If you have an interest in farming, be it in your backyard or a large farm, one of the considerations you have to make is garden fertilizers. Fertilizers ensure that your crops are healthy and that they mature on time. Depending on your preference, and type of crop planted, you may choose organic or inorganic fertilizers. However, organic fertilizers are always preferred since they are environmentally friendly.

Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizers are those that are derived for animal and plant matter. They are preferred since they significantly improve the soil structure by providing nutrients and feeding microbes. They are also cheap since you can create them yourself. They also provide a slow and steady nutrient flow to your plants; hence it is difficult to over-fertilize when using them.

The most common type of garden fertilizer is manure. It comes from livestock waste. Fresh manure should never be applied as it could harm plants. Bone meal refers to finely grounded bones from slaughtered animals. This fertilizer is very nutritious as it contains phosphate and calcium. It helps promote flowering in plants.

Another form of organic fertilizer is blood meal. This is dried blood that is crushed into powder. This garden fertilizer is a rich source of nitrogen to plants. Plant material such as compost is an organic fertilizer that can also benefit your crops. The limitations of organic garden fertilizers are that some are too bulky hence consume time and energy to apply. Also, their slow release of nutrients may not be beneficial to plants in dire need of nutrients.

Inorganic Fertilizers

Inorganic fertilizers are those which are artificially manufactured using synthetic minerals. They can either be single nutrient or multi-nutrient. As garden fertilizers, they are preferred since they have specific nutrient concentrations. For instance, a 12-10-10 inorganic fertilizer has 12% nitrogen, 10% phosphorous and 10% potassium. Another advantage is that they are fast acting. They dissolve quickly and resuscitate malnourished plants.

Finally, they are easy to use due to their efficient packaging. There are various types of inorganic fertilizers. Depending on your plant requirements. You can get urea, ammonium nitrate, phosphorus, potassium chloride, and single super-phosphate. The limitations of these fertilizers are that they are susceptible to leaching in addition to being toxic to the soil and plants when overused. 

Garden fertilizers will help you have a bumper harvest from your crops. You can choose from organic or inorganic fertilizers depending on their availability and the condition of your plants.

Share