Section 250-RICR-40-20-10.5 - Slowly Available Plant NutrientsA. No fertilizer label shall bear a statement that connotes or infers the presence of a slowly available plant nutrient, unless the nutrient or nutrients are identified.B. When a fertilizer label infers or connotes that the nitrogen is slowly available through use of organic, organic nitrogen, ureaform, long lasting or similar terms, the guaranteed analysis must indicate the percentage of water insoluble nitrogen in the material, except manipulated animal and vegetable manures distributed as such and not mixed with other materials. When the water insoluble nitrogen is less than fifteen percent (15%) of the total nitrogen, the label shall bear no reference to such designations.C. To supplement § 10.5(B) of this Part, it should be established that if a label states the amount of organic nitrogen present in a phrase, such as "twenty-five percent (25%) of the nitrogen from ureaformaldehyde (ureaform)," then the water insoluble nitrogen guarantee must not be less than sixty percent (60%) of the nitrogen so designated. Example: 10-6-4 Rose Food; 25% of Nitrogen is Organic; 10 (Total N Guaranteed) x .25(% N Claimed as Organic) x .60=1.5% WIN.
D. The term "coated-slow release fertilizer," or "coated-slow release" may be accepted as descriptive of products.E. Further, the phrases in § 10.5(D) of this Part are allowed for any products that can show a testing program substantiating the claim. (Testing under guidance of experiment station personnel, or a recognized reputable researcher, etc.). Water insoluble nitrogen must be guaranteed at the fifteen percent (15%) of total nitrogen level as in organic materials.F. AOAC method 2.064, or as it shall be designated in subsequent AOAC editions, is to be used to confirm the water insoluble nitrogen of coated products and others whose slow release characteristics depend on particle size; AOAC method 2.062 shall be used to determine the water insoluble nitrogen of other products applicable for these procedures, both methods are set forth in the Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 12th Edition (1975), incorporated above at § 10.2(B) of this Part.250 R.I. Code R. 250-RICR-40-20-10.5
Amended effective 1/5/2022