Chemical Fertilizer vs Organic Fertilizer - Know The Pros and Cons

While most greenery is self-sufficient to flourish with their preferred soil, weather, and watering, it is always a good idea to treat them with enough nourishment to make them grow more joyously. Sometimes, plants can also go through nutrient deficiencies, leading to decay and degeneration. Feeding them an enriching diet can uplift their spirits and boost their growth, productivity, and yield. However, the availability of several nutrient boosters makes it confusing as to which one will be the best. Here’s when the debacle between chemical fertilizer vs organic fertilizer rises. Read further to understand our opinion on this subject with differences between chemical vs organic fertilizers!

What Is Chemical Fertilizer?

Chemical fertilizer for plants is a synthetically developed solution consisting of numerous micro and macronutrients. As the name implies, chemical fertilizer for flowering plants is derived from inorganic means using broken rocks, petroleum, and other nonrenewable resources. As the elements employed in its making are bereft of the decomposition experience, they are more eager to merge with the soil and alter the state of plants, taking less time than natural fertilizers.

What Is Organic Fertilizer?

Organic fertilizer for plants is purely natural, raw, and organic, as it is made of natural and decomposable elements found in nature. There is no refining or extracting of the elements to make them synthetic nutrient boosters. These fertilizers comprise organic stuff like animal waste, wood, leaves, manure, bone meal, etc. These elements make it easy for the plants to digest and process the nourishment. In fact, such fertilizers are also known as soil conditioners due to their inane ability to refine the soil molecules over time. They also feed the microorganisms living in the soil, enriching it to make it livelier.

What Are The Advantages Of Chemical Fertilizers?

1. Quick Results

One of the major benefits of chemical fertilizers is that they show results in a quicker time frame than their counterparts. These nourishment enrichers are refined to such an extent that they don’t require decomposition, being quickly accepted by the soil. Once applied, you can expect results within a matter of days, let alone weeks!

2. Diverse Options

One can choose an individual nutrient or ask for a combination of a few, and chemical fertilizers will offer all of them. They are also easily available in granular and liquid forms, so one can use them as a foliar spray to target the foliage. Their easy mixability makes it more convenient for gardeners to merge them with herbicides and weedicides!

3. Cost-effective

Perhaps the fact that chemical fertilizers have a long shelf life and an easy manufacturing process means that they are more often available at an affordable price, or it is the fact that their demand has always been constant while the organic ones are gaining popularity in the current era! Whatever it is, you can purchase them at a reasonable chemical fertilizer price from online stores like Plantlane!

What Are The Disadvantages Of Chemical Fertilizers?

1. Fewer Micronutrients

While chemical fertilizers are filled with the goodness of the three macronutrients called nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, they often lack the company of micronutrients, which are equally essential for the plant’s overall well-being. It is the organic fertilizers that can fulfill the micronutrient requirements of the plants.

2. Environmental Pollution

Several researchers suggest that the usage of chemical fertilizers can demean the vibrant qualities of a landscape. Their application can contaminate nearby water sources; they might turn green or get filled with smelling algae and lose their oxygen content. These severe environmental impacts slowly and eventually lead to overall environmental pollution.

3. pH Imbalance

One common theme about the over-usage of chemical fertilizers and their side effects often comes up among gardeners worldwide. Too much of even a good thing can sometimes be bad, and chemical fertilizers are the best example. If one overuses these fertilizers, the plants’ roots can instantly burn, and the overall soil structure might get filled with toxic elements, which can demean its well-being in the long term.

4. More Re-applications

Chemical fertilizers indeed show results within a few days, but it is also true that those results are not self-sustaining. Soon, your plants will need more nourishment, and the cycle continues. While inorganic fertilizers are quick to work, they are also quick to fade, which is why organic fertilizers are deemed essential due to their assistance to the soil in making it super sustainable for the future!

What Are The Advantages Of Organic Fertilizers?

1. Self-sustaining Soil

One of the major benefits of organic fertilizers is that the presence of micronutrients makes the plant soil a better place for microorganisms and plants. The soil is conditioned to behave in a healthier manner, storing essential minerals that the plants can feast on whenever they want.

2. Fewer Re-applications

Unlike inorganic fertilizers, organic ones induce microbial activity due to the slow release of essential minerals. They might take their time to merge with the soil and provide benefits, but they don’t require frequent re-application. The soil itself becomes super welcoming for the plants in the long term.

