Abstract

Funk, Roger. 1979. Vegetation management. Weeds Trees & Turf 18(12): 38, 40.

The following discussion on fertilizer absorption and burn is in response to the many requests for fundamental information in these areas. All fertilizers, whether organic or inorganic, will eventually form soluble salts that separate in water to release the nutrient ions. Ions are atoms or groups of atoms that carry either positive or negative charges and are the only form of nutrients that can be absorbed by plant roots. Organic fertilizers release the same nutrient ions found in inorganic fertilizers but the process is generally slower. The same soluble salts or nutrient ions that are absorbed by plant roots can also cause a type of physiological drought called “burn.” The degree to which a fertilizer increases the salt concentration of soil solution is measured by the Salt Index — the higher the salt index, the more rapidly the fertilizer releases soluble salts and the higher the “burn potential.”

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