Choosing Between Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer

In terms of feeding your lawn and yard, you essentially have 2 choices: organic and inorganic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers are derived from naturally occurring processes, whereas inorganic or synthetic fertilizers are produced artificially, usually in a chemical refinery. Organic and inorganic fertilizers both have advantages and disadvantages in terms of how they work and what they contribute to the overall health of your plants and soil. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of organic and inorganic fertilizer.

Organic Fertilizer

Many experts tout the benefits of organic fertilizers, and they do carry a distinct advantage in that they contain organic matter that augments soil structure and encourages microbial activity. Not only does this improve the soil’s capacity to hold water and nutrients, but it increases the efficiency of the entire system. When you use organic fertilizers, they release nutrients slowly as the organic material is broken down into a form the plants can use, significantly reducing the risk of over fertilization, or burning. From an environmental perspective, since organic fertilizers are naturally occurring, there’s limited amount of fossil fuels used in their production and less chemicals are released into the environment.

However, when looking at organic and inorganic fertilizer, the disadvantages of each need to be weighed as well. The cost of organic fertilizers tend to be higher than their synthetic counterparts. And for the most part, the nutrients are not immediately available upon application for the plant’s use, as it takes time for them to break down. Further, these types of fertilizers are not an exact science, and information on the specific nutritional composition of a fertilizer such as manure is not readily available.

Inorganic Fertilizers

Inorganic fertilizers are widely accessible and cheap, but their best advantage is that they offer nutrients that are readily available to the plant. This is important in the case of struggling plants that are in need of immediate nutritional amendments. Furthermore, since they are processed in a refinery, you have access to the exact nutritional content and what elements are present in the material, allowing you to better calculate what and how much you’re giving your plants.

Ironically, the fact that inorganic fertilizers work so quickly is also one of their greatest disadvantages, as they’re much more likely to burn or otherwise harm plants if applied incorrectly. And over fertilization can build up toxic concentrations of salt in the soil, creating a long-term chemical imbalance that will eventually need to be remedied. Overwatering or too much rain can push the chemicals beneath the roots and out of reach of the plants. Finally, inorganic amendments pose a direct threat to drinking sources, which can be contaminated by chemical runoff.

Organic and inorganic fertilizer each has its plusses and minuses. In determining which route to go, your best bet is to weigh your options and pick what will most meet your current needs.