When it comes to providing our plants with the nutrients they need so much, it is inevitable to end up talking about fertilizers and fertilizers. The nutrients in the soil and substrate eventually run out over time, and all plants need an extra supply of nutrients that, in nature, renews itself with the biological cycle.
However, it is common to use both words as if they were synonyms, often interchangeably. Are they the same? What are their differences? If you want to know what they are for and the difference between fertilizers and fertilizers exactly, join us in this GreenEcology article.
You may also be interested in: How to make homemade organic fertilizer for plants
When it comes to providing our plants with the nutrients they need so much, it is inevitable to end up talking about fertilizers and fertilizers. The nutrients in the soil and substrate eventually run out over time, and all plants need an extra supply of nutrients that, in nature, renews itself with the biological cycle.
However, it is common to use both words as if they were synonyms, often interchangeably. Are they the same? What are their differences? If you want to know what they are for and the difference between fertilizers and fertilizers exactly, join us in this GreenEcology article.
You may also be interested in: How to make homemade organic fertilizer for plants
What is the difference between fertilizer and fertilizer?
Fertilizer or fertilizer? There are several conflicting opinions about what specifically differentiates fertilizers from fertilizers. One of the most common misconceptions is the popular belief that fertilizer provides nutrients to the soil and fertilizer only to the plant.
However, if we consider how they are applied, it is not difficult to see that this is not a clear distinction. Even so, we could say that the differences between fertilizer and fertilizer lie in:
The composition
If you are wondering what is the best way to distinguish them, we have to think about the composition. We can say that the main difference between fertilizer and fertilizer is that fertilizer are natural products, organic or inorganic, which are used to enrich the nutrients of the soil and, therefore, also those of the crop in it.
Fertilizers, on the other hand, are artificial products, artificially created by man and basically comprised of macronutrients. Currently most of the fertilizers used are of chemical origin and are dangerous and harmful to the environment, but there are organic fertilizers, many of them that can be made at home, which are totally organic.
The app
The fertilizer is added to the soil, which also enriches the plant indirectly through its roots. The fertilizer is applied directly to the plant along with the irrigation water, it is inevitable that a significant part of the product also ends up in the soil by simple action of gravity and the elements.
Now that you know the main and only differences between fertilizer and fertilizer, let’s see what types of fertilizer there are and what types of fertilizer exist.
What types of fertilizer are there?
There are many types of fertilizer, all of them used to provide the soil with nutrients that will end up in the plants of the garden or orchard through their roots. Here are some of the most common:
Manure
Manure is one of the most widely used fertilizers, especially in rural areas, due to the simplicity of obtaining it. It can usually be purchased for good prices on nearby farms, or even produced if you have animals. Manure can be obtained from the feces of cows, horses, sheep or practically any other type of livestock, although it is important that their diet is as natural as possible.
Depending on their origin, the different types of manure are more recommended for one or another type of crop, since the balance of its components varies.
Compost
The king of homemade fertilizers in terms of popularity, because anyone with space can make it very easily with nothing more than organic leftovers from the home and garden. Making a good compost requires patience and some experience, but it is one of the best ways to recycle household waste in an ecological way while achieving an excellent supply of nutrients for the crop.
Discover the Types of compost and How to make homemade compost in the following GreenEcology articles that we recommend.
Worm humus or vermicompost
Worm castings are one of the most complete organic fertilizers with the most beneficial effect, if not directly the best. Californian earthworms, great eaters of organic matter, produce this powerful cocktail of nutrients, which is also loaded with microscopic organisms beneficial to plants.
You can buy it in any specialized store, or produce it yourself in a small space if you dare to set up your own vermicomposter, which is not expensive at all.
Find out how to make worm castings in the following post from EcologíaVerde.
Poultry Manure
Manure is nothing more than manure that comes from chickens. It is very rich in nutrients such as sulfur, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. In addition, with the Japanese bocashi technique, a much faster maturing fertilizer can be made from poultry manure, rice husks, soil and charcoal.
Inorganic fertilizer
Nor should we forget about inorganic fertilizers: compounds of mineral origin that do not come from animals or plants but are still totally natural and organic.
What types of fertilizers are there?
In fertilizers, the most important distinction is the one that differentiates a natural or organic fertilizer from a chemical fertilizer.
Synthetic fertilizers
Chemical fertilizers, used in large-scale intensive agriculture, are artificially created to provide plants with the specific macronutrient sets they need. They are also often called agrochemicals and are dangerous because they can contaminate groundwater and even large flows such as rivers, sometimes being terribly harmful to the environment. In addition, they do not enrich the soil in a lasting way.
Organic fertilizers
Although all fertilizers are artificial, not all of them are harmful. Organic fertilizers serve the same function as fertilizers, except that they are usually applied directly to crops, often included in irrigation water.
They are products made with natural ingredients and that do not have to be harmful to the environment. There are a large number of traditional homemade recipes, which anyone can make at home, such as banana tea, which is made with coffee grounds, or consuela slurry.
If you want to read similar articles to Difference between fertilizer and fertilizer, we recommend that you visit our Garden Care category.
