Different types of fertilizers, such as chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers, and natural fertilizers are available on the market. The type of fertilizer you use has a large impact on the quality of your product. Farmers all over the world use chemical fertilizers, but many are now shifting to organic fertilizers due to the apparent benefits of the latter.
Organic fertilizers are carbon-based compounds that increase the productivity and growth quality of plants. They have various benefits over chemical fertilizers, which include the following:
Non-toxic Food: Use of these organic fertilizers ensures that the food items produced are free of harmful chemicals. As a result, the end consumers who eat these organic products are less prone to diseases such as cancer, strokes, and skin disorders, as compared to those who consume food items produced using chemical fertilizers.
On-Farm Production: The majority of organic fertilizers can be prepared locally or on the farm itself. Hence, the cost of these fertilizers is much lower than the cost of chemical fertilizers.
Low Capital Investment: In addition to the on-farm production possibilities of organic fertilizers, organic fertilizers help in maintaining the soil structure and increasing its nutrient-holding capacity. Therefore, a farmer who has practiced organic farming for many years will require far less fertilizer, because his soil is already rich in essential nutrients.
Fertility of Soil: Organic fertilizers ensure that the farms remain fertile for hundreds of years. Land located at the site of ancient civilizations, such as India and China, are still fertile, even though agriculture has been practiced there for thousands of years. The fertility is maintained because organic fertilizers were always used in the past. However, with the increased use of chemical fertilizers today, land is rapidly becoming infertile, forcing many farmers to further increase their use of chemical fertilizers or even leave the farming industry entirely.
Safe Environment: Organic fertilizers are easily bio-degradable and do not cause environmental pollution. On the other hand, chemical fertilizers contaminate both the land and water, which is a major cause of diseases for human beings and is the force behind the extinction of a number of plant, animal, and insect species.
Employment: We all know that chemical fertilizers are made in large plants that are automated and have an annual capacity of millions of tons. Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, are prepared locally and on a much smaller scale. As a result, the production of organic fertilizers leads to employment, especially in rural areas where employment opportunities can sometimes be bleak.
Why Do You Need Fertilizers?
Why do you need fertilizers for gardening or farming? Do plants not grow in the wild without any fertilizers? The answer to this question lies in the fact that you only want specific species of plants to grow in a farm or a garden.
Soil, on farms as well as the wild, has nutrients in it. However, the proportion of minerals is different in different places. Within a field, the nutrient content is similarly not uniform. In the wild, plants that are most suitable to the soil and other conditions grow and you don’t have any control over their growth. However, since you want to grow only your favored variety of plants in your garden or farm, you need to add nutrients according to the needs of that variety and availability in your soil.
Moreover, in a partially covered piece of land, such as a farm, the soil nutrients are taken up by the plants, but are not replenished when the plants or their leaves die, because you remove them as food, herbs, etc.. Hence you require fertilizers to enrich the nutrient-deficient soil and create artificial conditions for higher productivity of the plants.
What are these nutrients required by plants? The most commonly required plant nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Almost all fertilizers are categorized according to their Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium or N-P-K value. Nitrogen is required for the growth of vegetative parts such as the stems and the leaves, while your plants will have healthy roots if they get a sufficient amount of phosphorus. Phosphorus is also required for good flowers and fruits. Potassium makes the plant healthy by facilitating the circulation of nutrients within the plant.
In addition to N-P-K, plants also require other nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium. Since these are required in small quantities, you need not add them separately unless in exceptional cases, if your soil is totally devoid of these minerals or the crop you wish to grow requires them in large quantities.
How to Apply Fertilizers?
Farmers have the conception that adding large quantities of fertilizers in their farms will only be beneficial to their plants. However, according to The Royal Horticultural Society, since fertilizers are substances that are rich in nutrients, they are meant to be added in small quantities. The society suggests the following points for fertilizer application:
Soil Analysis: A thorough analysis of the soil should be conducted before planting the crops. You should first find out the existing nutrient content of your soil, find out the nutrient requirement of the plants you want to grow, and add fertilizers based on the nutrient deficiency between the two. A typical soil analysis test will determine the soil texture, organic matter content, and pH. It will also give you the content of different minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. Some soil test labs also determine the micro-organic activity in your soil.
Time of Application: The time when you apply the fertilizers is also crucial. In cold climates, fertilizers should not be applied during winter and autumn, as they will favor young growth during the winter. Since the weather is harsh during this time, the plants won’t be able to survive for long. Therefore, fertilizers should only be applied during the spring. In fact, the time for adding the fertilizers and preparation of the crop should be quite close.
Quantity of Fertilizers: Society suggests that if a farmer is in doubt about the quantity of fertilizer to be added, he should add less fertilizer to be on the safe side.
Organic Fertilizers: It is also suggested that farmers prefer organic fertilizers to chemical fertilizers.
Global awareness for the hazards of long-term chemical fertilizer use is growing. Because of this, more and more farmers all over the world are shifting to organic fertilizers. The agricultural market has also recognized this trend, and has recently employed a full-blown campaign to promote organic and natural fertilizers. Among the benefits of using organic fertilizers are non-toxic food, lower cost, better soil fertility, and of course, a safer environment.
What is Compost?
One of the best features of organic gardening is the ability to locally produce the fertilizers, pesticides, and other organic ingredients. And the easiest among them is compost. You can prepare compost almost anywhere, even in your kitchen garden!
