5-5-5 Fertilizer
Support balanced growth, vibrant foliage, and strong roots with a liquid 5-5-5 fertilizer made for a wide range of garden plants. It provides equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium plus iron and micronutrients for simple, consistent feeding.
Use it as part of your normal watering routine for vegetables, herbs, roses, container plants, and more.
Why You'll Love It
- Complete Nutrition Equal 5-5-5 NPK covers leaves, roots, and fruit from one bottle.
- Nutrient Uptake Half the nitrogen is nitrate for fast uptake, half feeds over days.
- Easy to Use One ounce covers about 50 sqft by can, foliar, or hose sprayer.
Made by growers
More than a bottle on a shelf.
- Talk to real plant people. The team that mixes the formula answers your email.
- Made in-house, in the USA. Every bottle mixed and filled by us, not a third party.
- We're growers, not resellers. We use this on our own plants before it ships.
- Bundle savings only here. Pair any two TPS formulas — your order ships free.
5-5-5 Fertilizer with a balanced NPK, kelp, and 4 added minerals — a gentler general-purpose feed for gardeners who'd rather not risk overdoing it. Equal fifths of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium cover leaves, roots, and fruit at once, at half the strength of a 10-10-10, with sulfur and iron rounding out what worked soil runs short of.
How to Use 5-5-5 Fertilizer
| Method | Amount | How Often |
|---|---|---|
| Watering can (spring & summer) | 1-2 oz per gallon of feedwater | Apply every 2-4 weeks |
| Watering can (fall & winter) | Same dilution | Apply every 4-8 weeks |
| Backpack / foliar sprayer | 1-2 oz per gallon of feedwater | Apply every 2-4 weeks in spring and summer |
| Hose end sprayer | Set to 1-2 oz setting | Apply every 2-4 weeks in spring and summer |
Mix into your normal watering — no separate feeding routine needed. 1 oz covers approximately 50 square feet, and the every 2-4 weeks schedule is lighter than most liquid feeds, so this suits gardeners who'd rather not feed weekly.
What's Inside
A 5-5-5 ratio — balanced, and deliberately half the strength of a 10-10-10. Nitrogen at 5% splits evenly: 2.5% nitrate nitrogen, which roots absorb directly for a quick response, and 2.5% ammoniacal nitrogen, which soil holds and converts over days, so the feed keeps working across the longer 2-4 week interval. Matching 5% phosphate supports roots, flowering, and fruit set, and 5% potassium builds stem strength and water regulation. The even, moderate balance is what makes it forgiving: enough to feed a working garden, not so concentrated that a heavy hand causes problems.
Beyond NPK: sea kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum) for natural growth compounds, plus 1% sulfur with iron, manganese, and copper. Iron and manganese are the two mixed plantings run short of first — both sit at the center of chlorophyll production, so a shortage reads as yellowing leaves with green veins on new growth, usually on whatever crop is working hardest that month.
Made For
Vegetable gardens and cool-season crops like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and greens, plus annual and perennial flower beds, herbs, young shrubs, and container plantings — a good fit for seedlings, new transplants, and anyone who prefers lighter, less frequent feeding.
Problems It Solves
- Wanting one balanced feed without the strength of a concentrate
- Seedlings and transplants too tender for heavy fertilizer
- Beds that fade between infrequent feedings
- Yellowing leaves with green veins on hard-working crops
FAQs
How often should I apply 5-5-5 fertilizer?
Add 1-2 oz per gallon of feedwater and apply every 2-4 weeks in spring and summer, dropping to every 4-8 weeks in fall and winter. It works through a watering can, a backpack or foliar sprayer, or a hose end sprayer set to the 1-2 oz setting. One ounce covers roughly 50 square feet, which makes it easy to scale to your bed size.
What is 5-5-5 fertilizer good for?
It's a balanced general-purpose feed, best where you want steady nutrition without pushing plants hard: vegetable beds, flower borders, herbs, young shrubs, and containers. Equal N, P, and K means no part of the plant gets favored — leaves, roots, and fruit all get supported. It's especially suited to seedlings and new transplants that stronger formulas can overwhelm.
How is this different from a 10-10-10?
Same balance, half the concentration, and a different rhythm. A 10-10-10 delivers more nutrient per ounce on a 1-2 week schedule; this runs lighter on a 2-4 week schedule, which suits gardeners who feed less often or worry about overdoing it. If your plants are heavy feeders in peak season, the stronger formula fits better; for general upkeep, this one is more forgiving.
Can I spray this on leaves?
Yes — the label supports backpack and foliar spraying at the same 1-2 oz per gallon dilution. Foliar feeding puts nutrients where leaves can absorb them directly, which is useful for correcting visible yellowing while root feeding catches up. Spray in the morning or evening rather than midday sun, wet the leaves without heavy runoff, and avoid spraying open blooms.
Is it safe for vegetables I'm going to eat?
Yes — it supplies the same minerals crops draw from any garden soil. Follow the label dilution, avoid contact with skin and eyes when mixing, and wash produce before eating as you normally would. If you foliar spray, applying earlier in the growth cycle rather than right before harvest keeps rinsing simple. Not for human or animal consumption from the bottle.
When will me see results?
Half the nitrogen is nitrate, absorbed directly by roots, so green-up begins with the first application — expect deeper color within 1-2 weeks, faster with a foliar spray. The ammoniacal half releases over the following days, which is what carries plants through the longer gap between feedings. Structural results build over 4-6 weeks on the every 2-4 week schedule.
Related Products
10-10-10 for Plants Vegetable Fertilizer Mycorrhizal Fungi for Gardens