The Advantages of Organic Fertilizer
Organic fruits and vegetables have become very popular in the United States and this has created a large demand for organic fertilizers. This variety of fertilizer is made out of a variety of substances and is available commercially; however it is possible to create your own. Organic fertilizers made from decayed material such as animal manure and plant material are known as humus. Another variety consists primarily of finely ground rock substances which are packed with important minerals.
If your fertilizer is going to be produced from animal manure the preferable choices are horse, sheep, cow and poultry manure. Some people who use organic fertilizers prefer using fertilizers consisting of substances such as blood meal, bone meal, variations of compost and substances from their vegetable gardens.
Fertilizers made from organic products release the nutrients slowly. The organic materials are converted to inorganic material by the micro organisms located in the soil. The nutritional substances are now in a form which is usable by plants and will allow them to thrive. Organic fertilizer also improves the structure of your soil and it can significantly improve the capacity of sandy soils to retain water.
Nutrients for Plants
Healthy plants require nutrients including phosphorous, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, sulfur and magnesium and numerous micronutrients. You can create nutrient filled compost by including items such as vegetable peels; leaves form your yard, grass clippings and organic waste from your garden. Be careful to use items in your fertilizer that are free form disease otherwise your fertilizer can have harmful effects on your plants and vegetables.
Some gardeners add liquid or foliar fertilizers to their vegetable plants due to the large amount of nutrients that vegetable plants require in order to thrive. Organic fertilizers also have a major advantage over synthetic fertilizers due to chemical fertilizers containing highly concentrated nutrient substances that usually produce an unwanted chemical imbalance in your soil. This change in your soil lowers the amount of activity of earthworms and micro organisms in your soil.
Disadvantages of Organic Fertilizer
If your plants require an immediate infusion of nutrients, organic fertilizers are not a good choice due to their slow release process. Also, if you are interested in the details of the types as well as the quantity of nutrients found in organic fertilizer this information is typically not available. Be careful how much fertilizer made from organic material you place in your garden due to the depletion of nitrogen which can occur. If you have plants or a vegetable garden at your home you might want to consider using organic fertilizers.
