Deciding on the best products and materials for home landscaping can be a tough challenge. With environmental issues prominent in the news, many homeowners are buying more organic foods and vegetables. Do-it-yourself gardeners want to know if they should use organic fertilizer for their garden. The short answer is yes, but let’s look at why.
Advantages of Organic Fertilizer
Unlike commercial synthetic fertilizers, organic fertilizers release nutrients slowly. This timing works better for plants; growth occurs at a healthy rate, and there is no danger of fertilizer burn on foliage. This slow release also means less work for you. Synthetic fertilizers need to be applied more often.
At the same time, nutrients from organics stay in the plant and soil systems. Excess nutrients from synthetic fertilizers are often carried away by water, causing algae bloom and other problems in natural aquatic systems. When using a service for landscaping and lawn care, Mississauga residents should ask for organic fertilizers that protect local water quality.
Plant Based Products
Most organic fertilizers are derived from plant sources, animal byproducts or both. A number of plant based organic fertilizers such as alfalfa meal and cottonseed meal are commercially available. Many of these sources tend to be high in nitrogen; they all help with soil conditioning, improving both drainage and moisture retention.
Animal By-Products
Some industrial operations produce animal by-products that are excellent sources of nutrients. Dairy farms and fish and meat processing plants generate materials such as bone meal, blood meal and fish emulsion. These can be ingredients in commercial organic fertilizers or used as individual fertilizers.
Compost
Compost may be the best overall organic fertilizer. It can be purely plant or animal based or a combination. Many home gardeners make their own compost with leaves, lawn clippings and vegetable scraps. Aged, composted animal manure may be be sold in bulk or bagged and sold at your local garden center.
Compost is an excellent soil amendment to add to any ornamental or vegetable garden bed. Dig or till it thoroughly into the top 6 to 8 inches of soil. For established lawns, use a screened compost as a topdressing in the fall. It will be your secret weapon for lawn care.
Mississauga lawn care and maintenance company The Gardener has an organic lawn service for those that want environmentally friendly landscaping. They will also be glad to take the organic approach with the rest of your landscape. In the long term, you will have a healthier, greener lawn and landscape that is better for the ecosystem of your neighborhood and the Mississauga region.
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