One Fertilizer Type Does it All?

The Best Fertilizer

Hands down the best all around fertilizer for plants growing in desert soils is compost. It will do it all for probably 95% of all the plants growing in a home yard. It provided nutrients in the ratio and form that plants can use, it helps lower soil pH, improves the soil and improves soil health and biology. It does it all!

Viragrow compost sells for $2.75 per cubic foot bag and  $36 per cubic foot in bulk (27 cubic feet)

Apply it to the soil surface in vegetable beds once a year and rototill or dig it in.

Compost makes a great fertilizer for grapes. Apply it right over the top of wood or rock mulch and water it in.

Apply it around fruit trees and water it in right through wood or rock mulch.

Conventional or Traditional Fertilizers

I guess if you would push me to recommend one traditional fertilizer for everything I would recommend a complete fertilizer (one with all three numbers on the bag). I would recommend one high in nitrogen, low in phosphorus and moderate to high in potassium. One fertilizer that might fit this profile is our tree and shrub fertilizer at 13-7-7 or a 10-5-10.

Fertilizers like 13-7-7 ($1.90 per pound) have small enough amounts of phosphorus that build up of this nutrient in the soil will not be a problem.

Even this palm tree fertilizer will be good as well as an all around fertilizer at $1.90 per pound

But I would really recommend three fertilizers for different applications if you do not use compost. One is a high nitrogen fertilizer such as ammonium sulfate for pushing new growth.

Ammonium sulfate, pure nitrogen, sells for as little as 55 cents per pound.

For root, flower and fruit growth use a high phosphorus fertilizer like Triple Super Phosphate.

Triple super phosphate or 0-45-0 sells for as little as 65 cents per pound

And for potassium use Sul Po Mag which, besides potassium at 22%, also adds magnesium to the soil, just like epsom salts.

Contains 22% potassium and sells for $1.35 per pound

You can take these three fertilizers and mix any of them together for a complete fertilizer (all three numbers present) if you want or use them separately.

Viragrow Delivers!