Organic Fertilizers are giving rise to an increasing number of success stories – whether they are being used in small gardens, large landscapes, vineyards or agricultural lands. However, there are still some who believe that chemical fertilizers provide the quickest and most efficient way of providing much-needed nutrients to the soil.
Every experienced gardener is aware that unless blessed with absolutely fertile soil, most plants do not get all the major nutrients that they need from the soil. As the new season begins or an old season ends, efforts are made to make sure that the soil is treated so that it stays healthy and capable of retaining nutrients in order to be able to grow strong, healthy plants. As part of these efforts, gardeners add fertilizers to the soil to ensure that the nutrients that have been used by plants are replenished. Both chemical and organic fertilizers can provide the necessary nutrients to the soil.
Chemical fertilizers are produced with just one purpose in mind – to provide missing nutrients to the soil and help plants grow. There are no indications that they benefit the soil in any other way especially for the long term. In fact, if anything, studies seem to suggest that by using chemical fertilizers repeatedly, the acidic levels of the soil keep increasing till it becomes very difficult for plants to grow and flourish in that soil. Further, the chemicals from the chemical fertilizers tend to run into water sources polluting them and putting humans and animals at risk.
Chemical Fertilizers do come with a couple of advantages – since they are synthetically manufactured, care is taken to ensure that there is a right balance of nutrients in them. Further, the nutrient components are in ready to use form. As soon as they are mixed into the soil, they release the nutrients that can be immediately absorbed by the plant roots. This second factor however has often led to ‘plant burn’ caused by over fertilization. Plants absorb more nutrients than they can take, and burn up.
Typically organic fertilizers cannot release the nutrients to the soil immediately. The helpful bacteria from the soil break up the fertilizer into the components, which is a slow process. As a result there is no fear of over fertilization. In fact, this whole process stimulates the growth of the soil microorganisms that ensures that more and more nutrients are released into the soil, each time around. This makes the soil more healthy and workable. For example, if you have sandy soil, you will find that by using organic fertilizers, the soil is able to increase its water holding and nutrient holding capacity. Thus adding organic fertilizers increases the long-term fertility of the soil. If you use organic fertilizers in liquid form and spray them over the plants, they will provide the nutrients faster than mixing with the soil.
Since organic fertilizers only contain organic ingredients, they are completely biodegradable and there is no fear of any contamination. Thus, organic fertilizers provide all the benefits of chemical fertilizers; carry no risks to the plants, animals or humans and enrich the soil for a long time to come.