Benefits of Natural Organics

Organic plant foods outperform other fertilizers in many ways:Method and Rate of Release Most plant foods are water soluble. They go into solution quickly and the nutrients are either taken up by the plants or lost, because of leaching. Natural organics, however, are water insoluble. Their release is dependent upon three factors; moisture, temperature, and soil microbes. This microbial release is a slow process. The soil microbes digest the organic materials, releasing the nutrients. Water is required by these microbes to sustain their life, as well as to keep nutrients flowing into the plants root zone. Temperature is critical because, when soil temperature falls below 52 degrees, these microbes go dormant and no nutrients are released. When this happens, the plant food stays in the soil, to be released when soil temperature again rises. The rate of microbe activity and, therefore, the rate of nutrient release, increases as soil temperature rises; this rate of release -- governed by soil temperature -- mimics the plant's nutrient requirements. In other words, organic nutrients are released as the plants need them. All this means that natural organics break down and feed slowly for an extended period of time. The nutrients are released as the plants need them, rather than all at once. Safer for Your Plants Most simple chemical plant foods have a much higher salt index than natural organics. Over-application of some of these chemical products can burn by causing an over abundance of salts in the soil. This imbalance forces water to move from the plant to the soil, causing dehydration and the eventual death of the plant. Natural organics have a much lower salt index, making them much safer to use. Non-Leaching Because simple chemical plant foods are water soluble, they are often washed or "leached" out of the root zone. However, since natural organics release their nutrients slowly, by microbial activity, leaching is not a problem. Nutrients stay in the root zone for the plants to use. Better Value Plant foods formulated with natural organic ingredients appear to be somewhat higher in cost. However, when you consider that it often takes three or more applications of simple chemical plant foods to equal one application of natural organics, you see that the value of the natural organics is far superior to simple chemical blends. Soil Conditioning By adding humus, and encouraging soil microbes, natural organic plant foods can actually improve the overall soil structure. No other kind of plant food can make this claim. If you are interested in a organic fertilizer for your yard, visit Yardiac.com for our recommendations!