Danny Lipford

The Debate over Organic vs. Chemical Fertilizers

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:33:38 +0000

Ask most any gardener whether they prefer organic or chemical fertilizer, and chances are you’ll spark a lively debate. However, if you could ask your plants the same question, you’d find out that at the most basic level, they really can’t tell the difference – nutrients are nutrients.

Yet there ARE significant differences between organic and chemical fertilizers in terms of nutrient availability and the long-term effects on soil, plants, and the environment. So how does a conscientious gardener decide?

Terminology

To begin with, the terminology can be confusing, since labels and gardeners freely throw around words like organic, natural, inorganic, chemical, synthetic, artificial, and manufactured. The good news is that the choice can be reduced to either organic or chemical fertilizers.

Organic Fertilizer

The words “organic” or “natural” in this case simply means that the product is only minimally processed, and the nutrients remain bound up in their natural forms, rather than being extracted and refined. In the case of fertilizer, “organic” does NOT refer to the standards of processing associated with food.

Organic fertilizer is usually made from plant or animal waste or powdered minerals. Examples include manure and compost, as well as bone and cottonseed meal. They are usually sold as “soil conditioners” rather than as fertilizer, because the nutrient ratios are difficult to guarantee. Organic fertilizers may be processed in a factory, or, in the case of manure and compost, at a farm.

There is also a growing selection of more highly processed products now available, with labeled analysis of nutrients and contents. For example, ScottsMiracle Gro Organic Choice Plant Food is a manufactured product composed entirely of chicken litter and ground up feathers, with an N-P-K ratio of 7-1-2. Garden Safe Organic Plant Food is made of poultry manure with a label very similar to chemical fertilizers.

Advantages of Organic Fertilizer:

In addition to releasing nutrients, as organic fertilizers break down, they improve the structure of the soil and increase its ability to hold water and nutrients. Over time, organic fertilizers will make your soil–and plants–healthy and strong.
Since they are the ultimate slow-release fertilizers, it’s very difficult to over fertilize (and harm) your plants.
There’s little to no risk of toxic buildups of chemicals and salts that can be deadly to plants.
Organic fertilizers are renewable, biodegradable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.
Although rather expensive in packages, you can make your own organic fertilizer by composting or find inexpensive sources—such as local dairy farms—that may sell composted manure.

Disadvantages of Organic Fertilizer:

Microorganisms are required to break down and release nutrients into the soil. Since they need warmth and moisture to do their job, the effectiveness of organic fertilizer is limited seasonally. The good news is that these microorganisms obtain energy from decaying plant and animal matter, so an application of organic fertilizer provides a complete package of nutrients for your soil.
Organic fertilizers break down according to nature’s rules, so they may not release nutrients as soon as you need them. You have to be patient – you won’t see improvement overnight. In fact, you may actually see a deficiency in your plants during the first couple of months until the first application breaks down. Hang in there! You’ll most definitely be rewarded.
Nutrient ratios are often unknown, and the overall percentage is lower than chemical fertilizers. However, some organic products are actually higher in certain nutrients.

Chemical Fertilizers

Chemical or manufactured fertilizers have been refined to extract nutrients and bind them in specific ratios with other chemical fillers. These products may be made from petroleum products, rocks, or even organic sources. To cause more confusion, some of the chemicals may be naturally occurring. The difference is that the nutrients in chemical fertilizers are refined to their pure state and stripped of substances that control their availability and breakdown, which rarely occurs in nature.

Advantages of Chemical Fertilizer:

Since nutrients are available to the plants immediately, improvement occurs in days.
They are highly analyzed to produce the exact ratio of nutrients desired.
Standardized labeling makes ratios and chemical sources easy to understand.
They’re inexpensive.

Disadvantages of Chemical Fertilizer:

Chemical fertilizers are primarily made from nonrenewable sources, including fossil fuels.
They grow plants, but do nothing to sustain the soil. The fillers do not promote life or soil health, and even packages labeled “complete” do not include the decaying matter necessary to improve soil structure. In fact, chemical fertilizers don’t replace many trace elements that are gradually depleted by repeated crop plantings, resulting in long-term damage to the soil.
Because the nutrients are readily available, there is a danger of over fertilization. This not only can kill plants but upset the entire ecosystem.
Chemical fertilizers tend to leach, or filter away from the plants, requiring additional applications.
Repeated applications may result in a toxic buildup of chemicals such as arsenic, cadmium, and uranium in the soil. These toxic chemicals can eventually make their way into your fruits and vegetables.
Long-term use of chemical fertilizer can change the soil pH, upset beneficial microbial ecosystems, increase pests, and even contribute to the release of greenhouse gases.

