NPK 5-10-15 is a type of fertilizer that contains three important nutrients for plant growth: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The three numbers on the label, separated by hyphens, indicate the percentage of each nutrient present in the fertilizer.
In this case, NPK 5-10-15 means that the fertilizer contains 5% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 15% potassium. To determine the ratio of these nutrients, we need to divide each percentage by the lowest percentage to get the simplest whole number ratio. In this case, the lowest percentage is 5%, so we divide each percentage by 5%.
5% nitrogen ÷ 5% = 1
10% phosphorus ÷ 5% = 2
15% potassium ÷ 5% = 3
Therefore, the ratio of nutrients in NPK 5-10-15 is 1:2:3, which means that for every 1 part of nitrogen, there are 2 parts of phosphorus and 3 parts of potassium in the fertilizer. This ratio is important because different plants require different amounts of nutrients, and fertilizers with different ratios can be used to target specific nutrient needs.