Proper planting and care are mandatory for a healthy growth of the plants. For this, you will need a perfect grounding of the soil with proper plant nutrients.
If you are ready to plant the potatoes, then you have to be selective considering the use of fertilizers. Because fertilizers play a central role in the organic growth of potatoes.
Never overlook one thing, that is if you like to boost the production of the potatoes, then the best quality fertilizer is a must for you.
Now the question; What is the best fertilizer for potatoes?
In a nutshell, the specially formulated potato fertilizer, or tomato and vegetable fertilizer can be perfect for potatoes. Just you have to consider, the fertilizers have a balanced nutrients ratio and don’t contain any harmful chemicals.
For your convenience, In this article, I will discuss the 7 best fertilizer for potatoes and some special tips that will boost your potato production.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the deep.
In a Hurry? Here is the overall best fertilizer for potatoes that you may buy right now-
Best Fertilizer for Potatoes-Comparisons
| Fertilizer | NPK | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Earth Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer | 4-6-3 | Organic | |
| Winchester Gardens Potato Granular Fertilizer | 6-3-9 | Organic | |
| Homesteader Hobbies Organic Potato Fertilizer | 3-6-6 | Organic | |
| Jobe's Vegetable & Tomato Fertilizer Spikes | 2-7-7 | Organic | |
| Jobe's, Vegetable, Tomato Granular Fertilizer | 2-5-3 | Organic | |
| Miracle-Gro Shake 'N Feed Plant Food | 10-18-9 | Organic | |
| Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Plant Food | 18-18-21 | Inorganic |
Best Fertilizer for Potatoes-Reviews
1.Dr. Earth Home Grown Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer
Earth Home Grown Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer is one of the best organic fertilizers for growing potatoes that comes from the brand Dr. Earth. It supports you to have bigger and healthier potatoes. It also assures that you have the appropriate amounts of primary nutrients for your tomato plants.
This product has a 4-6-3 NPK ratio. 4% of water-insoluble nitrogen, 6% of phosphate, 3% of water-soluble potash, and 4.75% of calcium. It carries more phosphorus than potassium and nitrogen that ensures better root growth of your potato plant.
Accordingly, it may work great in nitrogen-rich soil. Even if yours has sufficient nitrogen, it is yet suitable and can benefit your plants greatly.
All the ingredients are derived from natural and organic sources such as fishbone meal, fish meal, alfalfa meal, potassium sulfate, rock phosphate, kelp meal, and kelp flower. So, as you can see why it is an OMRI-listed organic fertilizer.
The good news is, it holds a probiotic formula, So it supplies the plants more of what they want. These lead to more plentiful crops that are better and bigger in every way. It also contains 1.5% of Humic Acids.
You can pick from a variety of sizes, including 1/4/12/24 or 25-pound bags. The bags are also resealable, so you don’t have to trouble about the fertilizer going bad if you store it in a dry, cool place.
2.Winchester Gardens Organics Potato Granular Fertilizer
The amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK) is 6-3-9. All the ingredients this fertilizer contains are derived from Fish Bone Meal, Sulfate of Potash, Gypsum, Blood Meal, Alfalfa Meal & Feather Meal. These ingredients supply lots of essential plant nutrients that are like the heaven of plants.
While this organic fertilizer can be used by mixing it in with the soil before sowing, the best approach is to combine it above ground. Once your potato roots are growing, use again this around the base. Because this is a granular fertilizer, it’s simple to water it down when you first use it.
Aside from using this on your potatoes, you can also use this to your other indoor plants. One more thing to be sure that you have satisfying drainage for this fertilizer, whether you apply it indoors or outdoors.
3.Homesteader Hobbies Organic Potato Fertilizer
This 3-6-6 (NPK) fertilizer mix will provide potatoes exactly what they require. It contains 3% of nitrogen, 6% of phosphate, 6% of water-soluble potash, 15% of calcium, and 6.90% of sulfur.
Don’t worry, this fertilizer also holds several other beneficial vitamins and essential plant nutrients for your plant and soil health.
Researchers have derived all the ingredients from several natural and inorganic sources including fish bone meal, gypsum, sulfate of potash, alfalfa meal, blood meal, and feather meal. So, as you can this can be called an organic fertilizer.
When first planting, spread 1 cup of this potato fertilizer into soil for every 20-foot row of potatoes. Add 0.5 cup when sprouts reach around 6 inches tall. 2 pounds will feed 20 potato plants for the entire season.
