Organic Fertilizers Are Becoming More Popular In The Garden
K Snow
Why should you use organic fertilizers in your garden? Simply
because they are good for your plants and good for the
environment. Nearly 70 percent of water pollution comes from
agricultural areas that use chemical fertilizers, according to
the EPA. These chemicals leach into the water and cause soil
erosion. While large-scale farming operations are a chief
source of chemical fertilizers in water, home gardeners are
also guilty of such pollution. However, many growers are
attempting to correct their mistakes by using organic growing
methods.
Organic fertilizers are those that use organic soil amendments
to raise the nutrient content and improve the soil
characteristics of a garden. The addition of decomposing
organic materials in an organic garden provides a natural
fertilizer, supplying plants with the nutrients they need for
optimal growth. These fertilizers also improve the nature of
your garden soil, no matter what type you have. If your garden
has clay soil, organic fertilizers preserve its tilth, which
prevents it from clumping together. Organic fertilizers are
also excellent means of holding water in the soil. This is a
boon if you have sandy soil in your garden. Fertilizers made of
organic materials have properties that make micro-nutrients like
iron and zinc available to your garden plants.
Plants need three important nutrients in order to grow:
nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous. All three of these are
found in organic fertilizers. One organic material, manure, for
example, does not have all three of these nutrients, however.
Therefore, most organic fertilizer suppliers combine and mix
different materials to ensure an appropriate mix. Alfalfa meal
is a green manure favored by gardeners who grow roses. It is a
good source of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, and it
also contains triacontanol. This is a hormone that helps
regulate the growth of your plants. Blood meal is another good
organic fertilizer. It is an excellent source of readily
available organic nitrogen. Bone meal is a good source of
calcium and long-lasting phosphorous. These two materials can
be blended together for better results. Kelp meal has high
potassium content, but it has no phosphorous. This organic
fertilizer must be used together with bone meal to make up for
its lack of phosphorous.
It is important that gardeners check the exact composition of
any organic fertilizer that they buy, since the fertilizer can
contain a number of micro-nutrients and it may lack the other
essential nutrients needed to grow healthy plants. Any
nutrients that are missing will need to be added by using one
of the above, blood meal, bone meal or kelp meal.
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See Also:
All About Organic Gardening
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