Why Does Fertilizer Need to Be Made in Pellet Form for Agriculture

Fertilizer is something that has been used in the production of crops, and the maintenance of fields, throughout history. Even ancient civilizations had an awareness that if you grew the same crops on a field year after year, yields would decline, and that manure was useful to ‘breathe life’ back into the soil.

Today, we rely on intensive farming methods and have huge fields of crops. Gathering, storing, transporting and applying manure in the quantities needed to keep those fields going would be impractical, expensive, and smelly, as well as potentially unhygienic!

The Use of Commercial Fertilizer Pellets

Fertilizer pellets offer a practical solution, making it possible to produce fertilizer potent enough to treat fields, in the form of convenient and easy to handle fertilizer balls or cylinders. These pellets contain the nitrogen and other nutrients that are required to sustain crops, but are low in moisture (and therefore odor) and are easier to handle and transport.

Since the pellets are dry, they are more hygienic to handle with dry granulaor. They also take up less volume than the equivalent ‘dose’ of wet fertilizer to treat a field and weigh less too. This makes them ideal for large scale applications.

Slow Release and Controlled Dose

Another benefit of pellet form fertilizers for agricultural use is that it is possible to produce slow-release nitrogen fertilizers, that will give out a controlled dose as they are broken down. This is far superior to the ‘spread and hope’ method of using manure. It also gives farmers some degree of control over the waste byproducts that fertilizing their fields produces.

Pellets vs Liquid Fertilizers

Pan Pelletizer
Pan Pelletizer

Liquid fertilizers have long been used as a substitute for manure, and liquids do have some benefits too, since they are easy to handle and easy to apply. Liquid fertilizers, however, require special equipment to use, and they are susceptible to damage and decay. Liquid fertilizer needs to be applied frequently for best results, and if the doses are incorrect then they can actually damage plants.

In contrast, it is easier to store and apply pellets, and you do not need to apply them as often as you would need to spray liquids. Pellet fertilizers offer a relatively uniform dose (although not as precise as you could theoretically get with liquids.

Pellet fertilizers by granulation equipment are good for ensuring that crops get access to nitrogen, but you should make sure that the pellets are not rich in salt, because that can damage leaves. In addition, you will still need to monitor the soil for the levels of phosphorus and other nutrients which need to be transported in water to reach the roots of the plants.

Making Your Own Fertilizer

Today, it is relatively easy for farmers to make their own fertilizer using pan granulation machines. If you are involved in a large scale agricultural operation then you should consider doing this, so that you can enjoy the benefits of having easy to transport and store fertilizer to treat your fields with as and when it is needed.