Making a Choice

If you wish to live in harmony with nature and make a lasting improvement in your own patch of earth for generations to come, organic fertilizers outweigh chemicals by leaps and bounds. Can a shot of chemical fertilizer make your containers spill over with blossoms, and give you the biggest tomatoes and greenest lawn in the neighborhood? Absolutely. Just be sure you understand what’s really happening to the earth under your feet, so that you’ll make your choice consciously.

Further Information

Making Pots from Grapefruit Rinds

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:01:51 +0000

Grapefruit rinds can serve as nutrient rich, biodegradable pots. After eating, clean out the interior of the rind, cut slits in the bottom for drainage, fill with soil, and add seeds or seedlings. When the rind start to decompose, dig a hole, and plant it in the ground.

Using Mulch in Your Garden

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:36:38 +0000

Nature has a simple and effective process for feeding and enriching the earth. When plants die or drop their leaves, the organic matter decomposes and returns nutrients to the soil. During the winter, this layer of organic matter protects seeds from the cold, and in the spring it holds in moisture to encourage seed germination. If the layer is thick enough, it will discourage new growth and protect established plants.

Gardeners have taken this natural process and turned it into the concept of “mulching” where a thick layer of organic matter is applied to planting beds and gardens.

Mulching helps the garden by providing:

Weed control
Soil enrichment
Moisture retention
Visual appeal

Types of Mulch

Mulch is both functional and decorative, with many different types available. When choosing mulch, consider the density and texture relative to the plants in your garden. Tender seedlings will have a hard time pushing through a thick layer of coarse mulch while large areas around trees and shrubs may benefit from a heavy weed-preventative barrier. While your choice of mulching material should primarily be based on its purpose, it’s also a matter of taste and budget. Some popular options include:

Organic Mulches that Break Down in One Season

Leaves: While readily available, uncomposted leaves are susceptible to blowing winds when dry and can pack down tightly when wet. Perfect for natural areas, they work best in formal gardens when composted first.
Grass Clippings: Plentiful during the mowing season, lawn clippings provide great soil amendment but may look messy until they begin to break down.

Compost: Compost packs a double punch as both mulch and an excellent organic fertilizer.
Paper: A layer of old newspapers work great as a weed barrier underneath mulch or straw. Try to use papers with biodegradable inks. Shredded waste paper may also be used.
Hay and Straw: Often used for newly seeded lawns and vegetable gardens since they break down quickly. Hay and straw often contain seeds that may sprout.
Less common (but effective) one-season organic mulches include shredded corn stalks, manure, peat moss, and rice hulls.

Organic Mulches that Last More than One Season

Wood: The different varieties of mulch made from ground up trees ranges from shredded and stringy to chipped and chunky. Chipped cedar mulch is both attractive and aromatic. Wood mulches come in single- double- and triple-ground, with the price increasing each time it goes through the grinder. For an inexpensive basic mixed ground mulch, check your local landfill – many cities collect and grind lawn and tree waste, then sell it for as little as $5 per pickup load.

Bark: Beautiful and durable, bark nuggets have the disadvantage of drifting out of unedged beds, especially in a heavy rain. While relatively expensive, bark can be easily purchased in convenient lightweight bags and provides a nice finished look.
Pine Straw: Acid-loving plants love pine straw. Longer needles last longer than shorter ones. In areas with a lot of foot traffic, pine needles tend to break down quickly.

Dyed Mulch: Many shredded wood varieties of mulch are now being dyed every color of the rainbow. So if you’ve always wanted the color of your mulch to reflect your favorite sports team, you just might be in luck.
Other multi-season organic mulches include seed and nut hulls, cocoa bean hulls, corn cobs, and sawdust.

Inorganic Mulch

Rubber: Often manufactured to look like wood or bark, recycled rubber mulches are commonly used in playgrounds and walkways. Rubber mulch is the topic of debate among environmentalists, as the benefits of recycling weigh against the potential for off-gassing of toxic chemicals into the air and ground water.
Rock: Stone, gravel, and crushed rock are highly resistant to wind and maintain their appearance for years. Since rock absorbs heat, it often gives gardens a parched appearance.

Applying Mulch

Spread mulch to a depth of 2” to 4” and keep it back slightly from stems and trunks to avoid smothering the plants. Avoid a “volcano” effect around tree trunks – trees grow their roots to varied and specialized depths and can be sabotaged by an extremely thick layer of mulch.