4.Jobe’s Organics Vegetable & Tomato Fertilizer Spikes
They are time-released and work as required to supply your plant the nutrients it wants. You don’t have to bother about runoff, messiness, and other problems. Meanwhile, the plants receive a continuous supply of the necessary nutrients exactly where the roots are developing.
Each spike feeds the plant for around seven to eight weeks. You may want to apply more than one spike per plant. This depends on several factors, which are described on the container.
The NPK ratio of this fertilizer is 2-7-4. Therefore, it carries an adequate amount of nitrogen (1.2% water-soluble and 0.80% water-insoluble), potassium, and phosphorus.
All the ingredients are derived from Feather meal, bone meal, and sulfate of potash. So, as you can see, this fertilizer also contains other nutrients.
To apply them, you have to push the spike an inch beneath soil levels. Use one on each side of the potato plant. Ensure that they are about 8-9 inches away from the main stem.
5.Jobe’s Organic Vegetable, Tomato Granular Fertilizer
This fertilizer helps to grow larger and more potatoes in general. This is one of the best fertilizers mix for new potatoes in a container. This is profitable because it conserves your money from purchasing new fertilizers again.
Because this is a natural and organic mixture, it includes no harmful ingredients or chemicals. You can apply this around your family and pets within risks. You also don’t have to trouble about it getting in touch with your skin while applying.
Additionally, this fertilizer won’t burn your plant’s leaves, even with direct use. You can combine this fertilizer right on the plant’s bottom soil. You can also blend it into the soil before planting your potato seeds.
For applying, be sure to spread the fertilizer every four to five weeks or so. This fertilizer is also best for seedlings, potato vine, new plants, and established plants. You can apply it for your potatoes from the very beginning of their being.
6.Miracle-Gro Shake ‘N Feed Tomato, Fruit & Vegetable Plant Food
This fertilizer does not only work with tomatoes but also with other vegetable plants such as potatoes. This conserves your money in purchasing specific fertilizers for separate plants.
Miracle-Gro fertilizer promotes vegetative growth with microbe-feeding ingredients working like a magic fertilizer. Plus, the elements like kelp, bone meal, feather meal, and earthworm castings assure a perfect nutrition supply.
This fertilizer helps keep your potato plant healthy from both above and below the ground. It delivers a continuous supply of nutrients into the soil. You only have to use every two to three months, after which reapplication is important. It preserves a lot of time as opposed to weekly or monthly fertilizers. For all of these beneficial aspects, it is considered as one of the best potato fertilizers.
Plus, the application process of this fertilizer is very easy. You just have to spray or spread the fertilizer over your soil, then use a little rake to combine it into the ground. Now simply water and repeat after three months. That’s all.
7.Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Plant Food Vegetables and Herbs
It has an NPK ratio of 18-18-21 that means 18% nitrogen (1.62% ammonical nitrogen, 2.46% of nitrate nitrogen, 13.89% of urea nitrogen, and 0.03% of other water-soluble nitrogen), 18% available phosphate, 21% water-soluble potash,
It also contains other nutrients in a very good ratio for potato plants including 0.50% water-soluble magnesium, 0.02% boron, 0.05% water-soluble copper, 0.10% chelated iron, 0.05% chelated manganese, 0.0005% molybdenum and 0.05% water-soluble zinc.
Water-soluble portion instantly feed your plant while the water-insoluble portion release slowly and provide nutrients continuously for a longer duration. the chelated coating helps to prevent nutrients from unexpected reaction with the unnecessary place.
All these essential plant nutrients are derived from non-toxic and harmless ingredients. Such as ammonium sulfate, potassium nitrate, Urea, soy protein hydrolysate, monopotassium phosphate, and many more.
Mix 1 tablespoons per gallons of water, in a watering container. For best effects, soak the soil at the base of plants every 7 to 15 days. 1.5 gallons covers approximately 15 sq ft.
When to Fertilize Potatoes?
Generally, potato plants have higher needs in Nitrogen (N-P-K 34-0-0) in the first 2 months (during the foliar develops rapidly). From the 2nd month until 2 weeks before harvest, the plants require more potassium (12-12-18 or 14-7-22) to form well-shaped potatoes.
For these, many farmers frequently add foliar fertilizer during the 2nd or 3rd month, particularly when their potato plants have been found with macro or micronutrient deficiencies.
Requirements and Kinds of Fertilizer for Potatoes
Potato plants usually require larger amounts of nutrients to generate a fair production. Nowadays growers make from 0 to 5 fertilizer applying during the 3-4 months growth of the plants. Most growers use a Nitrogen- Phosphorus- Potassium 15-15-15 ratio at the same time with planting.
