fertilizers

fertilizers
A fertilizer is any material, organic or inorganic, natural or synthetic, that supplies plants with the necessary nutrients for plant growth and optimum yield. Types of fertilizers Organic inorganic

Organic fertilizers
Organic fertilizers are natural materials of either plant or animal origin, including livestock manure, green manures, crop residues, household waste, compost, and woodland litter.

Inorganic fertilizers
Inorganic (or mineral) fertilizers are fertilizers mined from mineral deposits with little processing (e.g., lime, potash, or phosphate rock), or industrially manufactured through chemical processes (e.g., urea).

Inorganic fertilizers
Inorganic fertilizers vary in appearance depending on the process of manufacture. The particles can be of many different sizes and shapes (crystals, pellets, granules, or dust). Fertilizer grades can include straight fertilizers containing one nutrient element only, and compound fertilizers containing two or more nutrients usually combined in a homogeneous mixture by chemical interaction) and fertilizer blends (formed by physically blending mineral fertilizers to obtain desired nutrient ratios).

fertilizers
Granule Pellet and crystals

Advantages and Disadvantages

Of Organic Fertilizers

Advantages
organic-fertilizers are all natural, making them much less likely to cause health and environmental hazards compared to synthetic fertilizers. (Basically, using organicfertilizers is just doing what Mother Nature has been doing for thousands of years.)

Advantages
Organic fertilizers take much longer to break down and so nutrients are released more slowly over time. This gives natural fertilizers an advantage in reducing the risk of nutrient loss through leaching before plants are able to be nourished, often a concern with chemical products.

Advantages
This type of fertilizer also improves the soil by increasing its capacity to hold water and nutrients in sandy soils, reducing soil crusting and erosion due to wind and rain, adding more natural nutrients and improving the soil structure. Increased Organic Matter: Natural soil is rich in organic matter. Increasing organic matter in agricultural soil improves the soil structure, creating more air space and water retention within the soil.

Advantages
Organic fertilizer is gentler on microorganisms and earthworms living in the soil, creating a healthy ecosystem that is sustainable and conducive to longterm use. The combined influence of increased organic matter and reduced nutrient leaching means that elements such as nitrogen and phosphorus will end up in your plants' roots instead of the local waterways. Nutrient leaching from agriculture is a major culprit in the development of algae blooms on lakes and ponds. This process, known as eutrophication, disrupts ecosystems and renders water unfit for human use.

Disadvantages
For the most part, organic fertilizer is not immediately available to the plants. This "slow- release" feature can be an advantage. However, if there is an immediate need for nutrients, organic fertilizer cannot supply them in a hurry as they depend on soil organisms to break down and help release nutrients
information on the amount of nutrients and the exact elements in an organic fertilizer such as manure is not readily available to the home gardener. In contrast, when you apply manufactured inorganic ferilizer you know the kinds and amounts of the elements it contains, and this allows you to be more precise in meeting a plant's nutritional needs.

Disadvantages
The possibility of nitrogen depletion is another drawback of organic fertilizers. Because of complex bacterial action, the addition of a large amount of organic material can cause a temporary nitrogen depletion in the soil and therefore in the plants Organic fertilizers leave behind a smell and are heavy and messy to handle. Because the process of decomposing is slow, plants don't receive nutrients from an organic fertilizer right away and will remain nutrient-deficient for a while after the first application. This also eliminates the possibility of using this type of fertilizer for an emergency

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Inorganic fertilizers

Disadvantages
Some chemical fertilizers packed with nitrogen cause plant root burn and prevent them from absorbing nutrients, which is why the label directions feature warnings against over fertilizing.

Disadvantages
Long-term application of inorganic fertilizers may cause permanent changes in the soils chemical composition. Although synthetic fertilizers offer more nutrients, they are also quick to dissipate, thereby requiring constant application during the growing season. Furthermore, irrigation or excess rainwater can leech excess nitrogen away from the application point and into nearby waterways.

Disadvantages
Most inorganic fertilizers are water soluble or become active when water is added to soil in which they have been applied. This has the advantage of making their nutrients rapidly available to plants. However, it also means that they are prone to leaching. Leaching is the movement of water, and thus also nutrients, down through the soil. It means that the fertilizers may be moved down past the level at which they can be accessed by plant roots, meaning some of their nutrient capacity is wasted. It also has the potential of taking inorganic fertilizers into groundwater supplies used for irrigation and livestock.

Disadvantages
synthetic fertilizers are usually more expensive because pure chemicals often need to be isolated through advanced, artificial chemical processes. These processes usually require expensive reagents which, in turn, increases the final cost of the product.

