last me a few years, in small amounts in my earthboxs and a little bit in my new potato beds that I rotate other than that I just us fish fertilizer and leaf mold for my in-ground plants.

[Backyard_gardening_beekeeping]

Youtube recommended this video to me again. It is interesting to see my own comments immediately after the release of this video almost a year ago, It is funny to see so many thumb-ups for my comment. Professor is a respected gardener, but he is clearly wrong on 10-10-10. It is one of the best fertilizers on the market. I will buy either 10-10-10, or 12-12-12, or 13-13-13, or 19-19-19, or 21-21-21, depending on the price (adjusted for NPK). All these fertilizers do is providing your plants with NPK. Nothing more, nothing less. No fertilizer, including 10-10-10, is balanced. You add or mix different fertilizers to make the nutrients balanced.

[kb]

I think the reason people use 10 10 10 is because the extension office recommends it. Every class they have always tells everyone to use 10 10 10. My soil test came back last year very low in Phosphorus and fairly low in Potassium. Every thing else was good. Their recommendation was 30lbs of 10 10 10 per 1000 square feet. I just side dressed with an organic fertilizer and added compost.

[slowpoke]

Thank you for shedding some light on this subject

[MichaelGawesebmainone]

New gardener spent a small fortune on “soil” (basically clay sold as compost as it hardened). Now I started making my own compost. I can only afford own urine mixed with grass clippings fermented, works quite well. However I see I wouldn’t need the store fertilizer