Plant Gardens 101

Fertilizers are chemical compounds or substance that contain elements which are necessary for the growth of plant and flowers. There are mainly two types of fertilizers organic and inorganic. Organic fertilizers are those which are made through natural process like decomposed plants such as manure, worm castings, peat moss, seaweed, sewage and guano, whereas inorganic fertilizers are manufactured through chemical process. They are in the form of simple compounds mainly of nitrogen, phosphate and potash. Organic fertilizers contain essential nutrients that encourage plant growth. Inorganic fertilizers consist of various combination of salts and supply plants with necessary nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). These fertilizers are also called NPK fertilizers. Ammonia is also used in making fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulphate. Inorganic or chemical fertilizers are available in powdered form and when mixed with water they can be used by plants immediately. Whereas organic fertilizers cannot be used immediately and requires some sort of action by the micro life (bacteria, earthworm, fungi) which breaks down the matter (bone, algae, seeds, leaves) and convert them to the form, which can be used by the plants. It is believed that organic fertilizers are more environment-friendly and better maintain soil organic matter levels than inorganic fertilizers as inorganic fertilizers can have long term adverse effects on the organisms living in the soil and can also affect the productivity of the soil. Organic fertilizers provide increased physical and biological storage mechanisms to soils, thus lessens the risk of over-fertilization. They are just a by product of some other other already existing product like bone, seed, cotton or kelp and they don’t get washed away like chemical fertilizers. (more…)