What’s the difference between liquid and slow release fertilizer?

Liquid fertilizer is instantly available for your plant to use and slow release fertilizer breaks down over time for your plant to use.

Liquid fertilizer can be purchased as a powder or liquid that is further diluted by mixing into water.

Slow release fertilizer is a granular fertilizer often with a special coating that breaks down over time. The breakdown of the coating changes based on temperature and amount of water available. The warmer the temperature, the faster the coating breaks down. The more water, the faster the coating breaks down.

What’s best for your plants? Depends on the plant.

For annual flowers, a combination of slow-release fertilizer and liquid fertilizer works well to keep your plants blooming and green all summer long. (Make sure to follow the directions on the label).

For perennial flowers, a slow release fertilizer applied at the beginning of spring works best. Do not apply a second time; perennials, trees, and shrubs in the prairies need to begin to slow down by August to get ready for winter.