Organic Gardening Tips by Elena Gilbert - HTML preview

Chapter 6:

Organic Fertilizer

Synopsis

Organic and natural fertilizer differs from that of the chemical fertilizer. It is true that organic fertilizer is highly recommended for growing and cultivating your organic garden. When plenty of organic material is present in the soil, it remains airy and loses and can hold more nutrients and moisture. This can ideally promote soil organism growth and foster healthier plant development.

You have to note that using chemical fertilizer to the soil result to losing microbiotic activity and organic matter. When this type of fertilizer is used, the structure of the soil deteriorates, become lifeless, compact and unable to hold nutrients and water.

The following are additional information about organic fertilizer, application of fertilizer and the different types of fertilizer.

Fertilizer

Short Definition of Organic Fertilizer

Organic fertilizer is a type of fertilizer that is derived from animals, mined minerals and plants. Any organic fertilizer combination can feed the soil organisms producing plant food in available plant form.

Organic Fertilizer Application

Since organic fertilizers usually take time to make nutrients available for the soil and break them down, it is highly suggested to apply organic fertilizer at least several months prior to planting. Early application of this fertilizer gives soil microbes the time to absorb organic matter and turn this into a form that your plants can utilize. The easiest way of applying organic fertilizers is by spreading them to the planting beds or soil surface.

Different Types of Organic Fertilizers

There are different types of organic fertilizers so if you are planning to grow an organic garden and have your own fresh produce, you need to be familiar with the following types and see for yourself which among this fertilizer are good for your garden:

• Animal Based Fertilizers-these are by-products derived from meat processing and dairy industries producing multitudes of organic fertilizers.
• Plant Fertilizers-this includes seaweed or sea kelp, corn gluten and cottonseed meal and alfalfa meal.
• Mined fertilizer-this is another type of organic fertilizer that is composed of gypsum, soft-rock phosphate and limestone.
• Fish products-these are the by-products coming from fish industries producing organic fertilizers like fish meal and fish emulsion. This contains high level of nitrogen and is made quickly available for plants.
• Animal Manures-these are derived from varieties of insects and animals. Most of animal manures are composted, bagged and sterilized at times. Animal manure’s nutrient composition varies depending on the bedding, animal and method of storing the manure.

Organic fertilizers are compound fertilizers containing more than one type of organic materials. The ingredients making up these fertilizers may be vegetable or animal matter or maybe a combination of the two. When speaking of fertilizer, it is imperative to keep in mind that this is compose of important elements that are completely produced the natural way and without any trace of additives and components that are manufactured synthetically.