What are Organic Fertilizers and Types

Organic fertilizers are handcrafted fertilizers whose composition is based on animal and vegetable waste and residues, as well as woody and industrial remains. These wastes are degraded and mineralized to generate a compound which, when mixed with the earth, optimizes its chemical, physical and biological characteristics, thus leaving the soil ready to obtain healthy vegetable crops.

This type of fertilizer is usually more expensive than inorganic fertilizer for a very simple reason: organic fertilizers are essential to replace the organic matter that human activity produces on the soil, while inorganic fertilizers do not. Likewise, the use of organic fertilizers improves the absorption and drainage of water in the soils, thus facilitating the fixation of carbon on the ground and the formation of nutrients.

The premise of the use of organic fertilizers is decrease the production of chemical agents for soil treatment. Although artificial fertilizers apparently reduce costs, their environmental impact is considerably more considerable. Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, represent a sustainable alternative that has been progressively adopted in organic farming and intensive crops.

As we have seen, orchards can optimize their development thanks to organic compounds. Dispensing with the various types of chemical fertilizers and other chemical fertilizers will allow you to conserve the soils with an ideal degree of nutrients for the conservation of your plants and the environment. Here are some types of organic fertilizers ideal for the care and conservation of orchards and plantations.

Compost compost

Compost is the best known of the organic fertilizers. It is a compost that is obtained from the decomposition of organic compounds such as remains of vegetables, fruits, vegetables, egg shells, food waste, paper ashes, expired yogurts and animal manure. The remains are arranged in layers and preserved for three or four months at high temperatures (60-70ºC) and from there a brown mixture is obtained, free of microbes, ideal for spreading on the plantations.

Vermicompost

It is a variant of common nitrogen-rich compost that is made up of worm feces, black soil, and regular compost. Californian red worms are ideal for its preparation, being a rich source of acetic and humic acids.

Peat

This compost consists of fossilized organic matter from minerals, carbohydrates, and humic and humic acids. It is obtained by accumulating large sources of plant matter, subjecting them to freezing temperatures with little oxygenation and abundant water. The final mixture is a free charcoal, ideal for improving the pH of the soil.

Organic amendment

This concentrated compost comes from the mixture of various decomposed organic fertilizers such as peat, compost and manure. Humic amendments can be solid or liquid and, among the latter, it is worth highlighting compost tea (common compost settled in water), a very effective liquid organic fertilizer.

Ashes

Rich in phosphorus and potassium, incinerated wood ash, firewood and dry leaves can be recycled into excellent organic fertilizers. Do you know how this is achieved? It is achieved by mixing the ashes with the substrate and the irrigation water of the crops, something that improves the pH of eminently acidic soils.

Biol fertilizer

This compound is based on manures fermented in a drum for two or three months. The manure extract should be mixed with ash and water, as well as alfalfa leaves, molasses, and yeast. The compound must be fermented with organic waste until a wet and viscous mixture is obtained, which must be spread on the leaves of the plants. In addition, it should be noted that the organic fertilizer works as a pesticide and facilitates the development of vegetable fruits.

Biofertilizers

Biofertilizers are composed of essences of natural microorganisms resident in the soil and allow, among other things, to fix nitrogen to the soil, as well as to capture phosphorus from solid waste. Its main function is to provide the plantations with nutrients to improve the growth and development of crops.

Biosolids from sewage

These organic fertilizers basically use treated sewage water, which can be used to irrigate crops whose soil shows a high concentration of pathogens. The waters are treated by carefully eliminating the solid waste disposal to prevent any contaminating outbreak to your crop.

Compost Bocashi

Coming from Japan, this fertilizer is obtained by fermenting rice semolina, soybeans and fish meal. Forest soil is added to these materials before starting the continuous mixing of the ingredients to improve and stimulate the supply of nutrients. Its preparation is very similar to that of compost but it is characterized by being notably faster (from one to three weeks) and with almost immediate effect.

Green manures

These organic compounds are obtained by planting small plants such as legumes and grasses. Such plants must be uprooted and buried in the ground to decompose on site, providing the soil with ideal nitrogen and nutrients to facilitate the sowing of future crops.

Many of the organic fertilizers have the advantage of their low production costs and easy processing. Next, from UNCOMO, we present several types of homemade organic compost that you can easily prepare. Liquid organic fertilizer, organic fertilizer in pellets and organic organic fertilizer that will nourish your crops to the maximum.

Organic Manure Compost

Animal manure is the most common household compost. The faeces of equines, reces and birds are rich in nutrients to optimize crops, so it is enough to let the faeces compost and decompose slowly to be able to reuse them.

Banana tea

For plants lacking in potassium, there is nothing better than banana tea. This liquid organic fertilizer is obtained by boiling chopped banana peels for 10 minutes in a liter of water. Next, you just have to strain the infusion and add two more liters of cold water … you will have the tea ready to water your plants!

Vegetable residues

A magnificent and most sustainable option is to reuse all the vegetables that you have not used in your crops. How? Well, you just have to bury them in the ground. Thanks to the nutrients released by the vegetables, their decomposition will enrich the soil.

Rooting agents for plants

Rooters for cuttings work as biostimulants to facilitate root growth. Rooting agents are obtained after leaving coffee beans, cinnamon, wheat seeds, willow branches or lentils in water for several hours (three to five). The idea is to use the liquid from the treated grains and seeds to water the plants, providing the roots with natural nutrients that favor and speed up their development.

Egg shells for plants

Use the egg shells, in pieces or powdered, to protect the roots of your plants from the attack of snails and caterpillars. You just have to make sure to wash them well before placing them on the plantations and, once decontaminated, let them add calcium to the vegetables of your crop.

Fertilize with cut grass

All trimmed grass is a source of organic nutrients, so store it well to nourish your crops to the fullest. To take advantage of the pieces of grass you cut, fill a large container (about 20 liters) with scraps of cut grass, add plenty of water and let the mixture rest for a couple of days. Then, apply the compound on the base of the plants, always before carrying out the common watering.

Compost with coffee grounds

If you do not know what to do with all the waste from your coffee maker, from UNCOMO we recommend that you accumulate them. Pour them into a container with water and let them rest for two or three days to obtain an acidic liquid organic compost (or liquid fertilizer), very rich in substrates and nitrogen.

Hair remnants

Did you know that human and animal hair could be a great eco-friendly fertilizer? It may sound strange to you, but the truth is that if you want to find an economical and efficient homemade organic fertilizer, the hair of animals and people can be a very good option. This is because hair is rich in nitrogen, so you can mix it with …