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Wrought Iron Decor for Home and Garden
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ORGANIC AND OTHER FERTILIZERS With today’s growing environmental concerns, more and more people are debating on which method should be used to fertilize plants. Most have turned to organic fertilizers as the safer and more cost-effective method compared to using artificial fertilizers. As a direct result of this organic movement, the market for organic fertilizers has grown immense and the people riding in this tide of successful market venture are of course the organic fertilizer plant owners. Organic fertilizer plants have been cropping up all over the world, producing anything from manure organic fertilizer to natural seaweed extracts and the like. With the heavy demand for organic fertilizers, it seems production will never stop in organic fertilizer plants. Establishing organic fertilizer plants is only the next logical step that the agricultural industries should make. Organic fertilizer plants are an effective means of ridding the world of organic matter that would otherwise rot and go to waste. For instance, chicken farms are a great source of living but the waste matters, that is, chicken manure, they produce by the gallons might be quite a nuisance to the atmosphere. Therefore, the solution would be to convert chicken manure into something useful by establishing an organic fertilizer plant. Just recently, the largest and most up-to-date organic fertilizer plant in China began its operations in Dalian City in the northeastern province of Liaoning. Built by Han Wei, China’s largest chicken farm, the organic fertilizer plant turns out 100,000 tons of fertilizer annually. Han Wei had collaborated with Shenyang Applied Ecology Research Institute (SAERI) to start operations on the organic fertilizer plant. Scientists in Liaoning and Heilongjiang provinces have conducted experiments to find out if the product of this organic fertilizer plant is effective. Their studies show that the organic fertilizer plant’s product can raise the output percentage of fruit, vegetables and flowers from eight to eighteen percent. In the United States, an organic fertilizer plant has also started its base operations in County Sussex, Delaware. Perdue AgriRecycle organic fertilizer plant is a joint venture between the poultry company Perdue Farms Inc. and AgriRecycle, the company that developed the litter-pelletizing technology. The 65,000-square-foot, totally enclosed organic fertilizer plant uses an environment-friendly method of recapturing the nitrogen and phosphorus and preserving the organic matter of poultry litter. With this method then, the organic fertilizer plant of Perdue AgriRecycle can convert poultry manure into 80,000 tons of fertilizer pellets. But chicken manure is not the only way to go with having an organic fertilizer plant. Several waste companies that collect food and green waste in its service area for composting also function as an organic fertilizer plant. During the process of composting in the organic fertilizer plant, however, organic waste water is produced as a by-product. The waste company will not be able to process this and sends it to another organic fertilizer plant that will be the one to separate the nutrients from the waste water. There are several other potential sources of organic fertilizers all over the world that are yet to be tapped by an organic fertilizer plant. With the problem of soil nutrient management in farms, it will not be long before another enterprising organic fertilizer plant owner will venture out and test those sources.
Natural Science Organic Fertilizer After 75 years in the agricultural industry with proven success, Natural Science has finally come up with the perfectly natural organic fertilizer for all you garden-makers and organic farmers. Natural Science organic fertilizer actually comes from recycled leather taken from animal hides. These “ingredients” of the Natural Science organic fertilizer then undergo a process of sterilization and transformed into a palletized form for easy application. In this way, the Natural Science organic fertilizer remains the superior choice in slow-releasing, non-harmful, water insoluble natural fertilizer. Chemically produced nitrogen in synthetic fertilizers may cause over application thus leading to harmful nitrate deposits in drinking water. The Natural Science organic fertilizer provides you with a safe source of all-natural nitrogen and other nutrients that are beneficial for plants. Natural Science organic fertilizer will provide all the essential nutrients that plants need in order to grow and stay healthy and integrate these into any season-based fertilizer program. The high nitrogen content in Natural Science organic fertilizer is made use of once it is released through soil microbial activity. The most amazing thing about Natural Science organic fertilizer is that nitrogen is released into the soil about the same time that plant growth occurs. Natural Science organic fertilizers start discharging its high nitrogen content in 2-3 weeks after application. This action of the Natural Science organic fertilizer allows nitrogen to be used freely by plants all throughout the growing season, thus giving the plants maximum usage of the nitrogen they are receiving. Organic matter is the lifeblood of any fertile soil because it allows the soil to have better water retention and nutrient holding capacity. Porosity of soil makes it more water absorbent, thus ensuring that plants don’t die from water shortage. And the soil’s ability to hold nutrients can very well mean the difference between a scraggly, sickly looking plant and a lush, green shrub. Natural Science organic fertilizer raises the organic matter content levels of the soil, thus aid in its conditioning. Also, with its capability to raise the content levels of organic matter, Natural Science organic fertilizer is the ideal choice for sandy and loose soils. Nitrogen and other nutrients in these types of soil are quickly drained because of the looseness of the soil granules. But by using Natural Science organic fertilizer, that is no longer a problem to worry abut. A lot of farmers are discouraged from using phosphorous-rich fertilizers, especially if their gardens are located on properties near lakes and streams. Phosphorous has been known to leak into these vital water sources and to cause increased aquatic weed growth, resulting in unsightly algae blooms. But because Natural Science organic fertilizer contains zero phosphorous this need not be an issue for you. Natural Science organic fertilizer is what you need if you live near rivers and lakes.
