Myth Vs. Reality

The Truth About Fertilizers

The debate between most home gardeners today is usually whether they choose to garden organically or not. Ask most any gardener whether they prefer organic or chemical fertilizer, and chances are they'll have a definite opinion about what's best for the plants - and you may even spark a heated debate!

If you could ask the plants how they prefer their food, you’d find out that at the most basic level– nutrients are nutrients. The plants don't really have a source preference.

Fertilizers are simply organic or synthetic products that provides plant nutrients.

But what does "organic" really mean when it comes to garden fertilizers? Let's take a look...

Organic Fertilizer

Organic fertilizer is usually made from plant or animal waste or powdered minerals which are minimally processed in a factory, or, in the case of manure and compost, at a farm. Manure and compost are described as "soil conditioners" and need to be worked into the soil where micro-organisms can break down and release the nutrients before the plant can digest. A soil conditioner improves the soil's physical qualities and its ability to provide nutrition for plants. Often this is thought of as altering the soil physical structure but that is only part of the effect. Soil properties include many areas such as cation exchange capacity, soil ph, water holding capacity, or soil compaction With soil conditioners, the nutrient ratios are difficult to guarantee due to decomposition rates. To remedy this, other commercially sold organic fertilizers with a labeled analysis of nutrients are more highly processed to get a precise nutrient ratio, while still sourcing from organic ingredients.

Chemical Fertilizer

Chemical fertilizers, also known as inorganic, synthetic, artificial, or manufactured fertilizers are extracted nutrients from a wide variety such as petroleum products, rocks or even organic sources. Even if the ingredients are sourced from organic sources, the nutrients in chemical fertilizers are refined to their pure state and stripped of any substances that make assimilation (uptake of nutrients) difficult. The nutrients are then binded in specific ratios with other chemical fillers to produce the exact ratio a plant requires. The nutrients feed the plant, but often do nothing to improve soil structure. Depending on the specific fertilizers there are risks involved with over-fertilization that can cause root burn or pollution.

Is ALGOplus considered an organic or chemical fertilizer?

ALGOplus natural liquid fertilizer ingredients are derived from naturally-occurring, mineral-based nutrients with absolutely no harmful chemicals in our products. Our manufacturing process refines these ingredients in a specific ratio in several plant-specific formulations and combines them in such a way that all of the ingredients are used by the plant without risk of root burn or run-off. Therefore, our natural liquid fertilizers are 100% safe to use in organic home gardens.