 |
What are organic fertilizers? Custom Search Organic fertilizers contain many nutrients that are derived from the remains or the by-products of an organism and thus are environmentally friendly to our ecology. Manure, compost materials, cotton seed meal, bone meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, bat guano, mushroom manure and seaweed are some examples of these soil amendments. The nutrients in a synthetically formulated commercial product on the other hand are strictly derived by chemical means, and will probably have some nutrient deficiencies and imbalances. Organic fertilizers are high in one of the macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus or potash), but usually have very low amounts of the other two elements. However, most of these fertilizers do contain the trace elements which are necessary for a healthy life. Calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc should all be present in some amount. Many organic gardeners prefer to make their own homemade fertilizer from recipes which you can find listed in numerous organic gardening books or on the web.
Sewage sludge, which is widely used in commercial agriculture and which is considered organic, is a recycled product from municipal sewage treatment plants. There are many questions about the long-term effects of human sewage sludge in the garden, particularly relating to any crops you eat. Heavy metals such as cadmium and other pathogens are some times present in the sludge even after treatment, and may build up in the soil which could create a dangerous condition. This is currently being studied by various governments. For more information on this subject, click here: Natural organic amendments depend on soil microbe activity or weathering, to release their nutrients. This nutrient release occurs slowly over a period of time; therefore most are effective if the soil is moist and warm enough for the microorganisms to be active. One drawback is that natural fertilizer may not release enough of the principal nutrients when the plant needs them the most for its growth. Check out our free newsletter "Food for Thought"
|
