Fertilizer blending, storage and choosing grades

Fertilizer that cakes into lumps has usually absorbed moisture from the air, been stored in damp or humid conditions, been stacked too high, or been stored in bags that were opened or damaged. Dry, covered storage off the floor, with bags kept closed and stacks kept low, is the usual first fix.

Some fertilizer salts take up moisture from humid air more readily than others. The storage section of each product’s Material Safety Data Sheet gives the conditions to keep it in. Taskon supplies in 50 kg net HDPE bags; keep them closed until use.

Caking after blending often happens when two components react with each other or when one of them draws moisture from the air, and some fertilizer combinations are known to be incompatible in a blend. Moisture content, particle size and storage humidity all contribute. A blending specialist can check your components for compatibility.

Choosing components that are compatible, keeping them dry, and bagging promptly reduce caking. Taskon’s phosphate sources are listed on the phosphates page. Ask us for the Material Safety Data Sheet of any component.

Granules that break during blending are usually too dry, too soft for the mixing method, or mixed too hard or too long, which also creates dust and segregation. The fix depends on your granulation and blending process, so it is a question for your process engineer or blending equipment supplier.

Taskon supplies chemical inputs, not granulation binders or blending equipment, and this page does not advise on binder selection. Tell us the inputs you need and we will quote against your specification.

A complex or mixed NPK fertilizer supplies all three nutrients in one product, which saves the buying, storing and mixing of three separate bags. Whether a fixed ratio suits your crop depends on your soil test, so check the ratio against your agronomist’s recommendation.

Taskon makes NPK 100% Water Soluble Fertilizer in various ratios, including 19:19:19 and 13:40:13, and NPK 100% Mix Fertilizer in multiple balanced formulations. See the NPK fertilizers range.

A ready NPK product can reduce the cost of buying, storing and mixing separate bags, and it removes the risk of uneven home mixing. Compare the delivered cost per kilogram of each nutrient you actually need, not the price per bag, before deciding.

Taskon makes NPK products in several ratios on the NPK fertilizers page. To compare a ready NPK against separate products fairly, work out cost per kilogram of nutrient with the nutrient cost comparison calculator.

A complex NPK fertilizer supplies nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in one product and can be simpler to buy and apply than three separate bags. Match its ratio to your soil test, and compare the cost per kilogram of each nutrient before switching.

See Taskon’s NPK 100% Water Soluble Fertilizer and NPK 100% Mix Fertilizer. Your agronomist can say whether a single ratio covers your crop, or whether a top-up of one nutrient is still needed.

Water-soluble NPK is commonly used for drip irrigation and foliar feeding, where the product must dissolve fully; granular NPK is commonly broadcast or placed in the soil. The right choice depends on how you irrigate and apply, and your agronomist can advise for your farm.

Taskon makes NPK 100% Water Soluble Fertilizer and NPK 100% Mix Fertilizer. Our technical team can tell you which of the two fits an application method you describe.

Have a sample from the bag analysed at an accredited fertilizer testing laboratory, and compare the result with the ratio on the bag and on the batch certificate of analysis. State tests on the same basis as the label, since N, P2O5 and K2O are the usual convention.

See how to check a nutrient content claim before you order and what a certificate of analysis should show. Taskon sends a batch certificate of analysis with every consignment.

Other phosphate sources can sometimes replace part of a DAP requirement, but each carries a different mix of nitrogen and phosphorus, so the blend must be rebalanced. Compare on cost per kilogram of P2O5 and N, not per bag, and have your agronomist confirm the new balance.

Taskon makes Di Ammonium Phosphate, Mono Ammonium Phosphate and Urea Phosphate. The published grades are compared in MAP, DAP or MKP.

What matters in a water-soluble NPK is the guaranteed analysis, how completely it dissolves, and its consistency batch to batch, not the brand. Compare products on their stated analysis and delivered cost per kilogram of nutrient, and test a sample in your own water.

Taskon makes NPK 100% Water Soluble Fertilizer. Send your required ratio and quantity and we will quote against it.

Sulphate salts are the common lower-cost alternative to EDTA chelates and carry more of the element per kilogram, but they behave differently in soil and spray, so they are not always a like-for-like swap. Your agronomist can say which suits your soil and crop.

The comparison is set out in EDTA chelated micronutrients vs sulphate salts. Taskon makes both, so the recommendation is not a sales pitch.

Boron sources differ in boron content, solubility and how they are quoted, so the choice depends on your blend, application method and crop. An agronomist should set the source and rate, because boron is harmful above a narrow range. Taskon’s technical team can explain its boron products.

See boron sources compared and Taskon’s Boric Acid, Di Sodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate, Borax Anhydrous and Sodium Tetraborate.

The right phosphate grade depends on the nitrogen and potassium already in your blend and on how it will be applied. Your agronomist sets the target analysis; Taskon’s technical team can then tell you which of its phosphates fit it.

Taskon’s phosphates are compared in MAP, DAP or MKP, and all are listed on the phosphates page.

Nitrate grades differ in what they carry alongside nitrogen, such as calcium, potassium or magnesium, so the choice follows from what else your blend needs. Your agronomist sets the target; Taskon’s technical team can match its nitrates to it.

Taskon makes Calcium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate, Magnesium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrate. See the nitrates range.

The choice depends on soil pH, application method and cost per kilogram of the element. An agronomist who knows your soil should make the call. Taskon makes both forms, and its technical team can explain the grades.

See EDTA chelated micronutrients vs sulphate salts.

Matching NPK to crop stage is agronomy, and it should come from an agronomist or your state agriculture department who can see your soil test. Once you have the target ratios, Taskon’s technical team can tell you which of its products supply them.

See the NPK fertilizers range and send your target ratios with the enquiry.

Blending ratios should be set by an agronomist from your soil tests and target crop. Before a bulk order, it is also worth testing a trial blend for caking and compatibility. Taskon’s technical team can confirm which of its products fit the ratios you are given.

See the sample passed but the bulk was different before a bulk order.