How To Turn Granular Fertilizer Into Liquid: A Quick Guide

Liquid fertilizers are known to be easier to apply and handle. In addition, they are fast-acting and blend easily in the soil, but they are relatively expensive. On the other hand, granular fertilizers are cheap and easier to store. But can you get the best of both worlds? If so, then how to turn granular fertilizer into liquid?

Turning granular fertilizers into liquid fertilizers is relatively easy. You just soak your granular organic fertilizer in water, let it sit for about 24 hours or a day, and strain out the liquids. You can also turn granular fertilizer into liquid by simply mixing granular NPK fertilizer and dry organic fertilizer, such as compost manure and cow manure, with water in the right proportion.

By turning granular fertilizer into liquid fertilizer, you can combine the benefits of both, including cost-saving, the extended shelf-life of granular fertilizer, and providing your plants the nutrients faster.

Read on to find out everything you need to effectively turn a store-bought granular inorganic fertilizer like NPK fertilizer or homemade organic fertilizers, including compost manure, poultry manure, and cow manure.

Table of Contents

How To Turn Granular Fertilizers Into Liquid?

You can make liquid fertilizer from a store-bought granular inorganic fertilizer like NPK fertilizer or homemade organic fertilizers like compost manure, poultry manure, and cow manure.

Let’s first discuss how you can liquefy granular fertilizer, and we will explore how you can make organic liquid fertilizer.

What Do You Need

Water
Granular NPK fertilizer
And a container

How do you make liquid NPK fertilizer?

Always start by reading the product label carefully and thoroughly because it will cover what the fertilizer will and will not treat, mixing rates (the amount of water to add), and where you can and cannot apply the product.
Learn about the constituents of the fertilizer you are using. For example, NPK fertilizer comes in various packages like 20:20:20 and 19:19:19. These both are good for the plant’s growth. NPK stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and potassium. These all are very useful for plant growth. Phosphorus is used to grow roots by fertilizers; its secondary roots will stretch more deeply into the soil. Potassium is essential for seed development and flowering, and fruiting.
As a rule of thumb, for each gallon (3.78 liters) of water, use 1 cup of fertilizer.
Soak the granular fertilizer in the water for about 24 hours. Do not forget to stir it regularly.
After a day, strain out the solids and use the liquid as a fertilizer at a rate of 2 to 4 cups per shrub, 1 to 2 cups per perennial, or 6 to 8 cups for trees.
For container plantings, use 1 to 2 cups per gallon and soak the whole pot.
You can use the liquid full strength for foliar feeding, spray on leaves, or dilute with a small amount of water to ensure that your plants’ entire root zone is evenly covered.
You can use them for indoor plants, addendum plants, flowering plants, and succulent plants. They will show the best results in them.
Don’t use liquid granular NPK fertilizer in vegetable and fruiting plants because they are made from chemicals. Make sure to check out the best fertilizers for your very own garden.

How Do You Make Organic Liquid Fertilizer?

Organic granular fertilizers are slow-release and will last anywhere from 3 weeks to a year, depending on the type of fertilizer, temperatures, and amount of water plants receive.

Here’s how you can make organic liquid fertilizer.

What Do You Need?

Container, ensure your container does not have any leak or traces of oil, petroleum, or other toxic products. Remember that harmful products can kill the beneficial bacteria responsible for decomposing organic matter into organic liquid fertilizer.
Ingredients include manure of any animal species, green matter, living earth, and water.

How Do You Make Organic Liquid Fertilizer

Add 1/3 of the manure, also known as a nitrogen source. For best results, you can combine different types of animal manure.
Add 1/3 of green matter, such as green grass or green leaves. Green matter is a source of sugars and minerals.
The last 1/3 is water. Ensure you stir the solution thoroughly and carefully.
Additionally, you can add composted pasta or rice, which might bring minerals and potassium to the fertilizer and regulates its pH.
Feel also free to experiment if you have something you think would make good fertilizer.
After this first mixing, it is essential to mix the liquid fertilizer with the stick every day for 5-10 minutes for two weeks.
Mixing helps the solution oxygenate, and the more you stir, the quicker the decomposition process and the better the quality of the liquid fertilizer.
Keep your container in the shade, protected from direct exposure to sunlight.
Also, it is also essential to cover the container after each mixture to keep it safe and clean and prevent rainwater from diluting it.

How To Use Liquid Fertilizer

After 14 days, you can use liquid fertilizer for gardens, fruit trees, nurseries, and other large crops.
Liquid fertilizer is the liquid part of your mixture. Ensure you dilute it in fifteen to twenty volumes of water (1 for 15 to 20) and then use the diluted solution and spray the base of your plants once or twice a week.
If you don’t dilute your liquid fertilizer it can burn your plants.
Before using the liquid fertilizer, make sure you mulch the plant base.

