Natural Plant Fertilizer
We could get technical about natural plant fertilizers. But let's not.
For thousands of years, farmers have been using natural plant fertilizers to improve the nutrient holding capacity of soil to help plants grow healthy. Natural plant fertilizers have been known not only to promote the health of your plants, but also the health of the naturally occurring microorganisms that thrive in healthy soil.
A symbiotic relationship exists between the plants and these microorganisms. The former depend on the latter for increasing their uptake of nutrients from the soil. While the latter depend on the former for their source of food (they feed on the decomposed dead leaves that fall off plants).
Natural plant fertilizers are widely preferred by many over their chemical counterparts. That is because natural plant fertilizers do not contain any substances that may be harmful to these microorganisms. Natural plant fertilizers are also slow-release in nature, which means that they release their nutrients not in extreme bursts, but in slow trickles. The result is a slower effect, but more lasting and healthy for the soil.
Below are the rules you ought to know about natural plant fertilizers before you start your own home garden:
Cheap fertilizer is not good. Good fertilizer is not cheap.
While it's true that you can always make your own natural plant fertilizer from compost, there are times when even that is not enough. Compost can take so much of your time. Plus, there are also other considerations you should pay attention, such as a place for your compost pit, materials to use, and the time it would take for you to dig a pit, among other things.
That is why often, home gardeners may find themselves shopping for natural plant fertilizers. And when you do, don't ever settle for the cheap kind. It's true that you can always shop price and sometimes you may even get lucky, but natural plant fertilizers are usually expensive.
The most expensive natural plant fertilizers are usually the ones with the most plant food value. That is because they contain more nutrients and less filler, which accounts for their high price. The more nutrients your natural plant fertilizer is, the better it is for your plants. In addition, many better natural plant fertilizers are time released formulations that feed over 60-120 days rather than washing away after one or two rains.
In the end, the price you paid for one bag of natural plant fertilizer would be worth it. It certainly would take you a few years before you can consume one whole bag of pure nutrients, especially if you don't fertilize often.
Don't pay attention to the formula.
Don't the mistake of guessing that a natural plant fertilizer bag that says 20-20-20 is ten times better than a bag labeled 2-2-2. Unless you are planning to use natural plant fertilizer on lawn grass, no plant would want 20-20-20 fertilizers.
Fertilize often for the best results. The least is once a year. But if you can apply natural plant fertilizers more frequently done that, then by all means, do so. Use the same amounts but spread the feedings into smaller meals.
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