Organic Fertilizers
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Best known from days gone by as back yard compost or the local farmer's cow manure, today's organic fertilizers take many forms, including the numerous specialty products found on garden shop shelves.
Their virtues, compared to synthetic fertilizers, can be summed up in terms of three distinct advantages. First, because they are natural by-products, they help build healthy soil and enrich already healthy soil. Second, they release their nutrients over time, aiding plant growth throughout the growth cycle. Finally, their slow release nature reduces the possibility of nutrient overload in the local water system every times it rains.
All the organic fertilizer products on the market have a NPK ratio, or three number stamp, that represents the quantity of three essential plant nutrients: Nitrogen (for leaves and stems), Phosphorous (for roots and flowers), and Potash (for overall plant health).
While the typical flower or vegetable garden gets the biggest boost from organic fertilizers with high nitrogen and phosphorus content, soil and climactic conditions also determine fertilizer need. It's always a safe move to check with the local agricultural extension service regarding any potential special fertilizing needs related to a particular area.
Quite often fertilizer choice boils down to a trade off between convenience and price. Most off the shelf products preform as promised, but that performance comes with a cost. For example, typical off the shelf bone meal fertilizers cost about $2.00/pound.
Burying fish waste in a soon to be planted piece of ground costs nothing, and it provides similar fertilizing power. A different take on the subject comes from The Scientific American Cyclopedia of Receipts, Notes and Queries. Their recipe for Cheap Fish Fertilisers said, "Pass fish refuse through mincing machine and expose in layers 3 in. deep in a kiln heated to 300o F. until properly dried."
Gardeners choosing less expensive fertilizer options, including using materials from community compost piles, need to proceed with caution because of the documented stories of pesticide residues and/or toxic metals found in these materials.
© 2009 Patricia A. Michaels. All Rights Reserved.