Agricultural scientists all over the world agree that compost is an excellent source of organic matter for garden plants. Compost provides air, water, organic matter, and microorganisms to your plants, thus enhancing their growth. It also maintains a healthy atmosphere for the soil and hence keeps insects, plant diseases, and weeds away.
What are the Benefits of Compost?
So what is so special about compost? Why not use organic matter directly? The biggest advantage of using compost is that the organic matter in compost is partially decayed, so its volume is much lower. Furthermore, the microorganism activity has started in the compost already, so the concentration of these microorganisms is very high. This makes the compost a concentrated and easy to absorb source of organic matter for the growing plants.
Where can you buy compost? You can purchase compost from the market, as well as online stores. Compost for Sale is a directory of some companies that sell compost in the UK, US, and India.
You can also prepare compost in your own garden. Composting on a small scale can be done through the following three techniques:
Employment: We all know that chemical fertilizers are made in large plants that are automated and have an annual capacity of millions of tons. Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, are prepared locally and on a much smaller scale. As a result, the production of organic fertilizers leads to employment, especially in rural areas where employment opportunities can sometimes be bleak.
Why Do You Need Fertilizers?
Why do you need fertilizers for gardening or farming? Do plants not grow in the wild without any fertilizers? The answer to this question lies in the fact that you only want specific species of plants to grow in a farm or a garden.
Soil, on farms as well as the wild, has nutrients in it. However, the proportion of minerals is different in different places. Within a field, the nutrient content is similarly not uniform. In the wild, plants that are most suitable to the soil and other conditions grow and you don’t have any control over their growth. However, since you want to grow only your favored variety of plants in your garden or farm, you need to add nutrients according to the needs of that variety and availability in your soil.
Moreover, in a partially covered piece of land, such as a farm, the soil nutrients are taken up by the plants, but are not replenished when the plants or their leaves die, because you remove them as food, herbs, etc.. Hence you require fertilizers to enrich the nutrient-deficient soil and create artificial conditions for higher productivity of the plants.
What are these nutrients required by plants? The most commonly required plant nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Almost all fertilizers are categorized according to their Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium or N-P-K value. Nitrogen is required for the growth of vegetative parts such as the stems and the leaves, while your plants will have healthy roots if they get a sufficient amount of phosphorus. Phosphorus is also required for good flowers and fruits. Potassium makes the plant healthy by facilitating the circulation of nutrients within the plant.
In addition to N-P-K, plants also require other nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium. Since these are required in small quantities, you need not add them separately unless in exceptional cases, if your soil is totally devoid of these minerals or the crop you wish to grow requires them in large quantities.
How to Apply Fertilizers?
Farmers have the conception that adding large quantities of fertilizers in their farms will only be beneficial to their plants. However, according to The Royal Horticultural Society, since fertilizers are substances that are rich in nutrients, they are meant to be added in small quantities. The society suggests the following points for fertilizer application:
Soil Analysis: A thorough analysis of the soil should be conducted before planting the crops. You should first find out the existing nutrient content of your soil, find out the nutrient requirement of the plants you want to grow, and add fertilizers based on the nutrient deficiency between the two. A typical soil analysis test will determine the soil texture, organic matter content, and pH. It will also give you the content of different minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. Some soil test labs also determine the micro-organic activity in your soil.
Time of Application: The time when you apply the fertilizers is also crucial. In cold climates, fertilizers should not be applied during winter and autumn, as they will favor young growth during the winter. Since the weather is harsh during this time, the plants won’t be able to survive for long. Therefore, fertilizers should only be applied during the spring. In fact, the time for adding the fertilizers and preparation of the crop should be quite close.
Quantity of Fertilizers: Society suggests that if a farmer is in doubt about the quantity of fertilizer to be added, he should add less fertilizer to be on the safe side.
Organic Fertilizers: It is also suggested that farmers prefer organic fertilizers to chemical fertilizers.
Global awareness for the hazards of long-term chemical fertilizer use is growing. Because of this, more and more farmers all over the world are shifting to organic fertilizers. The agricultural market has also recognized this trend, and has recently employed a full-blown campaign to promote organic and natural fertilizers. Among the benefits of using organic fertilizers are non-toxic food, lower cost, better soil fertility, and of course, a safer environment.
What is Compost?
One of the best features of organic gardening is the ability to locally produce the fertilizers, pesticides, and other organic ingredients. And the easiest among them is compost. You can prepare compost almost anywhere, even in your kitchen garden!
Agricultural scientists all over the world agree that compost is an excellent source of organic matter for garden plants. Compost provides air, water, organic matter, and microorganisms to your plants, thus enhancing their growth. It also maintains a healthy atmosphere for the soil and hence keeps insects, plant diseases, and weeds away.
What are the Benefits of Compost?
So what is so special about compost? Why not use organic matter directly? The biggest advantage of using compost is that the organic matter in compost is partially decayed, so its volume is much lower. Furthermore, the microorganism activity has started in the compost already, so the concentration of these microorganisms is very high. This makes the compost a concentrated and easy to absorb source of organic matter for the growing plants.
Where can you buy compost? You can purchase compost from the market, as well as online stores. Compost for Sale is a directory of some companies that sell compost in the UK, US, and India.
You can also prepare compost in your own garden. Composting on a small scale can be done through the following three techniques:
