In our last article, the question of fertilizer a rose and to answer it we had to begin with the basic of fertilizers.
Please tell me which fertilizer i can use for planting apples or any other fruits …and call it organic please ~ Betty Olesia Musasia
What is the real difference between organic fertilizer and synthetic fertilizers? Is there a difference? The answer may absolutely shock you?
What is fertilizer?
According to Cambridge dictionary; Fertilizer is a natural or chemical substance that is spread on the land or given to plants, to make plants grow well.
There has been allot of misinformation concerning fertilize, is the use of synthetic fertilizer okay? Is there any difference between organic fertilizer and synthetic fertilizer?
When it comes to fertilizer use, it’s the feeding of plants. It’s therefore good to consider what the plants need.
How Plants Feed
Plants get almost all nutrients through their roots which have small holes or pores. These small holes let certain molecules into the root. The holes are quite small and so only small tiny molecules can get through them. These tiny small molecules include water (H2O), Nitrate (NO3), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg) etc.
Large molecules like proteins, DNA, Carbohydrates etc. are huge in size compared to the nutrients. They just don’t fit through the holes. In fact most organic fertilizers fall into these categories.
Plants can’t use most organic molecules found in the soil. Almost all of organic molecules found in compost, manure etc. is of little use to the plants. They simply can’t get the molecules into the roots.
Large organic molecules do contain nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Iron (Fe) for example, but in the organic form they are too big to get into the roots. For example protein is a good source of iron but because protein molecules are so big, plants cannot use the iron contained in the protein.
Eventually these large organic molecules do break down and when they do, the small nutrient molecules are released, and the plants can use them. These process may take at least four years.
Read also:8 Key Factors To Consider Before Investing In Agriculture
One may ask how?
In the case of manure and compost nitrogen is released for at least 4 years .This steady release of nitrogen is a result of microbes eating and digesting large molecules like protein and DNA that contain nitrogen atoms and converting them into nitrates which plants can use.
The organic components is slowly converted to nutrients by the soil microbes and other life livings in the soil. Provide long term benefits to the plant .This is why organic manure is good for perennial crops like coffee, tea, pawpaw, macadamia, avocados etc.
For the case of synthetic fertilizers, nutrients are used up fairly quickly and provide no long term food for microbes. These makes them good for most horticultural crops like cabbages, tomatoes, onions etc. and cereals like maize, wheat beans as they provide immediate results.
Scientific Proof between Organic and Synthetic Fertilizers
To differentiate the two we look at the nitrate molecule from a synthetic and organic molecule.
Synthetic Fertilizer Organic Fertilizer
Can you see any difference?
There is no difference .A nitrate molecule from either source is exactly the same. The shocking thing is that the plants can’t tell the difference either.
There is absolutely no difference between a nitrate molecule from a synthetic source and a nitrate molecule from an organic source. I know this is hard for pro organic movement to believe but it’s the scientific proof.
The fact is that when it comes to providing nutrients for the plants organic is not better. It is exactly the same as a synthetic source.
Reference: https://www.gardenmyths.com/organic-fertilizer-real-value/
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