Question
How is fertalizer better than just not having it what's the difference.

Answer
Good question, Caytie.

Why does anyone need to bother with fertilizer?  They don't need it in the woods and the trees grow fine.  They don't need it at the beach, and the plants and grass there grow just fine.  Who nees fertilizer?

The answer to that depends on the soil a plant is growing in.

To grow, green plants need a LOT of 3 very basic Minerals:  Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.  They also need 'trace' minerals, in very small amounts, in addition to the Nitrogen, the Phosphorus, and the Potassium.  But mostly they need Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, which have abbreviations: N (for Nitrogen), P (for Phosphorus) and K (for Potassium).  Remember, all plants need a LOT of N, P and K!

Now, I'm going to tell you a gardening secret.

Some Soil does not have very much N, P or K.  And other Soil has a LOT of N, P and K.  The ONLY people who know how much N, P and K are in the Soil are people who analyze it in a laboratory.  You can't tell any other way.

But most people don't know that.  It's a secret.

And even the people who DO know that are just too lazy to go to a laboratory and pay some scientist to analyze their Soil.  They would rather just go out and buy fertilizer.  It's easier.

Which brings us back to your question: Why would it be better to give a plant fertilizer?  Why can't you just grow a plant and water it once in a while?

And the answer is, if the Soil is POOR Soil, if it has very little N, or very little P, or a little K, the plant will not grow very strong.  Plants NEED a lot of N -- Nitrogen -- because they make Chlorophyll out of it, they make Leaves out of it, they cannot survive without a LOT of N.  If they are growing in a pot, they might even start out with a LOT of N, and then use it all up!  Then they need more!  Which you can get for them by fertilizing them with Nitrogen Fertilizer!

Plants need Phosphorous -- P -- to make Flowers, to make Seeds and to make roots.  If a Plant does not have enough Phosphorous, it will not be able to make Flowers.  This is a very common problem.  Not too many people know you need P to make Flowers.  Or as I like to say, PHLOWERS!

Plants need the last mineral, K (Potassium), to become healthy and strong.  Potassium strengthens roots and stems.  It is used to make Protein, Sugar and Starch, to protect the plant during cold weather, to fight disease.  Plants with a Potassium deficiency get curling and brown splotches at their leaf tips, very pale green leaves, tiny flowers and/or smallish fruits.  As the plant gets weaker, it may catch a Plant Disease becasue its immune system is not strong enough.

Some people believe that even if their Soil is high quality, it is still good for the Plant if you fertilize it.  They think that if they give their plants fertilizer, the plant will have larger, more beautiful flowers than another plant without fertilizer.  They are wrong.

Because all plants have Genes that decides things like how Big a flower is.  No plant can grow flowers bigger than the size that their Genes will make for them.  The Genes determine how big the flowers are.  Not the fertilizer you give the Plant.

And now, you know the SECRET about Fertilizers and Soil.

The key to growing beautiful Plants lies in the N-P-K of the Soil.  If you have great Soil, you do not need Fertilizer.  Few people understand this.  I hope you do!  Thanks for writing.  If you have any questions, I'll be glad to follow up.