Disadvantages
Inorganic fertilizers contain nutrients that have been broken down already into the most basic of its components for easy absorption by the plants. Yet, it can also be washed away easily when watering or irrigating the plants. This is called leeching. Leeching happens very often as plants are watered. Hence, a lot of the fertilizer goes to waste. Nitrogen is one of the elements that easily get washed away since it usually settles below the roots of the plants

Disadvantages
inorganic fertilizers are not entirely composed of the nutrients needed by the plants. It also contains salts and other compounds. These are not absorbed by the plants so they are left behind in the soil and build up over time. When found in large amounts in the soils, these compounds can alter the chemistry of the soil that makes it less ideal for planting.

Advantages
Inorganic fertilizers contain the three essential nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) for plants in equally rich measures, and its fast release capability makes it ready to supply nutrients on demand when needed. can be used immediately to rescue dying plants.

Advantages
Ease of Use Inorganic fertilizers come labeled with the amount of nutrients contained in the package, allowing gardeners to easily calculate the proper fertilization rate

Major limitations of organic and inorganic fertilizers Organic fertilizers

Generally require large amounts to have desired effects Extra investment in labor for harvesting (green manures) and preparation (cattle manure) Unavailability of seed for green manures is one of the major limitations Quality for most has to be enhanced by combining with expensive mineral fertilizers Green manures must occupy land at a time when other food crops could be grown. Mineral/ inorganic fertilizers Require high purchasing power Availability is an obstacle, especially in remote areas Need to be applied seasonally High risk in low rainfall and very high rainfall areas

Macro elements
Nitrogen

Effect on plant growth

Promotes vegetative growth. Increases the size of leaf and stem. Gives plant a dark green colour

Effect of deficiency
Weak stem and leaves pale green or yellowing of leaves stunted growth

Source (fertilizer)
Nitrates and ammonia fertilizers

Phosphorous

Improve root growth and absorption of nutrients Make stem and leaves strong. Help flower and fruits to develop

Poor root growth Purple green colour of leaves Weak stem withered leaf edges. Premature falling off of buds

Phosphorous and bone meals

Potassium

Potassium salts

Types of commercial fertilizers

There are two types of commercial fertilizers. Straight Compound Straight fertilizers: These are supply just one macro-nutrient they are sometime called single fertilizer

Nitrogen; this supply in the form of nitrates and ammonium compounds ( sodium nitrate, ammonium sulphate and urea). Phosphorous; is supplied in the form of super phosphate or bone meal. Potassium; is supplied in fertilizer such as potassium chloride (called muriate of potash) and potassium sulphate (called sulphate of potash).

Types of commercial fertilizers

Compound fertilizers: sometimes fertilizers are mixed together so that nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are available at the same time, these are called compound fertilizers. Compound fertilizers are labeled according to the ratio of nutrient element in them. The elements are always shown in the order nitrogen phosphorous and potassium; NPK.

 10:10:10 indicates a ratio of 1:1:1 this means one part by weight in nitrogen ,one part phosphorous in weight , one part by weight in potassium. This fertilizer can be used where the farmer has no soil analysis to tell what nutrients are in the soil or what the soil lacks.

Guaranteed analysis
The label on all fertilizer bags is required to show the percentage by weight of nitrogen, available phosphate and soluble potash. This is called the guaranteed anaylsis of the fertilizer.

 For example, a 24-2-8 fertilizer has 24% nitrogen, 2% available phosphate and 8% soluble potash. Nitrogen, phosphate and potash are also sometimes referred to as N-P-K. To understand how much of each nutrient is being applied we must multiply the weight of the fertilizer bag by the percentage of each nutrient. For example, a 30 lb. bag of fertilizer rated 24-2-8 contains: N: 24% x 30 lbs = 7.2 lbs. Nitrogen P: 2% x 30 lbs = 0.6 lbs. Available Phosphate K: 8% x 30 lbs = 2.4 lbs. Soluble Potash

 10:15:10 This balance favours phosphorous. It can be used for root crops or plants in early stage of growth where roots are becoming established and leafy growth is just starting. 26:4:12 This balance favours nitrogen therefore it is suitable for leafy crops, grass and plant in early stage of leafy growth. 13:13:21 This balance favours potassium and is suitable for fruit vegetable such as tomatoes at mature stage when flowering and fruiting has started.

 15:0:16 Recommended for fruits trees that are well established and are already bearing heavily 20:0:20 Use on sugar cane 12:12:17:2 This recommended for most vegetable and fruit trees. the 2 stands for magnesium which is needed for the formation chlorophyll.