With the growing concern for healthy eating the use of organic fertilizer has gained its way. We all know the harmful effects of using chemical fertilizer both to the plants and the consumers as well. It is possible to maintain beautiful lawns, gardens and parks without the use of these harmful pesticides. These chemicals are also harmful to the environment. In organic fertilizer the nutrients contained are derived solely from the remains or a by-product of an organism. Examples of organic fertilizers are cottonseed meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, manure and sewage sludge etc. Urea is a synthetic organic fertilizer which is an organic substance manufactured from inorganic materials. Three major nutrients required in a good fertilizer are nitrogen, phosphorous and potash. Some fertilizers have one of them but low in the other two and some are low in all three. When packed these fertilizers have the fertilizer ratio stated on the package label. So, when buying fertilizers for your lawn it is advisable to check this data. Some of the fertilizers particularly composted manures and sludges are available as soil conditioners but do not have a nutrient guarantee stated on the package, although small amounts of nutrients are present. For a higher nutrient analysis you can buy fortified organic products where an organic material such as rock phosphate is used to increase phosphorus, or greensand to increase potash. Organic fertilizers can be most effective when the soil is moist and warm for the microorganisms as to act as these fertilizers depend on them to release nutrients. Nutrient release otherwise in general takes occurs after a long time and thus organic fertilizer may not release enough nutrients and may affect the plants growth. The most common used organic fertilizer is manure. It is a complete fertilizer but the amount of nutrients it supplies is not sufficient. The nutrient content depends upon the animal source and thus may vary. A fertilizer ratio of 1-1-1 is typical. Manures of horse, cow, pig, chicken and sheep are mainly used. Best is to use the manure when it is fresh to get the highest nutritional concentration. When kept for sometime, exposed to weather, or composted, the nutrient content is reduced. Gardeners prefer to use composted forms of manure to ensure lesser amounts of salts, thereby reducing the chance of burning plant roots. Manure is popularly used as a soil conditioner instead of a fertilizer due to its low concentration of plant nutrients. A moderate rate of 70 pounds is used per 1000 square feet to as much as one ton per 1000 square feet. Some of the advantages of using organic to chemical fertilizers are: Help in maintaining soil health and improving the soil structure Mobilizes existing soil nutrients, so that good growth is achieved with lower nutrient densities while wasting less Helps to release nutrients at a slower, more consistent rate Helps to retain soil moisture |
