# Why so little K in most fertilizers?



## LeeB (Jul 1, 2019)

29-0-3
30-0-3
29-0-4
32-0-4, the list goes on if you look at the numbers on the bag. Why so little K? I was taught the 3:1:2 or 4:1:2 ratio so it seems like most people will have potassium deficiencies using most store-bought fertilizers unless I'm missing something? Are they just being cheap or does turf not need extra K most of the time?

Scotts now sells a 34-0-0 fertilizer, which costs 3x as much as urea.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

K is expensive. People are very price driven. I am a little different in that I have ZERO interest in inferior products no matter their price.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

Scotts has an absolute racket going on with their fertilizer. I got a couple 50 pound bags of urea from the local supply place for $17 a piece. A 12 pound bag of Scotts Lawn Food (32-0-4) costs the same amount.

You would spend $100 to get the same coverage from Scott's as you would from the $17 bag of urea.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

KoopHawk said:


> Scotts has an absolute racket going on with their fertilizer. I got a couple 50 pound bags of urea from the local supply place for $17 a piece. A 12 pound bag of Scotts Lawn Food (32-0-4) costs the same amount.
> 
> You would spend $100 to get the same coverage from Scott's as you would from the $17 bag of urea.


Part of this is distribution and location. Most home owners here get by with a single bag of scotts per year and they see it as $40 once a year not being that bad.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

KoopHawk said:


> Scotts has an absolute racket going on with their fertilizer. I got a couple 50 pound bags of urea from the local supply place for $17 a piece. A 12 pound bag of Scotts Lawn Food (32-0-4) costs the same amount.
> 
> You would spend $100 to get the same coverage from Scott's as you would from the $17 bag of urea.


I think you're also paying for the small SGN with something like the Scotts 32-0-4 (or any of their products generally...even Ultrafeed, which is polymer coated, has a small SGN). Lots of no-name and even name-brand pro turf and landscape fertilizers have much larger particles. I like the small sizes, even though I'm not a golf course.


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## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

KoopHawk said:


> Scotts has an absolute racket going on with their fertilizer. I got a couple 50 pound bags of urea from the local supply place for $17 a piece. A 12 pound bag of Scotts Lawn Food (32-0-4) costs the same amount.
> 
> You would spend $100 to get the same coverage from Scott's as you would from the $17 bag of urea.


Put your money where your mouth is? You too can get in on the racket! :nod:

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SMG/


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## San (Jun 21, 2021)

I think this answers your question, assuming MA is not alone in this: https://www.mass.gov/doc/phosphorus-fertilizer-retail-sign/download


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

I live in semi rural WI near a good sized town, the local feed mill is actually between my home and town.
There is a hayfield on my south lot line and within half a mile a lot of corn and soybeans, it is farm country so it ia best case scenario for cheap ag products.

Here is the fertilizer price list at their Co-op/Ace Hardware.


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