http://www.care2.com/greenliving/organic-fertilizers.html
Organic Fertilizers
posted by Annie B. Bond Mar 4, 1999 7:55 pm
Adapted from Straight-Ahead Organic,by Shepherd Ogden.
Unfortunately, not all organic gardeners have access to manure or the room for a compost pile or tumbler. You can still properly treat what soil you have by using purchased organic fertilizers and soil-builders instead of synthetics. You may even be able to buy fully prepared compost from the country or town in which you live, as many local governments now sponsor composting projects at local landfills.
Here’s what to look for when you buy organic fertilizer.
- First, check the N-P-K number listings on the bag. These numbers refer to N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus), and K (potassium) in that order: the NPK ratio. A rule of thumb for determining if fertilizer is organic or chemical, is that if an NPK ratio adds up to more than 15, or if one of the numbers is more than 8, it is probably chemical, not organic. These lower numbers don’t mean that there is a failing in organic fertilizers; remember, that is the advantage of organic materials: their nutrients are not immediately available, but rather are released slowly, over time, at a rate the plants can use without waste.
- Second, scan the list of ingredients for words like ammonium, muriate, urea, nitrate, phosphoric, or superphosphate; if these words or their variants are part of the ingredients, don’t buy. The words phosphate and sulfate themselves are not necessarily indicators of processed or
synthesized materials, but if combined with any of the key words above, they are.
- Other ingredients to watch out for are cottonseed meal and leather
tankage, not because they aren’t natural (non-synthetic) products, but because they are frequently contaminated with harmful residues, thus making them suspect to use in an organic vegetable garden. The same points apply to liquid fertilizers.
- When using commercial organic fertilizers, follow the instructions and the
recommended application rates listed on the package.
- Don’t double up because
the listed N-P-K is lower than what you might be used to using.
- And be careful to keep track of your soil’s organic matter level; these purchased fertilizers, unless they are made from composted manures (many are), do not
add organic matter to the soil-and organic matter is at the heart of organic gardening.
Go to the Source
Straight-Ahead Organic, by Shepherd Ogden
This is a new and revised edition of Shepherd Ogden's Step-by-Step Organic Vegetable Gardening, a book that introduced thousands of gardeners to the benefits and techniques of organic processes. Although the author is by any definition a Master Grower, this book intended for the amateur enthusiast who is poised to make the leap to organics.buy nowrelated stories
-
Lawn and garden fertilizers provide nutrients that may…
(6 comments)
-
Why organic? By using pesticides and fertilizers on…
(1 comment)
-
Blended organic fertilizers are useful when soil fertility…
(7 comments)
Annie B.
Melissa
Jana
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Eric
Andrew
Dave
Robyn
Deepak
28 comments
add your comment »organic fertilizer contain Dicalcium Phosphate
http://en.be-long.com/Chemical-Products-Suppliers/Dicalcium-Phosphate-Manufacturers.html
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I think this article will be usefull for all who are going to buy organic fertilizer
http://www.krishnaphoschem.com
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Wonderful article! I'm a rep with The Happy Gardener, a company that offers a complete line of all natural, organic gardening and lawn care products and I'm passionate about showing people how easy it is to clean up the earth, starting in their own backyard! Thank you for being a part of that! If you would like a free sample of our all natural plant food made from certified organic sea vegetables, drop me a line!
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
very helpful!
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
This definitely gave me something to think about.Thank you for the information.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I have never used anything in my garden but the soil already there, water and sun light. I have never tried to fertilizer. I'm sure that my vegetables might be different but they look like the picture on the seed package and they taste great. Maybe one day I will venture out and use fertilizer. But it is goood to learn about it first!
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I have a very small garden which I am trying to convert to an organic one after years of being a chemical one. "Making dirt" is hard work, but very satisfying. Thanks for this article which I copied.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
kind,
deady e-coli bacteria survives composting, & may need 3 years or more, etc..., of not being used(depending on conditions, climate that professionly needs to be checked, like dry hot desert all year round, too, wet & cool all year, too, dry hot part of year & cool wet rest of year as an example. alfalfa, bales of it gives nitrogen. where i am it taked about 3 months for a 12 foot by 12 foot plot to use up a bale of alfalfa. compost all weeds, leaves, plant material from food eaten & add to soil. other mineral elements also are helpful like gypsum gives calcium. sulpher powder i found orgaic was needed by my plot also. emspom salt has magnesium needed. so much needs to be made known concerning utilizing minerals. plus seaweeds are good for minerals hard to find. stop abuse of animals, by not using them to fertilize plots. its a disgrace the situation animals are in, they breathe & bleed like us, yet we find if treated like them criminal. when shall this wicked scene of way of surviving end with peace, so peace may happen, for the animal scene isn't of peace, hopefully now! our scene with animals is wicked & the animals are called wicked also, look how many are hunted. no one wants to be hunted, its wicked. let ask for peace with grace. that peace shall really happen. kind
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Thank you everyone..Jaylena:)
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
saved the info for my garden when I finally get it
thank you
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?