Well, yesterday “The Captain’s Cove” in Scotia burned down.  The good news is that, as far as I’ve heard, no one was injured.  The bad news is that one of the best eateries and fish markets in the area is gone.  I’d only eaten there a couple of times and found the food excellent.  My main attraction to “The Captain’s Cove” was the superior quality fresh fish.  Either my wife or myself was in there about once a week to pick something out for dinner.  In fact I remember in ’95 we served a grilled meal of fresh tuna steaks and salmon (ooh…the salmon) from “the Captain’s Cove” to a large gathering of friends and relatives the evening before our wedding.  I always like to show off the best our area has to offer to out of town guests and that fish from “The Captain’s Cove” filled the bill.  I hear that there is a plan to reopen elsewhere and that’s great news.  I’m anxiously awaiting that and wonder where I’ll supply myself with salmon until then.

                     Anyway, this is the time of year I feel compelled to spread the gospel about fertilizer.  I know that many of you understand all this but, I know that many more of you are buying fertilizer based on pretty packaging, celebrity endorsements or tarot cards. 

                                Last week I explained the meaning of the three numbers found on all fertilizer products.  N-P-K.  N is Nitrogen for leaf, needle, and blade growth.  P is Phosphorus for root growth and flower and fruit production. And last, K is Potash, an important building block for all parts of the plant.  Now that you know this you can walk around the garden center and impress your friends by saying things like, “No, no.  You don’t want 10-6-4 for you perennial border.  It has too much nitrogen.  You need more phosphorus for roots and flowers. “ or, “Say Jason, your lawn is kind of sparse.  Maybe you need a lawn food with more phosphorus to help it thicken up.” 

                While you’re there showing off, you’ll probably notice that each manufacturer has their own “secret formula” that they would like you to believe is better than all the rest.  Since these products represent a multi-billion dollar business, you better believe that a lot of time and money has been spent to convince you that their product is better than the rest.  Your ignorance of fertilizer products is crucial to their success.  Pretty packages and celebrity endorsements are all designed to keep you from asking two key questions.  First, WHAT IS THE FORMULA; 5-10-5,10-6-4, 12-0-0?  This I’ve already explained.  Remember, these three numbers must, by law, appear on the bag. Often a manufacturer will brag about their formula.  What you’ll never hear mentioned is how much their bag weighs.  This information is also required to appear on the product but, there are no rules that say how large it must appear.  Until you know how much the bag weighs, you can’t possibly know what you’re buying.  Remember, the three numbers represent the percentage, BY WEIGHT, of the three major nutrients.  This means that a higher number on one fertilizer doesn’t necessarily mean that it has more of a nutrient than another product.  In other words, the percentages are meaningless until you know what they are a percentage of.  If someone asked you if you’d rather have 10% or 50%, you would naturally ask, “Of what?”  50% of  $1 is certainly less than 10% of $10.  So remember, when you’re looking at those three mysterious numbers, the real mystery is, “Where the heck did they hide the weight on this bag?”  Until you find out, you have no way to figure out how much of the bag is filler and how much is actual nutrient.  % X weight = what you are getting.  While the E.P.A regulates WHAT may be put into these products, there are few rules for HOW CLEARLY the manufacturer explains this information.  It’s all tre on the package but it’s up to you to figure it out.  The best thing to do is to get to know someone at your local garden center who does  ”get it” and have them assist and educate you.  Thanks for the read.