Organic Fertilizers and Inorganic Fertilizers

The big controversy right now in gardening is the subject of fertilizers — whether or not to use organic fertilizers or inorganic fertilizers.

Organic fertilizers and inorganic fertilizers each have their advantages and disadvantages, and it's not as if plants will recognize the difference between nutrients coming from either type of fertilizer.

So here we've included some useful information to help you better understand the advantages and disadvantages of using either organic or inorganic fertilizers.

Organic Fertilizer

Organic fertilizer comes from materials that are essentially carbon in nature. These materials of organic fertilizers can either be plant or animal or the by-products of either.

One distinct advantage of organic fertilizers is that they contain organic matter naturally and this is beneficial to plants and the soil. This organic matter in organic fertilizers helps improve the water-holding capacity of soil and also augments its structure, thus increasing its nutrient-holding capacity as well. Another benefit is that it encourages microbial activity which plays a large part in the breakdown of nutrients so plants can use them.

Organic fertilizers also breakdown and release nutrients slowly which helps to prevent leaching. Thus by using organic fertilizers you can be assured that ground water will not be contaminated by any harmful substances. Organic fertilizers are also much cheaper and sometimes even free if you know how and where to look.

However, organic fertilizers have a few disadvantages. One is that they are harder to apply when compared to inorganic fertilizers, depending on the source material used. Organic fertilizers also have lower nutrient content compared to inorganic fertilizers and this means that more material has to be applied in order to get the same nutrient amount from inorganic fertilizers. Finally, the slow-release property of organic fertilizers can have a detrimental effect on the plants since the nutrients from organic fertilizers might not be released in time for the plants to use in their growth cycle.

Inorganic Fertilizer

Inorganic fertilizers are widely available in the market these days, and so it's sometimes hard to keep track of inorganic fertilizers. The best way for a consumer to make an informed decision before buying an inorganic fertilizer is to know the components of a typical inorganic fertilizer first.

When you look at a bag of inorganic fertilizer, there are usually three numbers that represent the Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium ratio in the inorganic fertilizer. For instance, in an inorganic fertilizer that reads 7-3-2, it means that the inorganic fertilizer has 7% Nitrogen, 3% Phosphorus and 2% Potassium.

When you add all these numbers, you only get twelve percent worth of nutrients in that inorganic fertilizer, so you might wonder what the other 88% of the inorganic fertilizer bag is made of. The rest of the inorganic fertilizer bag may contain some nutrients and filler material, which helps us apply the inorganic fertilizer over an area evenly.

In purchasing fertilizers – whether organic fertilizers or inorganic fertilizers – it's always advisable to know exactly what you're getting in the bag.