complete fertilizer

American  

noun

1. a fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three principal elements required for plant nutrition.

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Etymology

Origin of complete fertilizer

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Fertilize: In addition to adding complete fertilizer to the soil, use a soluble fertilizer like fish emulsion around transplants, especially early in the season or if the plants are not thriving.

From Seattle Times • May 5, 2021

For complete fertilizer coverage, cut your application rate in half, then apply evenly in a crisscross manner.

From Time Magazine Archive

On another tract wheat has been grown continuously for fifty years with the use of a complete fertilizer, and an average yield of about 30 bushels has been maintained.

From Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress at Saint Paul, September 5-8, 1910 by United States. National Conservation Congress

Figure 5.—Effect of omission of phosphorus from complete fertilizer in Western New York.

From The Tomato by Work, Paul

The ground is enriched by 400 or 500 pounds of complete fertilizer, and the beans are planted with a grain drill, using every fourth tube.

From Farm Gardening with Hints on Cheap Manuring Quick Cash Crops and How to Grow Them by Anonymous