Are your plants not as vibrant and healthy as you know they can be? Have you thought about amending your soil with a fertilizer in an attempt to improve the vigor of your plants? If so, make sure you think carefully about what you add to your soil, as not all fertilizers are created equal.
There are two main categories when it comes to soil amendments: those that are organic and those that are inorganic. Organic fertilizers come from living organisms, and include things like compost, manure, leaf mulch, and earthworm castings. Inorganic fertilizers are chemically derived and in general consist of some combination of the 3 primary macronutrients for plants: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), often classified as NPK fertilizers. The difference between these two types of fertilizers boils down to biology verses chemistry. Since soil is a biologically rich web of interacting organisms, adding organic fertilizers to it will generally be the most beneficial approach to improving its health, which in turn will improve the health of your plants.
What are the advantages of using organic fertilizers instead of inorganic fertilizers in your landscape?
Organic fertilizers are slowly broken down by soil organisms that help feed and protect plants growing nearby. Plants have developed a wide range of mutually beneficial relationships with soil microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) through their evolution. Improving the health and diversity of these microorganisms is at the core of improving the health of your plants. Feeding the soil with something like compost has been shown to greatly increase the diversity of beneficial microorganisms in the soil, which results in greater disease suppression and improvements in plant vigor.
On the flip side, research has shown that long term use of inorganic fertilizers has an acidifying effect on soil, along with detrimental impacts on microorganism populations leading to nutrient imbalances, disease susceptibility, and infertile soils. There may be cases where a soil has a particularly acute nutrient deficiency where a chemical fertilizer can be a short term solution. But slowly improving the health of the soil through organic means should be addressed as well so that the soil doesn’t become dependent on chemical applications. These chemical fertilizers not only have potentially harmful long term effects on your soils and plants, but can contribute to environmental pollution and harmful health effects in humans when used in excess.
Our first recommendation when it comes to improving the health of any soil is to add wood chips to the top of it. In addition you may choose to add another organic amendment like compost or manure depending on what your goals are with your landscape. Getting a soil test done on your property may help give you insight into the correct “feed” that you should be providing your soil. Improving the health of your soils will take time, but you will be rewarded with a more attractive and life supporting landscape for many years to come.