Five Advantages Of Organic Fertilizers

The use of organic fertilizers is currently the topic of hot debates in most gardening circles. Many who still support the use of chemical fertilizers believe that while organic fertilizers may be naturally derived they do not have many other advantages over chemical fertilizers. On the contrary, organic fertilizers do have many advantages over chemical fertilizers and we present, for the benefit of the naysayers, the top five advantages of organic fertilizers.

1.    Slow Release of Nutrients.
When fertilizers are mixed into the soil, the nutrients are absorbed from the soil by the roots of the plant. In chemical fertilizers, these nutrients are in ready to use form and when mixed into the soil, can be immediately absorbed by the roots and hence, the plant. There is however a real danger that the roots absorb more nutrients than necessary, causing the roots and plant to burn up. On the other hand, organic fertilizers do not contain nutrients in easily usable form. When they are mixed into the soil, the microorganisms like bacteria that are in the soil, have to work on the fertilizer, break it up and release the nutrients. This is a slow process and so there is no danger that too many nutrients are ever available to the plant. As such there is no chance for a ‘plant burn’ when organic fertilizers are used.

2.    Long-term Benefits to the Soil.
Chemical fertilizers are manufactured with the sole purpose of helping the growth of a plant. As a result while they may contain a better balance of all the major nutrients that a plant needs, they also contain certain harmful elements that can cause acidity in the soil. This can kill the helpful microbes that live in the soil and studies indicate that long-term use of chemical fertilizers can cause great damage to the soil. On the other hand, since organic fertilizers need these microbes to work on them to release the nutrients, they end up stimulating the growth of these microorganisms, ensuring long-term fertility of the soil.

3.    Long-term Benefits to the Environment.
Chemical fertilizers also tend to release many chemicals into the soil that contain nutrients helpful to soil but may also contain elements that are not easily biodegradable. These may go on to contaminate our lands and our water. On the other hand, by definition, organic fertilizers almost always have only biodegradable contents.

4.    Cheap and Cost-Effective.
Organic Fertilizers can be produced at home or on farms by using a mix of cow, sheep and horse manure along with wastes like leaves and dead plants. This is a great way of getting rid of waste from your garden or farm and certainly a cheaper alternative to purchasing chemical fertilizers.

5.    Safety.
When lawns and gardens are sprayed with chemical fertilizers, one has to be careful that the family members, especially kids and pets who often play on lawns, do not ingest the harmful chemicals. However, there is no preventing from local wildlife from being affected. Organic fertilizers raise no such concerns and can be used safely.