ORGANIC FERTILIZERS
ORGANIC FERTILIZERS
Organic Fertilizers vs. Chemical Products: What's the Difference?​
Organic fertilizers are different from chemical fertilizers. While most chemical fertilizers are made from petroleum, organic fertilizers are made from natural products like manure, alfalfa, fish, molasses, corn meal, feather meal, and humates, plus rock minerals including potassium and phosphorus. Not only are the ingredients different but, more importantly, organic and chemical fertilizers work differently.
Chemical Fertilizers Feed the Plant
Chemical fertilizers put materials into the soil, primarily nitrogen, that plants eat. But they have major negative side effects: They kill off all the natural beneficial microorganisms, resulting in dead, unproductive soil, leaving plants completely dependent on the regular addition of more fertilizer to support plant life. What’s worse is, the loss of those microorganisms leaves room in the soil for pathological organisms to flourish, attack and kill your plants. Soon the only plants that do well in your soil are weeds that have evolved to thrive in poor soils.
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Organic Fertilizers Feed the Soil
While organic fertilizers have some nitrogen in them, their primary purpose is to add materials that feed microorganisms in the soil. These microorganisms make food for the plants to eat. The microorganisms support plant life throughout your soil, even areas that never get fertilized.
Organic Fertilizers Are Eco-Friendly
Most soils in North Texas don’t produce enough food for our intensive cultivation of lawns, so we have to supplement them with some kind of fertilizer. We believe that using organic fertilizers that support a healthy soil eco-system is a superior approach.
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​Liquid vs. Granular Fertilizers
​Organic fertilizers are available in both liquid and granular forms. Which type you use is mostly a matter of personal preference and many people use a combination. Liquid fertilizers generally take effect more quickly than granular. All organic granular fertilizers are slow release and provide nutrients for an extended period of time. Liquid fertilizers are diluted with water and sprayed out. They enter the plant directly through the leaves, and they can also be used as a soil drench. Granular fertilizers are normally put out with a rotary or drop spreader, though in beds they are more easily applied with a hand spreader or just tossed into the bed by hand. (And because they’re organic, they’re perfectly safe to handle.) Many of our organic fertilizers contain biology packages – beneficial bacteria and fungi – to jump start the process of making your soil healthy.
A FEW OF THE ORGANIC GARDENING BRANDS & PRODUCTS WE CARRY*
*Don't see an organic brand or product you're looking for? Give us a call, send us an email, or visit our store.
Brands
Bee-Safe
Captain Jack's
Espoma
Garrett Juice
Living Earth
MicroLife
Happy Frog
I Must Garden
Maestro-Gro
Nature's Creation
Maxicrop
Sluggo and Sluggo Plus
Texas Tee
