All fertilisers will enhance the quality of plant growth, increasing yields and building resilience - but should you choose organic or inorganic? Let’s dig into the differences.
Inorganic or artificial fertilisers – the differences
Formulation
Artificial fertilisers are created by a chemical process using natural gas, air and mineral ores and are based on the three essential nutrients nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
Artificial fertilisers usually contain a higher quantity of nutrients meaning lower volumes are required to achieve the desired result.
Key benefits
Speed of uptake
The nutrients in artificial fertilisers are intended to be available for fast uptake by the plant roots so are usually formulated to feed the plant or crop rather than the soil. Due to this availability, they generally work quicker than organic fertilisers.
However, there are controlled-release granular formulations that use special coatings to deliver nutrition over a longer period of time.
Slow-release formulations use different forms of the individual nutrients in order to manipulate the release pattern of the final product.
Targeting and range
There is a much larger range of artificial fertilisers than organic ones as they can be formulated to meet a wide variety of specific nutritional needs.
Greenkeepers and sports ground managers for example often need tailored formulations with different macro nutrient balances and additional micronutrients – for different reasons; for example, hardening turf ready for play, or improving resilience at specific times of year.
Cold weather suitability
Unlike most organic fertilisers, some artificial fertilisers can be used in cold weather with great effect.
Consistent nutrient delivery
Artificial fertilisers can be formulated as compound granules with all the nutrients contained in a single granule, meaning each granule is identical and therefore the distribution of nutrients will be reliably consistent.
Organic or natural fertilisers
Formulation
Organic fertilisers are usually derived from natural materials like decomposed plant matter (compost), animal waste like manures, or byproducts from meat and fish processing - like blood, fish and bone.
Key benefits
Soil improvement
While artificial fertilisers are formulated to feed the plant, most organic fertilisers feed the soil. In the long term, this means that organic fertilisers support soil health by adding organic matter and structure to the soil.
Long-term nutrient availability
Organic fertilisers depend on the soil bacteria to break them down, converting them into inorganic forms - meaning they are slower to reach and benefit the plants. However, this slow release means plants receive a steady nutrient supply reducing the risk of over-fertilisation and can help reduce the risk of nutrient run-off.
Environmental safety
Organic fertilisers do not contain synthetic additives meaning zero chemical leaching into groundwater. They often help foster microorganisms, insects and earthworm activity which all benefit soil.
Sustainability
As organic fertilisers are not formulated from manufactured additives, they are a more sustainable choice.
In summary, if you’re interested in fostering a sustainable ecosystem in your garden, or are interested in longer-term growth of plants, then choose an organic fertiliser.
If you are dealing with a nutrient deficiency, need an instant nutrient boost, or demand consistency perhaps for crop production, then choose an inorganic fertiliser. You would almost certainly need this type of fertiliser if managing a sports pitch and need to control turf nutrition in the colder autumn and winter months.