3. Eco-friendly

Using organic fertilizers is a sure-shot way of helping the environment be a better place. These fertilizers are far more gentler on the environment than their chemical counterparts. In fact, even if your little pets accidentally ingest them, they won’t be puking their stomachs out as a consequence. Also, they are not only safe for the environment, but they are also safe to keep at home with children.

4. No Overfeeding

Perhaps the best part about using organic fertilizers is that you can never over-feed them to the plants because they work at a tortoise’s pace. Even if you overdo your nutritional love for your plants, the substances used are all-natural, so they won’t hamper the plant’s ability to prosper happily.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Organic Fertilizers?

1. Comparatively Costlier

While we all know how beneficial organic fertilizers are, the market is still on its way upward, where it becomes a norm to use organic means of gardening. Therefore, their availability at pocket-friendly prices and worth-the-price quantities is not seen much. However, at Plantlane, you can buy organic fertilizers at India's best organic fertilizer prices!

2. Slower Results

It’s no news that decomposable substances used in organic fertilizers lead to slower absorption of nutrients by the soil. One can expect one’s garden to become truly organic after the constant application of organic fertilizers throughout three seasons. These fertilizers, indeed, demand a lot of consistent moisture from the soil and patience from the gardeners!

Difference Between Organic vs Chemical Fertilizers:

Parameters	Chemical Fertilizers	Organic Fertilizers
Definition	Made of synthetic materials after a refining process.	Made of natural materials made of living things.
Manufacturing	Prepared through an artificial process.	Prepared organically without machines.
Cost	Comparatively cheaper.	Comparatively expensive.
NPK Ratio	Contain NPK ranging from twenty to sixty percent.	Contain about fourteen percent NPK.
Production Rate	High rate of production.	Mild rate of production.
Nutrients	Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are equally distributed with micronutrients, if any.	Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are unequally distributed with essential micronutrients.
Primary Advantage	They work quicker to distribute the three essential nutrients in the soil and show results within days.	They not only improve the plant's health but also condition the soil to become healthier.
Primary Disadvantage	They might hamper the plants due to their high acidic content.	They take a few weeks to release the nutrients and work their magic completely.

 

 

Types Of Chemical Fertilizers:

There are mainly three types of inorganic fertilizers: nitrogenous, phosphate, and potassic. While some plants might require a combination of these three major nutrients, others might lack a single nutrient with visible symptoms. The nitrogen content ensures the plant’s leaves stay glossy and green, the phosphate takes care of the flowering and yield, while the potassium targets the overall appearance and strength of the greenery.

Types Of Organic Fertilizers:

Organic fertilizers are diverse due to their sourcing from the natural resources available in the environment. Some examples include garden manure, vermicompost, bone meal, rock phosphate, animal litter, and compost. These organic byproducts come from a natural manufacturing process, so they all might contain different proportions of nutrients. However, their applicability will enhance the soil’s molecular structure in the long run, making your garden a healthier and happier place for both plants and microorganisms.

Take Away:

While no period can be put at the end of this debate between organic and inorganic means of fertilization, one can be more subjective and choose the ones that suit one the most. Ultimately, it’s up to the gardeners’ preferences for the plants, their gardens, the environment, and themselves, to pick those nutrient boosters for the plants that check off all the boxes. We hope this article lets you make the best choice for you! Happy gardening!

FAQs About Chemical Fertilizer vs Organic Fertilizers

Ques: Which Fertilizer Is More Effective, Organic or Chemical?

Ans: The answer depends on the gardener's goals, as organic fertilizers can revamp the soil, given that one has the patience to let them do so. However, chemical ones would be better if you want the boosters to gratify the plants instantly.

Ques: Do Chemical Fertilizers Contain Organic Matter?

Ans: They are bereft of organic matter that can induce healthy activity in the soil’s structure.

Ques: Can I Mix Organic and Chemical Fertilizers?

Ans: Yes, there’s no harm in mixing the two. In fact, you can benefit from both if you are careful and avoid overfeeding the chemical ones.

Ques: Are There Chemicals In Organic Fertilizers?

Ans: No, organic fertilizers are completely free from chemicals.

Ques: Which Is The Best Fertilizer For Plants?

Ans: No one can win the debate between chemical fertilizer and organic fertilizers, but we can say that there’s no best fertilizer for plants. It’s more about the gardeners’ personal preferences and the plant’s immediate requirements that should decide the better of the two!