How is Organic versus Conventional Fertilizer What Are The Difference?

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Steve McShane here - McShanesNursery.com, Thanks for tuning in.

Looking to share a few things about organic fertilizer and conventional fertilizer. We take no position, I would say in my own garden I tend to use organic versus synthetic. But like I tell my customers, we have a choice and the way I look at it, organic fertilizer is naturally slow release, it takes a little more biological process to breakdown and be plant available. Whereas commercial or conventional fertilizer is ready to go right away.

When you look at any fertilizer, you want to pay attention to the numbers. right here, 5 - 7 - 3. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

The way I remember it, the first number is Nitrogen, Nitrogen is for leaf and stem growth, (Up), phosphorus is for root development, (Down), and potassium, the last number, is for cellular and metabolic functions throughout the plant, (All Around) Up, Down, All Around. These are the most important nutrients of the 17 that a plant needs to survive: Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Like I said, organic [is] slow to break down and be up-taken by the plant but long term, in my opinion, a better way to go. Certainly with your tomatos, your vegetables, your fruits, those kinds of things.

Conventional - you look at the bag and typically there are higher numbers. In this case, a 16 - 16 -16, a little different than the 5 - 7 - 3 we were looking at. With this you get more bang but it's faster to respond and in some cases like with the nitrogen, it may go away faster. It may leech out of the root zone or off-gas into the environment.

It's your choice, the plant doesn't know the difference and in both cases I would say it's good that you're feeding because 9 times out of 10 when someone comes into my nursery and they say, "What's wrong with this plant?" and I say, "Well, when's the last time you fed your plant?" and it has been a long time, if ever at all.

McShane's Nursery and Landscape Supply Copyright 2010
Landon Wolf Copyright 2010

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