Applying UltraGrow liquid fertilisers and soil conditioners is easy once you know what to do. There are many different liquid fertilisers on the market, each with unique application instructions, rates and ratios. We want to make it super simple, so you can spend more time enjoying your garden not working on it.

There are two common numbers on our UltraGrow labels – Minimum dilution and application rate.

Minimum dilution

The minimum dilution rate is expressed as a ratio like 1:100. This number indicates the minimum carrier required to be mixed with a concentrate for optimal results. In the case of liquid fertiliser, the carrier is water. In the example above, you would take the volume of concentrate required for your application rate (see next section) and multiply it by 100, which will give you the minimum volume of carrier water required for application. Remember to stick with the same unit of measurements. For example, 100ml of concentrate is required, which means a minimum of 10,000ml of carrier water would be needed for minimum dilution. That’s 10L of water (100ml x 100 = 10,000ml or 10L). You will far exceed this dilution for most application methods, which is fine. But you may need to keep an eye on it in pressure spray application where less water is used.

Application rate – liquids

The application rate is far simpler to understand. How much fertiliser you need to feed your garden. In the case of liquid fertiliser, this is expressed in a few different ways, but one of the simplest to translate is a volume for an area (or weight in the case of granular fertiliser). For example, 100ml to cover 100m2. This is commonly thought of as a guide for fertilising lawns but it works great for gardens also. Work out how much space your garden takes up on your block and work backwards from there. For example, an average house block is 600m2. The house might occupy 200m2, an alfresco 100m2 and a driveway another 50m2, leaving around 250m2 of lawn and planted gardens. In the case of a product that requires 100ml to cover 100m2, you would need 250ml of concentrate to treat your whole property. Combined with what we worked out previously, 250ml of concentrate might require 25L of carrier water at a minimum for application.

Application rate – granular

Granular application rates tend to be much easier to translate. Most will give you a guide per 1m2 – for example, 25g/m2. As a guide, the average adult handful is somewhere between 30-45g. Alternatively, most granular fertiliser spreaders will have some adjustment mechanism, but keep in mind the pace you walk at can also affect the throw rate. A drop spreader is the most accurate option when fertilising lawns as it adjusts with walking speed and minimises overlap.