Benefits of Using Liquid Fertilizer

Using liquid fertilizer offers tremendous benefits. Here are the main advantages of applying liquid fertilizer instead of granular fertilizer.

Liquid Fertilizers Are Fast Acting Than Granular Fertilizer

One of the reasons people prefer using liquid fertilizers is that they act faster than granular fertilizer since it has already dissolved into the liquid.

When you dissolve granular fertilizer in water and turn it into a liquid fertilizer, your plants can quickly absorb it in this form, making it readily available to the tissues for its physiological activities.

Therefore, plants can absorb liquid fertilizer quickly in larger quantities, particularly plants with nutrient deficiency.

You can apply liquid fertilizer as an “energy drink” for your plants and give them an immediate boost in health.

Liquid Fertilizer Are Easily Absorbable By Both Plants’ Leaves and Roots

Since liquid fertilizer is already in the form of a liquid solution, it does not need ground moisture and heat to dissolve and become available to the plant’s roots, making liquid fertilizer easily absorbable by both plants’ leaves and roots.

Liquid Fertilizers Work Well In Cold Weather

Liquid fertilizers work well, especially when growing cold-tolerant crops in soil with a temperature below 50°F; a granular fertilizer will break down very slowly as the microbial activity in the soil slows throughout times of cool weather.

Liquid Fertilizer Can’t Be Easily Washed Away Compared To Granular Fertilizer

Generally, dry or granular fertilizer can be washed away by watering or during irrigation. You can prevent granular fertilizer runoff by turning your granular fertilizer into liquid fertilizer.

If you are a dog owner and have birds around your house, they can affect the effectiveness of granular fertilizer.

For instance, birds may scatter the area and prevent the fertilizer from becoming available to the plants’ roots for absorption. And your dog can eat up granular fertilizer.

Which is Better Liquid Fertilizer Or Granular Fertilizer?

There is no significant difference in the total amount of nutrients provided by either liquid or granular fertilizer for plant nutrients, according to Michigan State University Extension.

Granular fertilizers are dry fertilizers made into a pellet form and often mixed to get the desired ratio of nutrients needed for plants. They are generally applied to the soil and slowly soak into the ground.

Granular fertilizers are often solid granules, while liquid fertilizers are produced from water-soluble powders or liquid concentrates mixing with water to form a liquid fertilizer solution.

Both fertilizers give and contain the required nutrients for your crops and plants to survive and thrive. Granular fertilizers are usually slow-release, while liquid fertilizers are fast-acting.

Plants quickly absorb liquid fertilizers, while granular fertilizers need time to dissolve or decompose before plants can access their nutrients.

Advantages of Granular And Liquid Fertilizers

Granular Fertilizers	Liquid Fertilizers
– You can buy it cheaply in bulk – Granular fertilizers are easier to store – Granular fertilizers offer slow-release options	– Liquid fertilizers are easier to apply and handle (once you set them up) – Liquid fertilizers also blend easily and fast-acting – They blend with most crop protection products

How To Turn Granular Fertilizer Into Liquid: A Quick Guide – plantsheaven.com

How Long Does It Take For Granular Fertilizer To Dissolve?

Different granular fertilizers take different time-lapses to dissolve in water and turn into a liquid, but in general, it takes about 24 hours. You can also guess by its color change when water will completely change its color.

Another aspect here is that if you use slow-release fertilizer in a granular form, it will require at least two weeks to decompose and last two to 8 months.

You can use magnesium sulfate for instant results, just pour 2 grams per liter into the same bottle in which you have poured 1 cap of fertilizer solution. It helps with chlorophyll development and increases the rate of photosynthesis.

Can You Dissolve Dry Fertilizer In Water?

Dry fertilizer can be dissolved in water, and both forms can be easily dissolved in it. The powder form can be easily dissolved, but granular fertilizers are different.

It can take a few hours to dissolve in water because of some sort of slow reaction.

Final Thoughts

Turning granular fertilizers into liquid fertilizers may seem intimidating. Still, the immediate benefits your plants get from a liquid fertilizer can make it beneficial in certain circumstances, especially when you want to help new plants to establish new plants and care for high-yield flowers or crops.

Remember that applying granular fertilizer in your garden or farm sometimes leads to runoff, getting washed by irrigation, or getting eaten by some pets. However, turning granular fertilizer into liquid fertilizer can be a solution offering your plants readily available nutrients they need to thrive and flourish.