Beautifying Your Garden with Mulch

In designing your garden, think of mulch as the elegant background that allows your ornamental plants to show their stuff. In the photo below, notice how the edged lawn and mulch accentuates the shape and color of the crimson pygmy barberry.

Mulching not only makes mowing easier around trees but also calls attention to attractive bark and trunk shapes. For a balanced appearance around small ornamental trees, consider making the mulch ring the same diameter as the treetop.

Mulch can also be used to set off an area in a pleasing shape and act as a design feature in its own right. In the yard below, the mulched area serves to:

Eliminate the need to grow grass in a shady area.
Accentuate the gorgeous Japanese maple tree.
Provide a shapely curve in the overall lawn design.

Also consider using more then one type of mulch for design purposes. In this garden, river stones were used as an edging, with shredded wood mulch around the plants themselves.

While river stones often appear white or gray when dry, they can display beautiful colors when wet.

Whatever your design or purpose, your plants will be protected from extreme temperatures, weeds, and short dry spells by a protective layer of mulch.

For a more detailed description of different types of mulch, go to HoneyCreek Vineyards and Orchards.

Ashes for Plants

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:24:41 +0000

The potassium in wood ashes encourages strong stems in plants while the phosphorus in the ashes encourages root growth. Soils low in potassium often benefits from wood ash but be careful with acid-loving plants such as blueberries, rhododendrons and azaleas. To use wood ash safely, add a small amount to your compost pile. Here the wood ash will help maintain a neutral condition, which is the best environment to help microorganisms break down organic materials. Sprinkle ashes on each layer of compost as the pile is built up and allow the ash to dissolve in the compost. Also, be sure not to use any pressure-treated wood ashes.

Organic Pest Control

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:00:59 +0000

Organic Landscaper Rachel DeToro offers these tips for natural pest management.

Nesting boxes and food sources will keep birds nearby and they in turn will keep insects under control.
Toads also perform the same function. You can give them a home by leaving partial clay pots at ground level.
Tree frogs will rest in the top of a vertically oriented piece of bamboo and feed on damaging insects.
Use pieces of cut potato (regular or sweet) placed in the garden to attract insects. This will provide a snapshot of exactly what bugs you have and how prevalent they are, so you can treat accordingly.

Compost Bin

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:30:38 +0000

Even the most novice gardeners know the benefits of using compost in their gardens, but nobody wants to look at a compost pile. One solution is a pre-fab compost bin made of plastic. Most of these units are compact in size and have removable lids that allow you to add material to the compost. The design should allow plenty of air and water to get into the mix, so the organic material can properly decompose. The only real work included here is occasionally stirring or rotating the compost.

Vinegar Weed Killer

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 16:20:32 +0000

Weeds popping up through paving stones or cracks in sidewalks can be a huge annoyance. Here’s a solution to stop them without back breaking work or toxic pesticides. Fill a spray bottle with household vinegar and spray it liberally on the offending weeds. The acidity of the vinegar with a little help from the sun will quickly burn the weeds up. Stubborn weeds may require a second application and English ivy may resist the treatment all together, but most weeds will be gone in a few hours.

Native Plants

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 15:42:54 +0000

If you’re looking for low maintenance plants for your garden you don’t need to look any further than your own backyard. Organic Landscaper Rachel DeToro tells us that native plants are a great addition to the landscape because they are readily available and they require little special care since they occur naturally in the wild. Local nurserymen or native plant societies can show you the species that work in your region and give you tips on their uses. However, before you dig up these “wild treasures”, be sure you have permission from the landowner.

Natural Remedies

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 15:34:48 +0000

If you look hard enough you can find solutions to many of your lawn and garden problems “naturally.” The pungent aroma of many herbs acts as a natural insect repellent. Planting herbs like parsley or basil among your vegetables will offer them some protection from bugs and simplify harvesting a salad. Marigolds, another pungent smelling plant, can help keep mosquitoes at bay if positioned around the perimeter of a deck or patio. If larger pests, like dogs, cats and squirrels are digging in your garden, try sprinkling a little cayenne pepper around on the ground to discourage them from future visits.

Feed Flowers Fruit

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:19:30 +0000

Roses love banana peels. They rot quickly, releasing minerals roses need such as calcium, sulfur, magnesium, and phosphates. Just cut them up and mix them in the soil at planting time or anytime you want to give your roses a boost. You can also make a banana peel tonic for use after the plants are established. Just soak chopped pieces in a closed jar of water for two weeks. Pour the remaining mush under the rose bush.