Key Facts Of Organic Fertilizers

Organic Fertilizers have many advantages over chemical fertilizers both in terms of the benefits they give to plants as well as their impact on the global environment. Though your first impression of organic fertilizers may be that there are all compost and manure, there are many types of organic fertilizers in the market today. And of course, what is best about organic fertilizers is that you can make them yourself either in your garden or at your farm. Let us elaborate for you some of the key facts about using organic fertilizer.

• ·    Organic fertilizers can be made from a wide variety of ingredients like blood meal, bone meal, fish emulsion, cottonseed meal and so on. Some even include the sludge that is generated at sewage treatment plants. If you are making it in the garden or at your farm, you could use the farm or garden waste along with cow, sheep, horse and poultry manure to generate compost.
• ·    When you use organic fertilizers, you are ensuring that the soil is being fed with the nutrients it lacks. Further, organic fertilizers have to be broken down into the component nutrients, which is the job of the microorganisms that reside in the soil like helpful bacteria, for example. This stimulates activity among these organisms leading to their eventual growth and making the soil healthier as time goes by.
• ·    Chemical fertilizers contain nutrients that are ready to be absorbed by the roots. As soon as you mix the fertilizer in the soil, the plant may absorb what is needed. However, there is always a danger that because of the easy availability of the nutrients, the plant over absorbs some of them and burns up. With organic fertilizers, the breakdown and release of nutrients is slow and there is no real danger that there will be any over absorption of nutrients.
• ·    The one advantage that chemical fertilizers have over organic fertilizers is that they contain the three major nutrients in the right proportions. Organic fertilizers on the other hand, are rich mainly in one or two nutrients and you will need to mix a few to get the right combination for your garden or lawn. However, these synthetic fertilizers may also contain harmful chemicals that tend to pollute the soil and water
• ·    Before using organic fertilizers you should read through the instructions on the label which will guide you on how to apply the fertilizer, what measures to choose for what kind of soil and what kind of precautionary measures you need to take while handling and applying the product.
• ·    When you make your own special blend of organic fertilizer, you may want to check whether it has the right kind of nutrient value. The best way of doing this is to test the fertilizer using a soil testing kit. Just as this kit will let you know what the pH level in the soil is, you will also come to know what the pH level in your fertilizer is. You can then make some final adjustments so that the fertilizer gets the kind of nutrient value that your soil needs.