I love growing potatoes, they are one of the plants that made me fall in love with gardening. But sometimes the leaves turn purple or they don’t grow as fast, and the plant starts wilting.
Most of the issues you might have with your potato plants can stem from a lack of certain nutrients. That’s where potato fertilizers come into play.
The Best Potato Fertilizers for Your Garden (Natural & Organic)
Here are the top potato fertilizers I’ve found for growing a large potato harvest. #4 is my favorite so far because I can use it for almost everything in the garden.
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- OMRI Listed
- Contains Jobe Biozome; Extremely aggressive proprietary microorganism archaea that aggressively breaks down material for faster results
- No synthetic chemicals
NPK Ratio: 2-5-3Fertilizer Type: GranularWe earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
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- OMRI Listed
- Resealable bag
- Slow-release fertilizer for providing nutrients over time
Great for feeding cucumbers and nightshade plants like tomatoes. One bag covers around 250 square feet of garden space.
NPK Ratio: 8-4-8Fertilizer Type: GranularWe earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
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- OMRI, OIM, CCOF, NOP Listed Organic
- Non-GMO Verified
- Made in the USA
NPK Ratio: 4-6-3Fertilizer Type: GranulatedWe earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
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- OMRI, CDFA, and WSDA Listed Organic
- Comes from organic fish and grains
- A mixture of slow-release and quick-release fertilizers
Agro Thrive is great for most vegetables and herbs and is a super-concentrated formula that lasts for a long time. You mix 2-4 oz into a gallon of water and add it to the soil. You can even use this fertilizer on your lawn.
NPK Ratio: 3-3-2Fertilizer Type: LiquidWe earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
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$14.44$13.23NPK Ratio: 3-4-4Fertilizer Type: GranularWe earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
10/30/2024 07:42 pm GMT
Frequently Asked Questions About Potato Fertilizers
What is an NPK Ratio
If you remember high school chemistry class, you might remember that table of elements. It was super overwhelming, but thankfully when you’re gardening – there are only 3 main ones to pay attention to.
What Does N-P-K Stand For?
NPK isn’t just a strange slang term, it stands for:
- N is for Nitrogen – Nitrogen helps plants grow and gives leaves their deep green color
- P is for Phosphorus – great for helping blooms and producing healthy fruit
- K is for Potassium – supports strong root growth and more stable plants
Depending on the nutrients already in your soil and the type of plant you’re growing, you’ll need a different NPK ratio. It can be confusing if you haven’t done a soil test lately. For the most part, an “all-purpose” type of fertilizer like this is a good option for most plants.
Around half a foot of fertilizer per 50 square feet of garden space is a good starting point. But you’ll want to take into account your specific growing conditions.
How to Pick The Right NPK Fertilizer for Potatoes
There are a few things to consider when choosing a fertilizer for your garden. I always try and stick to an organic option when possible.
Before you choose any fertilizer, make sure you’ve gotten a soil test done so you can understand what nutrients your plants need, versus what’s already in the soil.
You might also need other nutrients aside from the NPK formulas, so it’s important to know.
It's important to get a soil test done before choosing a fertilizer to understand what nutrients your soil is deficient in.
- pH Analysis
- Nutrient Analysis
- Custom recommendations based on your test results
3 Different Types of Fertilizer
Granular
Granular fertilizers are nice because they are often a slow-release variety, meaning they can give the plants nutrients over time, instead of all at once. Since plants can’t use all of the nutrients at once, this is a big benefit to using certain granular formulas.
Fertilizer Spikes
Spikes are one of the best options for beginner gardeners. It’s hard to mess up the formulation and application instructions.
Liquid Fertilizer
Liquid fertilizer is a concentrated solution of fertilizer. Make sure to dilute with water before you apply it. I like using a backpack sprayer to make sure I can an even coating around the base of the plants.