Welcome to our comprehensive guide on fertilisers. All the options listed below are available to purchase from the club shop in any quantity you require to suit your garden's needs.
Understanding the NPK Ratio
Those three numbers on fertiliser packaging represent the percentage of the three major nutrients inside the bag, always in the same order: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Remember the simple rule of thumb: "Up, Down, and All Around".
N - Nitrogen (Up): Promotes leafy, green, above-ground growth.
P - Phosphorus (Down): Stimulates strong root development underneath the soil.
K - Potassium / Potash (All Around): Boosts overall plant health, fruit/flower yields, and disease resistance.
• Type: Organic, slow-release
• Best For: Flowers, vegetables, shrubs, and trees throughout the growing season.
• Benefits: Delivers a steady, long-lasting nutrient boost. Encourages strong roots, healthy foliage, and better fruit and flower yields without risk of burning.
• Application:
- Before planting/sowing: Scatter 140g per square metre (approx. 4 handfuls) and fork or rake it lightly into the soil.
- As a top dressing: Scatter 70g per square metre (approx. 2 handfuls) around established plants every 6 to 8 weeks during the growing season. Lightly hoe it into the top layer and water in well.
• Type: Organic, slow-release, and soil-conditioning
• Best For: Soil preparation, vegetable plots, fruit trees, and hungry established plants like shrubs and roses.
• Benefits: A traditional favorite that gently feeds plants while adding valuable organic matter to the soil, which drastically improves its structure, moisture retention, and fertility.
• Application:
- Before planting/sowing: Scatter 150g to 200g per square metre (approx. 4 to 5 handfuls) into the soil bed and fork it through well a few weeks before planting.
- As a top dressing: Sprinkle 100g to 150g per square metre (approx. 3 to 4 handfuls) around established plants in the spring, rake in gently, and water thoroughly.
• Type: Inorganic, fast-acting general fertilizer
• Best For: Seedlings, perennials, vegetables, fruit trees, and bushes.
• Benefits: Provides an immediate nutrient hit for quick plant uptake.
• Application:
- Apply as a top dressing at approximately 70g per square metre (approx. 2 handfuls) around rows of seedlings, trees, or established plants. Let the rain naturally wash it into the soil, or water it in thoroughly after applying.
• Type: Organic, slow-release
• Best For: Roses, bulbs, and root vegetables.
• Benefits: Packed with phosphorus and calcium to encourage robust root development, enhanced flowering, and healthy establishment for new plants.
• Application:
- Before planting: Mix 70g to 135g per square metre (approx. 2 to 4 handfuls) directly with the soil at the bottom of the planting hole before adding your plants or bulbs.
- Established plants/plots: Apply 135g per square metre as a top dressing each spring. Work it well into the soil surface, keeping it off stems and leaves.
• Type: Highly soluble, high-potassium feed
• Best For: Tomatoes, potatoes, fruit trees, canes, bushes, flowering plants, and blight protection for onions and leeks.
• Benefits: Boosts crop yields, health, and resistance to drought, frost, and disease without altering your soil's pH.
• Application:
- Apply 35g per square metre (1¼ oz, or roughly one handful) around the base of established plants. Gently fork it into the soil surface without disturbing the roots, or sprinkle it around the stem and water it in immediately.
• Type: Soil Conditioner
• Best For: Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, etc.) and heavy clay soils.
• Benefits: Reduces soil acidity by raising the pH of 'sour' soils to a healthier, more neutral level. It adds vital calcium and magnesium, improves heavy clay structure, boosts nutrient uptake, and helps prevent soil-borne diseases like clubroot.
• Application:
- Best applied in autumn or winter. Scatter evenly over the soil surface at a rate of 100g over square metre (approx. 3 handfuls) and fork it in thoroughly.
⚠️ Note: Avoid applying lime at the same time as animal manures or nitrogen fertilizers.
• Type: Soil Conditioner / Mineralizer
• Best For: Tomatoes, herbs, and fruit crops.
• Benefits: Enriches your garden with a massive spectrum of natural trace minerals (including calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and phosphorus). It improves the physical soil structure for excellent long-term plant health.
• Application:
- Beds and plots: Scatter evenly over the surface at a rate of 100g to 300g per square metre (approx. 2 to 5 handfuls) and rake lightly into the top few centimetres. Use the higher amount for first-time soil treatment.
- Compost heaps: Sprinkle a few handfuls between layers every time you add fresh material to supercharge the compost with minerals.