Who took my phosphorus?

[Ohioguy]

I was at Wal-Mart earlier, about to buy a bag of Howard Johnson fertilizer, when I noticed that it had a "0" where the phosphorus number used to be.

It also said something like "now more environmentally friendly, with no phosphorus".

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't phosphorus necessary for flowering and fruit production?

I don't exactly apply this to my lawn - one bag lasted me 5 years the last time, since I sparingly side dress my plants. However, I'm annoyed that now the bag lacks one of what I consider the 3 most important parts of a fertilizer.

[Billy]

In a lawn?

Could be that too much phosphate gets into our water ways, causing algal blooms, which, when it decomposes, kills the critters in the water, or the phosphorus flows to the ocean, where it does the same thing, and the areas are called "dead zones".

[David Hare-Scott]

This is the case. It is also the case that runoff from excess nitrogenous fertiliser creates many an algal bloom and mad growth of water plants choking up waterways. Therefore the chemfert company should make their stuff doubly environmentally friendly by taking out the N as well as the P. It would save on production costs too. This is how to be mean and green.

David

[Billy]

OK, let's call it what it is, nitrates, the bane of the petroleum fed garden.

But, then we wouldn't have blue babies. "Where's the fun in that", said Bevis to Butthead.

[Dan L.]

Now I know Billy has lost it! It is a sad day when one quotes a phrase from the Bevis & Butthead show.

Billy you need more class like from Ren & Stimpy "You.. You... Idiot" :)

[Billy]

Thanks for the introduction to American culture, such as it is.

Now where did I put the booze?

[David E. Ross]

If you merely broadcast the fertilizer, the phosphorus would be wasted. It does not dissolve easily and thus will not leach through the soil to reach plant roots.

Phosphorus promoted flowering and root growth. To be effective, it must be placed where roots will find it. For details, see the first paragraph in my garden diary entry for 28 January of this year (link in my signature below).