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Pelleted Organic Fertilizer

Going organic is the way to go if you want to make a wonderland out of your backyard. But choosing the right organic fertilizer can be such a headache, especially for those who have just taken up gardening as a hobby. This article will help you decide on what type of organic fertilizer you might want to use for your plants.

There are many types of organic fertilizers available in the market, such as fish emulsions, seaweed extracts, corn meal, bone meal, kelp extract, etc. These may come in different forms, e.g. liquid, powder, granular or pelleted organic fertilizers.

The liquid organic fertilizer is basically applied via foliar spray while the powder form can be applied like tea. These two forms have their own advantages and disadvantages and many plant growers debate over the merits of one or the other.

The third form of organic fertilizer is the granular or pelleted organic fertilizer. Late to come into the market (the pelleted organic fertilizer technology is quite new), the pelleted organic fertilizer is becoming more and more the superior organic fertilizer form over the other two –liquid and powder. This is because pelleted organic fertilizers are cheaper compared to foliar liquid organic fertilizers or the powdered teabag forms. Pelleted organic fertilizers also have the slow-release capability.

The slow-release property in pelleted organic fertilizers allows them to gradually release the nutrients into the soil, allowing the plants time to absorb and use them extensively throughout the growing season. In this regard, the pelleted organic fertilizer also helps prevent leaching (a common side-effect of liquid-based fertilizers) and soil erosion.

Because it is organic-based, pelleted organic fertilizers contain only a minor amount of chemicals (minor because no commercially produced pelleted organic fertilizer is one hundred percent natural). The pelleted organic fertilizer’s low chemical content makes it an ideal nutrient-source not only for plants but to the soil microorganisms as well.

Pelleted organic fertilizers may come from different sources of organic materials. Most pelleted organic fertilizers in the market today are produced from by-products of the sea.

Fish emulsion pelleted organic fertilizers are highly valued for its rich trace element content. Pelleted organic fertilizers made from seaweed extract are also a popular favorite among plant growers because it is virtually a powerhouse source of trace elements and nitrogen.

Another pelleted organic fertilizer that is based on sea-produce is the crab shell pelleted organic fertilizer. Rich in plant vitamins and minerals, this pelleted organic fertilizer is also valued as a potential pest-controller with its high chitin content.

Pelleted organic fertilizers may also be made from poultry litter, farm manure, and bat guano. Chicken farms have been using organic fertilizer plants to convert their farm wastes into pelleted organic fertilizers for plant use. Another pelleted organic fertilizer is the bat guano. Commonly comprised of 10 percent nitrogen and 2 percent phosphoric acid, the bat guano pelleted organic fertilizer is a high-protein, slow-release, and soluble type of pelleted organic fertilizer.

There are various other sources of pelleted organic fertilizers. Samples of these pelleted organic fertilizers are bone meals, corn meals, magnesium and potash from grounded ancient bedrock, and several others.

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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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