Slow-release granular fertilizers offer great benefits for healthy, balanced growth. As a grower, it’s important to know how much food your plants can access. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about our ATA NRG Upgrade product, its benefits, and diverse types of organic slow-release fertilizers.
What is Slow-Release Fertilizer?
Slow-release fertilizers come in many forms, from compost and worm castings to granulated options. Unlike liquid feeds, which plants absorb quickly, slow-release nutrients break down gradually, providing a steady supply of food over a longer period and reducing the frequency of feeding.
This means growers can leave their gardens unattended for a while without worrying about daily liquid fertiliser. Most slow release fertilisers typically last around 4-6 weeks before needing a top-up. Not so with our organic slow release ATA NRG Upgrade, which lasts for 75 to 100 days.
How Slow-Release Fertilizers Benefit Long-Term Plant Health
If you aim to grow healthy, productive crops, providing a steady supply of essential nutrients to your plants is crucial. Here are some benefits of using slow-release fertilizers in your garden!
• Balanced nutrient availability supports optimal plant health.
• Nutrients are released with each watering—no need for daily feeding.
• Products like ATA NRG Upgrade are easy to mix into growing media.
• Slow-release fertilisers can be applied as a top dressing to replenish nutrients when they are depleted.
• Organic slow-release options contribute valuable humates to the soil.
• Even beginner growers can achieve excellent results with slow-release feeds.
• NPK nutrients will support plants throughout their entire lifecycle.
• Soil quality can be greatly improved with consistent use of slow-release fertilizers.
How beneficial microorganisms benefit from slow-release organic fertilizers
Slow-release organic fertilizers work overtime, letting nutrients become available gradually. During this process, billions of tiny microbes in the soil help break down the fertilizer, turning it into nutrients that plants can easily absorb.
By keeping your garden topped up with slow-release fertilizer, you’re helping create a strong, balanced soil environment where these helpful microbes and fungi can do their best work. A healthy community of these organisms can protect plants from root rot and other harmful pests, keeping them strong and resilient.
What is ATA NRG Upgrade?
ATA NRG Upgrade is a slow release organic fertilizer, which comes as a convenient granulate that you can mix or sprinkle into your substrate.
Made from rock phosphate and other ingredients from plant origin, ATA NRG Upgrade has a 6-3-4 NPK ratio. It is rich in Nitrogen and ideal for supporting early growth and the vegetative stage.
– Mix 3–6 grams per liter of growing substrate for the perfect amount of fertilization.
– Mix 2–3 grams with new potting soil to give the seedlings a kick-start.
– Sprinkle a top dressing of 2–4 grams per plant as and when they need supplementing.
You can read more about this easy-to-use but productive fertiliser in this blog post!
4 Different types of organic slow-release fertilizers
If you don’t fancy the idea of using the chemical slow-release fertilizers that are available in pellet form, then you should think about the different organic options. Below are a few diverse ways to supercharge your growing substrate whilst providing the ideal ratio of micro and macro elements.
1. Worm castings
One of the easiest and most accessible solutions is worm humus. When worms consume organic matter, they produce castings rich in beneficial microbes, slow-release nutrients, and trace elements. These castings are dark, soft, and airy—similar to high-quality compost.
Mixing worm castings into old soil quickly boosts fertility and applying them as a top dressing throughout the seasons helps keep a garden healthy year-round.
Freshly produced worm castings make a big difference when used as a slow-release fertilizer, so it’s worth sourcing a quality product. You can check out our fresh worm humus, Worm Delight, which we offer in convenient 20 L bags.
2. Compost
You can either go to your local garden center and buy compost, or you have the option of starting your own compost pile at home. Compost is organic matter that has slowly broken down over time, making it rich in humic and fulvic acid, probiotic microbes, and a source of slow-release nutrients.
Garden waste compost mixed with older soil or used as a top dressing/mulch will provide the plants with NPK, carbon, and trace elements, particularly Magnesium.
3. Horse manure
In rural areas, horse manure is a popular choice for slow-release fertilizer due to its availability and low cost. While it doesn’t have high nutrient levels, it’s an excellent addition for turning depleted soils fibrous and spongy.
Using horse manure as a top dressing outdoors supports soil health and helps insulate roots during colder months. Combined with worm castings, it creates a microbe-rich, slow-release fertilizer.
4. Fish emulsion
Fish emulsion is essentially a nutrient-rich fish extract containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, as well as calcium and magnesium. It has a thick texture and, when diluted, can be applied as a foliar spray or soil drench with excellent results.
This emulsion acts as a natural bio-stimulant that feeds both plants and soil, supporting microbial life and keeping nutrients available for extended periods.
Atami’s conclusion
Maintaining a large garden or lawn can be challenging if you don’t have the right balance of nutrients. Slow-release fertilizers will give you peace of mind that your crops are receiving all the desired nutrients and trace elements required for long-term plant health.
First-time growers will find working with slow-release fertilizers and soil the most practical way to grow and learn to use only water or biostimulants. For long-term garden maintenance, you must apply organic inputs back to the soil. ATA NRG Upgrade will produce happy, healthy, and large-yielding crops and keep your garden thriving!
