Types Of Organic Fertilizers

All experienced gardeners are aware that for plants and crops to grow well, either one needs naturally fertile soil or else, some form of fertilizer needs to be added to the soil. One of the main decisions that the gardener needs to make is whether the fertilizer used should be chemical or organic.

Chemical fertilizers have to be synthesized from different elements while organic fertilizers are derived naturally from plants and animals and also include minerals that occur naturally. Nowadays, there is an overwhelming preference for organic fertilizers since they tend to bring the balance back to the soil and provide long-term fertility.

However you may be surprised to know that there are an amazing variety of organic fertilizers and you will need to carefully select one that best suits your needs.

If you look through gardening catalogs or visit any garden center, you may find different kinds of organic fertilizers. When you try to identify what is different among them, you will see that while some mention a product source like say, greensand, other fertilizers may mention they are a blend of various organic materials. Basically, they can all be categorized into four major types – animal, plant, mineral and compost.

Plant-based fertilizers.
Most of the plant-based fertilizers contain large quantities of specific nutrients like nitrogen, for instance. They are often considered renewable resources but may need other non-renewable resources for growing them, processing them and finally transporting them. Examples of plant-based fertilizers are cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, corn gluten meal.

Animal-based fertilizers.
These use the waste materials that are generated by industries such as fish processing, meat processing or dairy farming. These waste products are then dried or very minimally processed to convert them into usable fertilizers. Examples of animal-based fertilizers are fish emulsion, blood meal and bone meal.

Mineral-based fertilizers.
When we talk of organic fertilizers that are mineral-based we essentially mean that they have not been artificially manufactured or processed, that only naturally occurring minerals have been used. Examples of mineral-based fertilizers are greensand, rock phosphate and Chilean nitrate.

Compost.
Composts are typically made from different raw materials though it has been noticed that finally, the main nutrients of phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium are generated to the same extent in all of them. Composts are very effective in fertilizing the soil because they are an excellent source of humus and contain a wide but well-balanced variety of nutrients though the concentrations may be low.

The greatest advantage of compost over other organic fertilizers is that it can be made fairly easily at home. In fact, making compost at home is an excellent way of recycling your yard waste and generating some fertilizer at the same time – you can use all kinds of animal manures, garden and lawn wastes in making compost. In fact, by making a compost tea you do not even have to worry about moving heavy equipment to the garden – just water your plants with the compost tea.

You can choose from any one of the above organic fertilizers to add some much needed nutrients to the soil and to naturally stimulate the growth of helpful microbes.