Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
There are many definitions of the word organic, too. In chemistry, it basically means
“containing carbon.” I would be using this definition if I were teaching you about chemic-
al pesticides because
organic
pesticides are simply pesticides that contain carbon and in-
clude some of our most poisonous synthetic pesticides used today. In biology, organic ba-
sically means “derived from living organisms.” We use this definition when we talk about
organic matter in the soil.
Most of the time, however, when we use the word organic we're referring to more of a
cultural definition, which not only means avoiding the use of all chemicals, but also fo-
cusing on improving the soil and soil food web, increasing biodiversity, cleaning up the
air and water, using sustainable materials, and so on. When I refer to an organic fertilizer,
therefore, what I mean is a fertilizer that would be allowed on an organic farm or garden
under standards such as those put out by the International Federation of Organic Agricul-
tural Movements (IFOAM) and the Society For Organic Land Care (SOUL), not necessar-
ily one that is derived from living organisms. Calcitic limestone, for example, is a rock we
often use.
Also, the organic label has become so misused that you shouldn't buy your fertilizers
based on the word organic alone. For example, I would absolutely never buy anything
from certain large international garden product manufacturers, even if it was labeled or-
ganic. I know from their track record that the health of the planet is not a priority for
them, and from looking at their organic products, that quality is not high on their list of
priorities.
An organic-based label is even less helpful because it only has to contain 15% organic
materials. There are many other potentially misleading terms such as natural, environ-
mentally friendly and balanced. What I do is either look for organic certification on the la-
bel, such as OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute), or I read the ingredients. Most of
the products I use have only one “ingredient,” such as kelp, lime, sea minerals or rock
phosphate, and I try to avoid additives for the most part. Also, keep in mind that just be-
cause a product is certified organic doesn't necessarily mean it's good for your situation,
only that it's made with allowed ingredients.
So organic fertilizers, chemical fertilizers, mineral fertilizers, and soil amendments
come with different definitions. I'm just going to refer to everything as a fertilizer to in-
dicate that it's something we buy in a bag or bottle to apply to our soil and plants.
With all fertilizers, applying more is not necessarily better. In fact, it's usually much
worse. An excess of one nutrient results in a deficiency of another. Too much nitrogen can
bring a deficiency of copper and potassium. Too much phosphorus can bring a deficiency
of zinc and sulfur. Too much potassium can bring a deficiency of manganese and boron.
Too much calcium or magnesium can bring a deficiency of many nutrients. There are
thousands of relationships like this between nutrients in the soil.
