why does a farmer spread fertiliser on the fields?

Answer 1

It helps to replace some if not all of the minerals which are leached out of the soil by rain soakinging through and also those taken out by the growing process and gives the soil more 'body'. (N-P-K)

Answer 2

Several reasons
1 - As crops grow, they take nutrients out of the soil, natural or mineral fertiliser replaces it.
2 - Soil is a mixture of organic and mineral matter. The organic matter holds moisture but degrades and needs to be replaced, fertiliser does that.
3 - Farm animals produce manure that needs to be disposed of, so it's recycled as fertiliser.

Answer 3

It replenishes the nutrients the plants used up since the plants or parts of them are taken away instead of being alowed to rot and get turned back into nutrients like would naturally happen. Also different ingredients in the fertalizer gives different results to increase plant growth. EX if the farmer wants greens to grow like lettuce they would use a more nitrogen rich fertalizer while if he is trying to get fruit the nitrogen would be reduced and other ingredients would be increased.

Answer 4

If he is growing corn then the corn takes a whole lot out of the soil so he either has to fertilize in between crops and/or rotate the crop with things like soybeans which will put things back into the soil.

Answer 5

It adds nutrients to the soil, and the crops grow better for it!

Also it enables the potatoes or carrots or what ever is being grown to have a more nutrient dense composition!

Answer 6

To replenish the goodness in the soil to help them continue to grow good crops for us to eat!

Answer 7

To replace the goodness in the soil which has been used up by crops which have been harvested.

Answer 8

To give his plants, some extra nutrients as sometimes there isn't enough in the soil.

Answer 9

To replenish the soil of it's lost nutrients due to sometimes just planting and sometimes over planting and to increase growth.
See link below.........Hope this is helpful


http://www.answers.com/topic/fertilizer
fer·til·iz·er (fûr'tl-ī'zər)
n.
Any of a large number of natural and synthetic materials, including manure and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compounds, spread on or worked into soil to increase its capacity to support plant growth.

Answer 10

To 'fertilise' it. clue is in the name really.