In agricultural planting, using organic fertilizer as fertilizer is the first choice of many people. However, there are so many types of organic fertilizers on the market that people often feel that they don’t know how to choose the best one. Today, let’s talk about the types of organic fertilizers and how to choose organic fertilizers.
What is organic fertilizer?
Organic fertilizer refers to fertilizers made from plants, animals and natural minerals. Organic fertilizers do not contain artificially synthesized chemical components. The more common organic fertilizers are various manures, fish fertilizers, blood fertilizers, bone fertilizers, compost, etc.
What types of organic fertilizers are there?
a. Plant organic fertilizer
Organic fertilizers made from various plants, such as compost, cotton seeds, alfalfa, bean cakes and seaweed, etc.
The characteristic of plant organic fertilizers is that the content of various nutrients provided is relatively low. However, plant organic fertilizers are the best fertilizers for improving soil structure. Long-term use of plant organic fertilizers will make the vegetable garden or land better and better, which is difficult to achieve with other fertilizers.
b. Animal organic fertilizer
Animal organic fertilizers are fertilizers made from animal blood, bones or fish. This type of fertilizer contains very high nutrients.
Granular fertilizers in animal organic fertilizers, such as blood fertilizer and bone fertilizer, are very good slow-release fertilizers that can be slowly released throughout the planting season.
Liquid fish fertilizer in animal organic fertilizer is a very good fertilizer that can be quickly released and absorbed.
c. Mineral organic fertilizer
Not all inorganic substances are formed by chemical synthesis. Mineral fertilizer is not organic fertilizer in a strict sense because it does not contain carbon. However, mineral fertilizer is an indispensable part of fertilizers, which can provide various trace elements required for vegetable growth.
For example, phosphate rock can provide nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Green sand is sand collected from shallow sea sediments, which contains rich potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and other elements.
Types of organic fertilizers: solid organic fertilizers and liquid organic fertilizers
Solid organic fertilizers are generally divided into granular and powdered forms. When using, add the fertilizer to the soil and mix it. Then, water the organic fertilizer to allow it to be decomposed by microorganisms in the soil before it can be absorbed by plants. Therefore, the fertility of solid organic fertilizers is released relatively slowly.
Liquid organic fertilizers are generally in concentrated form and need to be diluted with water before use. Liquid organic fertilizers are more conducive to the rapid absorption of plants.
Three major nutrients that affect vegetable growth: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-P-K) in fertilizers are the three most important elements that affect plant growth. When we buy fertilizers, we mainly refer to these three indicators. Generally, the numbers marked on the fertilizer packaging bag are the content of a certain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. For example, organic fertilizers marked as 5-2-4 have a nitrogen fertilizer content of 5%, a phosphorus fertilizer content of 2% and a potassium fertilizer content of 4%.
The role of nitrogen fertilizer: The role of nitrogen fertilizer is mainly to help plants to better photosynthesize and promote the growth of branches and leaves. The most important thing to plant leafy vegetables is to use nitrogen fertilizer.
The role of phosphorus fertilizer: The role of phosphorus fertilizer is mainly to promote root growth and promote flowering and fruiting
The role of potassium fertilizer: Potassium fertilizer can adjust the metabolism of plants, make the stems of plants stronger, and enhance the ability of plants to resist lodging and pests and diseases.
How to choose organic fertilizer?
After understanding the above concepts, it is very simple to choose which organic fertilizer to use. For example, if you want to choose organic fertilizer as base fertilizer during spring transplanting, you can choose to make your own kitchen waste compost or buy organic slow-release fertilizer, which are more common granular bone fertilizer and blood fertilizer. The nitrogen content in these two fertilizers is relatively high, which is very suitable for the needs of crop plant growth in the early stage.
If you want to choose organic fertilizer for topdressing. Then, liquid organic fertilizer is more conducive to plant absorption. However, the price of liquid organic fertilizer is more expensive than that of solid organic fertilizer. Of course, using solid organic fertilizer for topdressing, although the absorption is slower, the fertility is basically the same.
When choosing organic fertilizer, you should choose the corresponding organic fertilizer according to the different emphasis on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium required at different stages of crop growth. Of course, if you find it troublesome, you can also choose to use organic fertilizer with similar nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium values. This organic fertilizer can be applied to the entire growth stage of the plant.
Tips for choosing organic fertilizer
When choosing organic fertilizer, be sure to read the instructions carefully. Many organic fertilizers are labeled as being composed of organic matter. But this does not mean that it is necessarily organic fertilizer. Generally, organic fertilizers are slow-release and naturally organic. Another trick is fertility. If the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content add up to more than 15, then you need to look carefully to see if this fertilizer is truly organic.
