Agricultural Updates For Successful Farming

Fertilizer is a necessary part of any sort of crop growth, as it provides a boost of essential nutrients and minerals that allow for your plants to produce more than they would otherwise. However, in order to maintain an organic farm, which will net higher profits for grown food, commonly commercially available chemical fertilizers are not an option. Fortunately, there are several different types of organic fertilizers available on the market, each of which possesses a different set of advantages and drawbacks. Understanding the differences between the available types of organic fertilizers can help you choose the one that best suits your farming needs.

Blood Meal

Blood meal, like its name would suggest, is made out of dried blood from slaughterhouses, usually from cattle. It can be spread over soil before planting in order to stimulate intense growth, but care must be taken because of its high nitrogen content: over application can cause the roots of your plants to burn. This high nitrogen content makes blood meal ideal for planting leafy vegetables and plants. 

Fish Emulsion

Fish emulsion is similar to blood meal and is a paste that is made out of the crushed bodies of decomposing fish. It is high in nitrogen, calcium, phosphorous, and potassium, and has a slightly lower risk of burning plant roots than blood meal does. However, the smell of decomposing fish can be extremely strong and can permeate your crops for a while after the fertilizer has been applied. 

Shellfish Fertilizer

Shellfish fertilizer, also sometimes referred to as shell or crustacean meal, is made up of ground-up crabs and other shellfish. It is extremely high in calcium and phosphorous, which makes shellfish fertilizer the ideal choice for fruits and roots - like peach trees or carrots, for example. However, shell meal is relatively low in nitrogen, which means that it is less likely to burn your plants' roots than blood meal is, but also makes it a poor choice for leafy vegetables. 

Bat Guano

Made out of the excrement of bats that is then dried and powdered, bat guano possess a generally high amount of nitrogen and phosphorous, as well as trace amounts of many other nutrients, depending on the diet of the bats that produced it. Bat guano does not come with the associated risks of burning or saturating the soil and can be applied throughout the year either as dust mixed into the dirt or a spray for the leaves.  

For more information, contact a company that makes organic fertilizer for farming.