Soil quality certainly plays a crucial role in the success of any garden. The use of natural fertilizer versus synthetic fertilizer has long been a debate among growers and farmers. Fertilizer is crucial for the healthy growth of plants. Using organic fertilizers in the garden can be beneficial for your plants and many gardeners enjoy using them. However, there are also some disadvantages. Use organic fertilizers – you need to know the advantages and disadvantages so that you can develop your garden successfully. Read on!
What is an organic fertilizer?
Organic fertilizers consist of plant or animal waste. This waste can include paper, leaves, fruit peels, food scraps and even fruit juice. They can also be highly processed compost or fertilizer based products. Manyorganic fertilizerscontain carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, all of which are useful for plants. Animal manure is very often used and is a natural fertilizer for vegetables. Many gardeners successfully use cow manure as fertilizer for vegetables. Horse manure is also great for vegetable beds so your plants get proper nutrition and grow healthily.
Gardeners also use eggshells as fertilizer to add calcium to the soil. An interesting and useful use of organic fertilizers is the use of oatmeal as fertilizer.
Below we explain the specific advantages and disadvantages of using organic fertilizers. In general, you should consider that, like all other gardening tasks, fertilizing is about the right amounts and ingredients that each individual plant needs. Because every plant needs specific nutrients and you have to know the plants' needs well. When organic fertilizer is enriched in liquid form, this promotes better accessibility to the roots of the plants.
What are the benefits of organic fertilizer?
Using organic fertilizers has many benefits. Organic fertilizers are a good addition to the soil and they make the soil rich and ideal for planting. If you use biological agents in the garden, the decomposition process takes place without chemical intervention. Organic fertilizers are biodegradable and do not cause environmental pollution. This is very important for sustainable gardening. Organic fertilizers are a source of many important elements for the healthy growth of plants.
One of the best properties of organic fertilizer is improving soil structure, particularly the soil's ability to hold water and nutrients. Thereorganic fertilizeris rich in organic matter, it promotes microbes to thrive and the microbes make the nutrients in the soil naturally accessible to plants.
Gardeners know that some synthetic fertilizers can cause plant damage to leaves and roots, which is not the case with organic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers reduce erosion and the food produced is non-toxic. Of course, you don't have to overdo it when fertilizing with organic products, but rather use appropriate amounts.
You can make organic fertilizer yourself in the garden or on the farm. Many gardeners make their own fertilizer and use it regularly for healthy plants and a bountiful harvest. Here are some suggestions on how to make DIY organic fertilizer.
How can you make simple organic fertilizers yourself?
Here is a list of home remedies that can be used for a natural fertilizer. Everyone probably has these resources at home. Try feeding your plants naturally:
coffee grounds
Used coffee grounds are perfect for your plants and can give them a nutritional boost while building healthy soil. It is rich in nitrogen and potassium.
vegetable water
Instead of throwing away the water left over from cooking or steaming vegetables, use it as a natural organic fertilizer.
Banana peels
Banana peels are agreat natural fertilizerfor plants. They contain a lot of potassium, and in the plant world potassium is an important nutrient for plant growth.
wood ash
The ash left over from burning wood is very useful as fertilizer for your garden. But use the light gray ash at the bottom of your fireplace, not the black chunks of coal. Wood ash contains a lot of potassium and raises the pH of the soil. So don't use them on acid-loving plants.
Disadvantages of using organic fertilizers
Not all products are created equal, and many organic products produce inconsistent results. Therefore, make sure you choose a product that has been tested by the industry. Another disadvantage is that the nutrient content of organic fertilizers may often be low. Therefore you have to fertilize more often. With organic fertilizer, the beneficial microorganisms in the soil feed the plants, but they don't do so as quickly as you would like.
In order to ensure sufficient nutrients for the plants, large amounts of organic fertilizer must be used. The possible nitrogen depletion is one of the other disadvantages of organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers are usually more expensive than synthetic ones and this can also be considered a disadvantage.