Chemical Fertilizer vs. Organic Fertilizer A popular topic among the agriculture specialists and home gardeners these days is the furor on organic fertilizer vs. chemical fertilizer. Now each fertilizer certainly has its pros and their cons, but before we delve in deeper into that, let us first make a few definitions.
What is organic fertilizer? Organic fertilizers are substances containing nutrients derived from the remains or by-product of an organism. Examples of organic fertilizers are cottonseed meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, and manure and sewage sludge. Organic fertilizers are naturally rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three major nutrients needed in plant growth. Organic fertilizers depend on microorganisms found in soil to break them down and release the nutrients.
What is chemical fertilizer? Chemical fertilizers are synthetically produced plant nutrients from inorganic materials. Because they are artificially made, many chemical fertilizers contain acids that can be harmful to the soil’s population of microorganisms. In this aspect, chemical fertilizers have the potential to stunt plant growth.
Chemical fertilizer vs. organic fertilizer Fertilizers are created to target soil nutrient deficiency, which is a prevalent problem among home garden owners. One distinct advantage chemical fertilizers have over organic fertilizers is the fact that they contain all three of the major nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium). Organic fertilizers can only either have high content levels of one of these three or have all three nutrients in low levels. For its part, organic fertilizers are a much cheaper and cost-effective alternative to chemical fertilizers. Any home gardener can create his own brand of organic fertilizer by composting or mixing cow, sheep, or poultry manure with other organic matters. Chemical fertilizers on the other hand will have to be bought from a gardening store or horticulturists. A noted aspect of organic fertilizer is its slow-release capability. This slow release of nutrients in organic fertilizers can be both beneficial and potentially harmful to plants. Slow release of nutrients means that there is less risk of over-fertilization. However, this could also mean that if the need for immediate supply of nutrients arises, organic fertilizers would not be able to provide the needed supply. In contrast, chemical fertilizers can prove plants with an immediate supply of nutrients when the situation calls for it Several chemical fertilizers have high acid content. Acids in chemical fertilizers, like sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid, lead to high soil acidity which would in turn result in the destruction of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, the microorganism that plays a key role in supplying a growing plant’s nitrogen needs. Plants certainly do not recognize the difference between organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizers. Their tiny root hairs will absorb those microscopic nutrients, regardless of where they come from or how they were manufactured. But even so, with today’s growing environmental concerns, some people debate over the wisdom of using chemical fertilizers as a nutrient source.
Seaweed Organic Fertilizer Ashes to ashes…grass to grass…huh?! Well, to dispel your initial confusion, let me first tell you a little about organic gardening. The term was first conceptualized when farmers and plant growers began using organic fertilizers more and more as opposed to commercially processed ones because of certain environmental issues. Organic fertilizers are said to be a good source of nutrients for plants in their growth cycle. Organic fertilizers maybe made from compost (the local backyard manure is one), corn meal, bone ash (great source of calcium), fish emulsion, and sea grass (this explains the statement above. Grass benefiting from grass. Get it? It’s not exactly rocket science). The sea acts as a gigantic septic tank of the earth. It’s where every bit and pieces of trash and trace elements go to after having been flushed through rivers and streams. Seaweeds found on the ocean floor thrive on these trace elements for sustenance. It is precisely for this reason that for centuries, seaweed organic fertilizers have been used to supplement the nutrient needs of plants. Trace elements found in seaweed organic fertilizers include magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, and nitrogen -- all of which are beneficial to plants. Nitrogen, for instance, is essential to the production of nitrate, a key component needed by plants during photosynthesis. Seaweed organic fertilizers can be used as a soil treatment to grow healthier, stronger, and more disease-resistant plants. The application methods of seaweed organic fertilizers are quite simple. You can either spray seaweed organic fertilizers over your plants using foliar spray. This method of applying seaweed organic fertilizer is preferred by most since it allows greater nutrient absorption. The other seaweed organic fertilizer application method is the dry one. The powdered seaweed organic fertilizer is applied to soil around the plant like tea to hot water. Just a few little dips, and voila! Tastes like dried leaves. In the case of dry seaweed organic fertilizers, however, the leaves do not dry but turn to an invigorating color of green. Seaweed organic fertilizers can be used for soil “watering”, hydroponics, or foliar feeding. For best results, seaweed organic fertilizers may be used in combination with other supplemental solutions like guano, blood meal, worm castings, etc. Below is a sample step-by-step method on preparing seaweed organic fertilizers (tea type) for application: 1. Add one quarter pound of seaweed organic fertilizer powder into a gallon of water. 2. Stir and let your seaweed organic fertilizer mixture “steep” for 1-3 days. 3. After three days, shake your seaweed organic fertilizer mixture gently and strain it. You can also choose to make a “teabag” out of an old pair of pantyhose, sackcloth, or whatever else you can find in the garage. 4. Your seaweed organic fertilizer is now ready for application.
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