Fertilizer is stuff you put on soil, or around plants, to help them grow. Farmers bag it, gardeners sprinkle it, and house-plant people mix it into pots.

Fertilizer is stuff you put on soil, or around plants, to help them grow fertilizer 是你放在土壤裡、或撒在植物周圍，幫助它們生長的東西。 Farmers bag it農夫會把它裝袋, gardeners sprinkle it園丁會把它撒下去, and而 house-plant people mix it into pots種盆栽的人會把它拌進盆土裡。

Plants pull food out of the soil; after a while the soil has less of that food left, and fertilizer puts some back.

Plants pull food out of the soil植物會從土壤裡吸取養分; after a while一段時間後 the soil has less of that food left土壤裡剩下的養分就變少了, and而 fertilizer puts some back肥料會把一些養分補回去。

There are two broad kinds people talk about. Chemical fertilizer comes from a factory, often as granules or powder in a sack. Natural fertilizer is older and messier — animal waste, compost, crushed bone — and some people prefer it because it feels less harsh on the land.

There are two broad kinds people talk about人們談到的大致有兩種。 Chemical fertilizer comes from a factory化學肥料是工廠製造的, often as granules or powder in a sack通常裝在袋子裡，是顆粒狀或粉狀的。 Natural fertilizer is older and messier天然肥料歷史更久、也更雜亂 — animal waste, compost, crushed bone動物排泄物、堆肥、碎骨頭 — and而 some people prefer it有些人比較喜歡它 because it feels less harsh on the land因為感覺對土地比較不傷。

The word itself stays fairly literal: it is the substance, not a metaphor. You will also see the British spelling fertiliser, with an s.

The word itself stays fairly literal這個字本身的意思相當直白: it is the substance它指的就是那個物質, not a metaphor不是比喻。 You will also see the British spelling fertiliser你也會看到英式拼法 fertiliser, with an s多一個 s。

One more thing students notice: the ending -er often means a person (a teacher, a farmer). Here it does not. Fertilizer is the thing you use, not a person who fertilizes.

One more thing students notice還有一件事學生會注意到: the ending -er often means a person字尾 -er 常常表示「人」 (a teacher, a farmer)（像 teacher老師、farmer農夫）。 Here it does not在這裡卻不是。 Fertilizer is the thing you use fertilizer 是你使用的東西, not a person who fertilizes不是施肥的人。