Organic Fertilizer - Benefits of using it
Manure, slurry, peat, seaweed, cow manure, sheep manure, poultry manure, horse manure and guano are all examples of organic fertilizer. Minerals that are naturally occurring such as mine rock phosphate, sulfate of potash and limestone are also good examples of organic fertilizer. These types of fertilizers can also be manufactured and compost, dried blood, bone meal and seaweed extracts are just a few of those types. Other examples include natural enzyme digested proteins, fish meal and feather meal.
Using organic fertilizer has many advantages which include the fact that they help to mobilize the existing soil nutrients, the release their nutrients at a slower rate which is more consistent, the help to retain soil moisture which reduce the stress that is due to temporary moisture stress and they improve the overall soil structure. Using organic fertilizer also has the advantage that it can avoid possible long term problems that are sometimes associated with artificial fertilizers such as the possibility of burning the plants with the concentrate chemicals, the eventual decrease of soil health including the loss of structure, the less ability to absorb precipitation and the lightening of the soil color, the necessity of having to reapply artificial fertilizers to maintain their fertility and of course the cost.
Of course, using organic fertilizer as compared to artificial fertilizers comes with its disadvantages as well such as the fact that they have to be applied in very large amounts because they are usually a dilute source of nutrients compared to inorganic fertilizers. This results in transportation and application costs, especially where the agriculture is quite a distance from where the organic fertilizer is. Also, the composition of it is highly variable, so it is sometimes difficult to make certain that the accurate amount is being applied to the entire field. Also, some organic fertilizer such as manure may contain some bacteria or metals that are harmful to humans which of course brings the risk of health problems or the product possibly being contaminated.
It’s up to you which type of fertilizers you choose to use. If you are unsure about using an organic fertilizer because of the disadvantages listed above, you may want to have it tested for its nutrient content so you can be aware of how much of the essential nutrients are available and how much you should apply. You can have this done at a fairly low cost. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong using organic fertilizer – the benefits of it far outweigh everything else.