When to Use 10-10-10 Fertilizer in Garden?

by Susan Peterson Google
    Fertilizers can be applied in either liquid or granulated forms.

    Fertilizers can be applied in either liquid or granulated forms.

    The numbers 10-10-10 refers to the composition of a particular mix of fertilizer. The numbers are percentages and the component parts are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), in that order. So 10-10-10 fertilizer contains 10 percent each of these three main nutrients. One of the most widely available fertilizers for home use, 10-10-10 fertilizer is considered an "all purpose" fertilizer. However, it is not appropriate for all home gardening purposes.

    Soil Testing

    Before deciding which fertilizer to use, a soil test will reveal how much of each of the three elements is already present in your soil. You then need to know how much of each element your crop needs. For example, growing lush foliage requires plenty of nitrogen. To grow fruit, you would use less nitrogen because nitrogen shunts the plant's resources to foliage and away from producing fruit. If your soil test says that your soil is well balanced for the crop you are growing, and you just want to boost overall fertility, 10-10-10 will do that.

    Perennial Plants

    A common use of 10-10-10 fertilizer is as a all-purpose fertility boost for perennial plants. If your plants are well established and you want to make sure that they have what they need to put out new growth in the spring, a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 is a common choice. Raspberries, strawberries, asparagus and even roses can benefit from an early spring feeding with 10-10-10. When treating berry plants, treat them only once and only in the early spring just before they start to put out leaves. Treating them with nitrogen too late in the season will cause them to put out leaves instead of berries.


    Green leafy plants like broccoli, celery, kale, lettuce, spinach and cabbage can benefit from 10-10-10 fertilizer about a month after planting. Notice that these are not plants we grow for their fruit or seeds; they are plants that can benefit from a foliage stimulant. For these plants, a side dressing of 10-10-10 is applied once the plants are up and growing, as using the fertilizer too early can shock the plant unnecessarily.


    Because 10-10-10 fertilizer contains nitrogen, you need to carefully manage the runoff after using it. Nitrogen from chemical fertilizers is a major cause of water pollution. Rain washes it off lawns, gardens and farms sending it into drainage systems and eventually into large bodies of water. Local lakes are choked with algal blooms, which block sunlight and kill native plants and fish. Even the Gulf of Mexico and the Chesapeake Bay are dying because of chemical fertilizer.

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