Beware of cheap imposters masquerading as the real thing!!
Some unscrupulous parties will pass off cheap and nasty granulated bulk blended fertilisers as being the same as or equivalent to a genuine Complex NPKS fertiliser, and they certainly are not!!
Granulated bulk blends are straight components such as Single Superphosphate, DAP, Ammonium Sulphate, Urea, Muriate of Potash etc. which are ground up, blended and loosely combined with addition of water to form rough granules of variable sizes. They are seldom dust free and certainly do not have the same agronomic or physical properties of true Complex fertilisers such as Rustica, Nitrophoska or Yara Liva.
From an agronomic perspective, true complex fertilisers such as those above, contain exactly the same nutrient analysis in EACH and EVERY granule. The individual nutrients are chemically combined in EXACT RATIO as opposed to loosely physically linked in granulated bulk blends of variable analysis.
In a Complex fertiliser, they invariably contain a Nitrate component which is essential for a fast start. This usually combined with Ammonium which has a synergistic effect on Nitrogen uptake, ie. they give each other a leg up, and are far more effective in combination than either one alone.
Nitrate also reduces the acidifying effect that Ammonium has in soils, and as these granulated blends tend to be all Ammonium-based, are far more acidifying than their Complex counterparts.
In terms of effectiveness, Complex NPKS fertilisers have completely different nutrient uptake dynamics as their componentry is designed to work in tandem with each other as opposed to reacting against each other. When you want top performance, don’t buy a mutt !!
And here is the critical part, some unscrupulous operators are offering these cheap knock off products for the same or higher prices thinking you won’t know the difference.
Our suggestion, stick to the known brands above, or risk buying a pup !!