Potassium, which is usually included in fertilizers.
Fertilizers come as one ingredient or a combination of ingredient mixes designed to feed plants the right amount of nutrients. The general ingredients consist of synthetic materials and natural resources. Common fertilizer ingredients include non-organic sources of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Nutrients can also be derived from natural soil and plant matter. Chemical and natural fertilizer ingredients offer some similarities and differences.
Grass cuttings are a form of natural fertilizer.
While some fertilizers contain one type of active ingredient for specific plants, most others come in combinations of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous. Dry, liquid, and controlled-release fertilizers often list percentages on the label. For example, a bag of 5-10-15 inorganic fertilizer might contain five percent nitrogen, 10 percent potassium and 15 percent phosphorus. These chemical ingredients are derived from the air, as well as mineral substances manufactured to apply nutrients to plants. Some of these substances include potassium salts, lime, ammonium sulfate, phosphate rock, calcium and magnesium.
Most manufactured fertilizers are a mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
The ingredients in organic fertilizers take time to break down and form the nutrients needed to feed plants. In this case, the natural sources of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus come from the soil and also from leaves and grass clippings. Other organic ingredients include fish emulsions made from fish oil byproducts and ground animal bone meal, used as a natural source of phosphorous. Sources such as poultry and chicken waste provide positive microorganisms for plants, while green sand and coir loosen and improve the soil. Greensand, which consists of olive sandstone, comes from mineral deposits found in the ocean; Coconut fiber comes from coconut shells.
Whether inorganic or organic, basic ingredients like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium serve different purposes when applied regularly to plants. Nitrogen improves the growth of leaves, stems, and grasses, and phosphorus strengthens plant roots. Potassium protects the flower, stem, grass and other parts of the plant from disease and drought.
The ingredients in chemical and natural fertilizers serve the same function of providing the building blocks of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other minerals. All of these ingredients encourage plant growth, increase soil quality, and produce abundant plants or crops. Fertilizer application generally varies depending on the type of plant and the growing season.
The main differences between organic and inorganic ingredients seem to lie in efficacy and long-term use. Chemical ingredients in fertilizers provide the nutrients that are readily available to plants, while natural ingredients tend to form more slowly. Organic fertilizer ingredients improve soil health by holding nutrients and moisture together, while extensive use of inorganic fertilizers reduces soil quality and creates toxins over time.
