compost teas, foliar ap-
plications, spiked layer
and zoning. Liquid
products are less versa-
tile with root drenching
and foliar feeding being
the main ways they can
be applied.
Cost Efficiency
Powdered fertilizers
are most cost-effective
because they eliminate
the expense of shipping
and handling of water,
excess containers and
low concentration of
active ingredients. They
also eliminate spoilage
of liquid based products
that have a relatively
short lifespan or tem-
perature tolerance.
Shelf life
Many fertilizers come from overseas manufactur-
ers and/or are stored in a warehouse that many times
is not heated. Neither are the trucks that they use.
This all means a lot of uncontrolled environments
and liquid being one
of the best tempera-
ture conductors, heats
up very easily. During
transportation and stor-
age, the temperatures
most liquid fertilizers
need to be kept at are
not respected. This
leads to a dramatically
reduced shelf life. This
shelf life may not be ac-
curate even to what is
printed on the bottle.
Furthermore, I see a lot
of Growers storing their
nutrients in direct light,
heat and frequently
without a proper cap
or lid. Sometimes we
wonder why are plants
are turning yellow? The
problem is once the
shelf life of a product is
being pushed you can have irregularities in the man-
ufacturer's formulation for its intended purpose.
The shelf life of powder is much easier to con-
trol. Due to the fact that powders do not need pre-
servatives fillers or stabilizers to keep the product
evenly mixed and suspended, as well as they do not
conduct temperature as easily as liquid, the shelf
life is extended dramatically. When stored correctly,
many powders and granular fertilizers have an un-
limited shelf life. With the exception of biologicals
that normally have about two year shelf life. The only
thing to dramatically affect the shelf life of powders
is if you get them wet. It is still best to keep them
up off the floor in a nice dark dry room. It is best to
keep bulk bags in a storage area and use smaller con-
tainers or Tupperware to have your weekly supply on
hand. This will eliminate cross-contamination, water
spillage and anything else from happening to your
bulk bags of powder.
Shipping and Handling
How much shipping and handling goes into your
fertilizer? Well if you're buying it from overseas, a
lot. The more time spent shipping and handling a
product the more expensive it is to ensure that that
product arrives to you with the maximum shelf life
possible. Also the more shipping that you have on a
product the more cost you associate with that prod-
uct. For example a lot of times manufacturers see the
exact same cost of shipping products to their distribu-
tors or retailers as the products cost to manufacture
themselves.
34
www.GardenandGreenhouse.net
May 2018