This involves especially in fields where vegetables have been cultivated throughout the last 6 months. The potassium in N-P-K 15-15-15 stimulates the growth of healthy stems and produces some disease and pest tolerance by expanding the thickness of the exterior cell walls.
How to Fertilize Potatoes?
A basic fertilization dose involves four main fertilization applications, apart from combining well-rotted compost two months before planting:
After a month of planting, we add 0.2 tons of 20-20-20 per hectare. 55 days from planting, we add 0,5 tons of 15-7-21 and 2MgO per hectare.
After two months of planting, we add 0.5 tons of 15-7-22 and 2-MgO per hectare.
Ultimately, after 3 months of planting (depending on the yielding time of the variety you have planted), we add again 0.5 tons of 12-7-22 and 2-MgO per hectare.
One thing to mention that,
1 ton = 1000 kg = 2.200 lbs.
1 hectare = 2,47 acres = 10.000 square meter.
There is another popular fertilization system comprises 4 major fertilization applications. Firstly, at the time when planting and the other 3 every 20-25 days. Under this system, growers use interchangeably 0.6 tons of NPK (12-12-18) with 1.9-MgO per hectare and 0.5 tons of K2O per hectare.
How to Grow Big Potatoes?
If you want to grow big potatoes, you will require to space the plants at least 36 cm or 14 inches apart. Expert growers also say that the bigger the seed potato, the bigger the potatoes it grows. By keeping a decent distance will benefit the plant to soak up more extra water and nutrients. Besides that, try to use fertilizer regularly and water your field when necessary.
Homemade Potato Fertilizer Recipe
Egg Shells
Eggshells have more than 1% nitrogen, 0.5% phosphoric acid, and other essential ingredients that present them as a beneficial fertilizer. Calcium is an essential plant nutrient that plays a significant part in cell forming and growth. Most roots require calcium at the growing pays to grow efficiently. So, this is an excellent way to “recycle” your eggshells. You just need to crush them and spread them around your garden soil.
Cooking Water
Many beneficial nutrients are discharged into the water that food is prepared in. Water that is utilized to boil eggs, potatoes, vegetables, and even pasta can be worked as a fertilizer. Just get to let the water cool before implementing it to your soil.
Gelatin
Gelatin can be a prominent source of nitrogen. Dissolve 2 packages of gelatin in 2 cups of hot water and then add 6 cups of cold water. Pour straight on the soil around your plants once in 30 days. This is excellent for houseplants!
Green Tea
A soft solution of green tea can be applied to water plants every 3-4 weeks. Use 2 teabags to 4 gallons of water.
Horse Feed
What makes horse feed so powerful fertilizer. The magic element is molasses. To utilize horse feed as a fertilizer is easy and beneficial. It can be applied as a soil supplement just by spreading it on top of the soil. Alternatively, it can be dissolved in water solely or mixed with another organic fertilizer and utilized as a soil drench.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Epsom salt good for potatoes?
Epsom salt contains magnesium and magnesium helps to make cell walls of the potato. Applying Epsom salt will help your potatoes a lot and boost overall production and pant health.
Do potatoes like coffee grounds?
Using coffee grounds is seems to be beneficial for potatoes. Potatoes like neutral soil and even sometimes a little bit acidic. On the other hand, the coffee ground provides an acidic type of soil. So overall, potatoes should like coffee grounds.
Are cow manure and chicken manure good for potatoes?
Manure is a really good thing for gardens and fields. It contains huge amounts of essential micro and macro plant nutrients that will boost the overall plant growth. But remember not to use fresh manure. Fresh manure is not good at all for potatoes and even all other plants. Instead, use older manure.
Is blood meal good for potatoes?
Applying a blood meal to garden soil will assist raise the level of nitrogen. It will encourage plants to grow greener and lusher. Also, the nitrogen in blood meals can assist increase the acid level of your soil, which is useful to some species of plants that favor soils with low pH (acidic soil). In this sense, blood meal is good for potatoes.
Is tomato feed good for potatoes?
Tomato feed is good for potatoes as it contains general plant nutrients that help all kinds of plants including potatoes.
Conclusion
If you’re searching for the best fertilizer for potatoes, we understand it can be a little tough. There are a bunch of excellent alternatives out there to pick from and a lot to consider when choosing the right one for your garden.
However, hope that my recommendation will help to choose the suitable one for you. Happy Gardening!
