Fertiliser Category 
A grouping of fertiliser terms, to help separate fertiliser terminology into relatively common characteristics as follows:
• Fertiliser Action.
• Fertiliser Formulation.
• Fertiliser Origin.
• Fertiliser Type.
Fertiliser Evaluation
The purpose of an evaluation can be manyfold. The focus is often on the effects of different fertilisers on a sward and soil, as well as comparing management and environmental impacts and outcomes. Different types of evaluation might include:
• Comparing the cost of a unit of a particular nutrient, for example £x per 1kg of nitrogen.
• The extent of the typical release period for a nutrient, for example, 50% released in the first 4 weeks, then 50% between weeks 4 and 8. This may also include a cost comparison, so for one fertiliser it might be £x per week of release (over 8-weeks), whilst fo
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Fertiliser Form
Fertiliser Formulation
The manner in which a fertiliser is supplied for use; how it is formulated, also sometimes being called fertiliser products. This can be in the form of a solid material which includes powder, crystals, granular, mini-granular, crumbs, prills; and also, as a liquid material.
• Granular: The most common fertiliser sold by suppliers, and being classified according to granule size, for example, fine (micro-granular / mini-granular, for example, 1.5-2mm diameter), medium (2-4mm) coarse (4mm+).
• Crumb: A granular shape, often created by crumbled organic pellets, but without or with reduced dus
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Fertiliser Immobilisation
The conversion of nutrients, especially Nitrogen, within inorganic fertilisers to organic compounds by soil micro-organisms, making the nutrients unavailable to a grass plant. It is also known as just Immobilisation.
Fertiliser Labelling
A fertiliser label must comply with the Fertilisers Regulations 1991. The main nutrients of N P K are actually quoted as Nitrogen, N, Phosphorus Pentoxide (P2O5), and Potassium Oxide (K2O), along with elements Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) being quoted in brackets after the first nutrient is stated.
Fertiliser Origin
The original source material for a fertiliser, being derived from either organic or inorganic origins. The origin may also be referred to as natural organic and synthetic organic, with the latter distinguishing artificially created carbon-based fertilisers - primarily urea based (e.g. IBDU) with naturally occurring organic carbon fertilisers (e.g. bonemeal), and synthetic inorganic which would be a typical compound granular fertiliser. Where a product is a blend or combination of both origins then this will be called an organo-mineral fertiliser. Sometimes the fertiliser origin is termed as fe
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Fertiliser Retention
The ability of a soil to retain nutrients to be made available to a plant. A soil with good nutrient retention will have reduced leaching potential and therefore there will be less chance of water pollution occurring from leached nutrients. It is also called Nutrient Retention.
Fertiliser Type
This could refer to various interpretations for a fertiliser, for example, organic / inorganic; rate of nutrient release – slow, fast, controlled; straight, mixture or compound; as well as how it might be formulated, for example granular etc.
For this guide ‘Fertiliser Type’ will be defined as those fertilisers which can be classed as:
• Straight: Single (primary) nutrient, for example, sulphate of ammonia.
• Mixture: This is a fertiliser product which is made by physical mixing and may be two or more different nutrient fertilisers but can also be a fertiliser with the same nutrient. For
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Fluid Fertiliser