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Liquid Organic Fertilizer

Using organic fertilizers is a widely accepted practice in the agricultural industry. Farmers use them to cultivate their field and row crops, winemakers utilize them for growing grapes, and horticulturists apply a liberal does of these during the landscaping of their orchards or turfs.

Liquid organic fertilizers are a safe and effective way of providing your plants with the best nutrient supply without harming them or increasing the soil’s acid content. Liquid organic fertilizers act as agents to effectively increase the content levels of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium. Because these three substances are the three major nutrients that plants need, liquid organic fertilizers thus provide plants with an abundant food supply essential for their growth.

Liquid organic fertilizers are especially important in helping the plants overcome the tension involved in transplanting, cold weather, or dry season. Because liquid organic fertilizers help enrich the soil, they assist in removing the risk of soil nutrient-deficiency.

There are two basic methods of application for liquid organic fertilizers – through spraying or through direct application to the soil around the plant. Spraying is the more commonly used method of applying liquid organic fertilizers. This is because plants usually take in nutrients through their leaves and stems where their stomata are located. Liquid organic fertilizers sprayed on plant leaves and stem allow them to absorb the nutrients faster.

The other method used for applying liquid organic fertilizers are called direct or tea application. Liquid organic fertilizer direct application is like adding tea to the soil around the plant. Liquid organic fertilizer direct application still has the same nutritional component as the spray type. The only difference is that with the liquid organic fertilizer direct application method, nutrients such as nitrogen and potash may be wasted because they are not easily absorbed by the plants.

There are several types of liquid organic fertilizers available in the market. The most common liquid organic fertilizer is fish emulsion. Made from ground up and liquefied fish parts, fish emulsion liquid organic fertilizer contains trace elements essential for plant growth. Fish emulsion liquid organic fertilizer also has high content level of nitrogen, the nitrate source for plants. Fish emulsion liquid organic fertilizer may be sprayed on the plant’s foliage or applied directly as tea.

Liquid organic fertilizers can also be made from earthworm castings. Earthworms play a major role in providing the soil with minerals and vitamins that help plants grow and this is what led scientists to manufacture earthworm-based liquid organic fertilizer.

Another type of liquid organic fertilizer is the bat guano. Several more manufacturers have produced liquid organic fertilizers containing any combination of the following: fish meal, soybean protein extract, rock phosphate, bone ash, potassium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, sea kelp, and humic acid.

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The wild primrose flower found in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia only opens its pale yellow petals in the evening and because of this, it came to be known as the evening primrose. The evening primrose oil is extracted from Oenothera biennis whose seeds contain special fatty oil that is used in various healing procedures today.

During the early days, the Native Americans and early settlers gathered the evening primrose and its root to treat ailments, such as hemorrhoids, stomachaches, sore throat, and bruises. Today, modern research has shown that the power of the evening primrose lies in its seed oil. The evening primrose oil contains an essential fatty acid called gamma-linolenic acid. Gamma-linolenic acid in evening primrose oil is an omega-6 fatty acid. This means that once processed in the body, the substance exerts anti-inflammatory and other healing actions.

Certainly, gamma-linolenic acid is not exclusive to evening primrose oil. A number of foods actually contain small amounts of this substance and often, the body produces its own gamma-linolenic acid derived from a number of dietary fats. However, for a more concentrated source of gamma-linolenic acid, one must turn to the evening primrose oil. About 7 per cent to 10 per cent of fatty acids in evening primrose oil are in the form of gamma-linolenic acid.

Evening Primrose Oil: Health Benefits

The high content levels of gamma-linolenic acid in evening primrose oil make this herb valuable to the field of herbal science. It has various health benefits. When taken internally, gamma-linolenic acid is converted into prostaglandins by the body. These compounds act like hormones and the help regulate various body functions. The prostaglandins produced by inducing evening primrose oil can also control inflammation in some cases and promote it in others. Cell membranes of the body rely on gamma-linolenic for balance and maintenance.

More specifically, evening primrose oil may help relieve the discomforts of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), menstruation, endometriosis, and fibrocystic breasts. Evening primrose oil interferes with the production of inflammatory hormones released during menstruation and thus helps lessen menstrual cramps. This same anti-inflammatory property may also minimize premenstrual breast tenderness, carbohydrate cravings, and irritable bowel flare-ups, as well as help control endometriosis-associated inflammation.

Research indicates that evening primrose oil may help prevent diabetes-associated nerve damage. In the year-long study, the symptoms associated with diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), such as numbness, tingling, and loss of sensation were less marked in participants who took evening primrose oil than those who took a placebo.

When the body has problems converting dietary fats into gamma-linolenic acid, eczema may develop. The supplemental gamma-linolenic acid in evening primrose oil is helpful in avoiding this. Some studies have shown that evening primrose oil relieve eczema-related inflammation, itching, oozing, and flaking.

Other uses of evening primrose oil are as follows: help treat acne and rosacea; alleviate inflammation associated with lupus; lessen numbness and tingling; combat damage from multiple sclerosis; treat Alzheimer’s-related memory deficiencies; protect against the effects of aging; counter impotence and female infertility; alleviate Raynaud’s disease symptoms; nourish nails, scalp, and hair; and prevent alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Evening primrose oil may come in three forms – softgel, oil, or capsules.

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