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7 Factors Needed for a Compost Pile
Compost, made from decomposed grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and branches, becomes a dark, crumbly mixture of organic matter.
Learn how composting works....read more on organic gardening
Interior Decorating Themes
There are a variety of decorating themes from formal to informal
and everything in between. Which one best describes your
decorating style?
Formal Traditional...read more on organic gardening
California Organic Fertilizers High in Nutrients
In answer to the growing problems of the environment today, more and more farmers have turned to organic farming as the solution to producing top quality and chemical-free...read more on organic gardening
Organic Gardening Is Cool
Gardening can add more quality to the way you live, and might
even add quantity to your life. There are many benefits of
gardening, particularly organic gardening. It's so...read more on organic gardening
Making Your Own Compost What You ll Need
Compost is used in gardening to mix with the soil and provide nutrients, allowing for a more beautiful garden and healthier plants and vegetables. It utilizes organic...read more on organic gardening
Organic Fertilizers in Cane Farming
For the past few years, the focus of cane farming has been on the production of organic foods using organic fertilizers. The two reasons that explain this new tread in cane...read more on organic gardening
Grow Organic Vegetables
There are more reasons than ever why anybody with access to a few square feet of the outdoors should grow their own organic vegetables. You may be shocked at how much of...read more on organic gardening
Online Gardening Catalogues At Your Disposal
Are you searching for gardening catalogues? What kind of
gardening and plants do you prefer to read about? There is a
wide selection available online. Here are a few...read more on organic gardening
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Most soils need the addition of organic fertilizers to keep them fertile and healthy. Organic fertilizers come from decomposed plants, animals, and natural minerals. The nutrients that come from organic fertilizers are only released gradually during high temperatures, moisture, and microbial activity. These are the same conditions that plants need in order to grow, thus making organic fertilizers in perfect sync with plant growth.
One of the major advantages that organic fertilizers have over chemical fertilizers is that they contain organic matter. Comprised of dead bio-matter, organic matters are the ones responsible in keeping water and air trapped in the soil, making nutrients available to plants, and preventing plant-related diseases.
Types of Organic Fertilizers
There are several types of organic fertilizers which you can find available in catalogs or garden centers. Most organic fertilizers are a combination of organic materials, although some only have one source. Organic fertilizers are separated into four basic categories - plant, animal, mineral, and compost.
Plant organic fertilizers have a rich storehouse of specific nutrients like nitrogen. This type of organic fertilizer is considered to be a renewable source of nutrient. A fine example of a plant organic fertilizer is the alfalfa meal. This organic fertilizer is made of green manure crops. Al though the alfalfa meal contains some small percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, this organic fertilizer benefits the soil best for it contains Triacontanol, the growth hormone for plants.
Cottonseed meal is another example of a plant organic fertilizer. This organic fertilizer contains seven percent Nitrogen, two percent Phosphorus, and another two percent for Potassium content. With its seven percent Nitrogen, this organic fertilizer is second only to blood meal in providing the most organic nitrogen to plants.
Plant organic fertilizers may also be made from seaweeds and algae. Organic fertilizers made from kelp meal contain very high potassium and trace elements. This plant organic fertilizer is also a great source of plant hormones that help regulate growth. Seaweed organic fertilizers have almost the same characteristics as kelp meal. This type of organic fertilizer is excellent for greening the plant foliage and stimulating growth.
Organic fertilizers may also come from by-products of animal processing. Industries like dairy farming and meat or poultry processing produce materials that are a rich source of plant nutrients and minerals. These materials are dried and processed into organic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers that come from animals include bone meal, blood meal, and fish emulsion.
Perhaps the best source of quick-acting nitrogen is the organic fertilizer that is blood meal. This type of organic fertilizer is completely soluble and maybe applied by watering it down the soil. Another organic fertilizer that comes from animals is the bone meal, a rich calcium source. This organic fertilizer contains a high percentage of lasting phosphorus as well as some small amounts of nitrogen ad potassium. Bone meal organic fertilizer best suits young plants because it releases its nutrients extremely slowly.
Mineral-based organic fertilizers are not really organic but are considered to be so because they are not extensively processed. Rock phosphate, Chilean nitrate, sulfate of potash magnesia, and green sand are only a few examples of this type of organic fertilizer.
Compost is considered to be the "Cadillac" of organic fertilizers. This type of organic fertilizer is the cheapest and most widely available (you can make it in our backyard!).
Written by: Gail Metcalf
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