When it comes to providing our plants with the nutrients they need so much, it is inevitable to end up talking about manures and fertilizers. The nutrients of the soil and the substrate end up being depleted over time, and all plants need an extra supply of nutrients that, in nature, renews itself with the biological cycle.
However, it is common to use both words as if they were synonyms, often interchangeably. They are the same? What are their differences? If you want to know what they are for and the difference between manures and fertilizers exactly, join us in this EcologíaVerde article.
What is the difference between manure and fertilizer
There are several conflicting opinions about what specifically differentiates fertilizers from fertilizers. One of the most common errors is the popular belief that compost provides nutrients to the soil and fertilizer does so only to the plant.
However, if we consider how they are applied, it is not hard to see that this not a clear distinction: although the fertilizer is added to the soil, it also enriches the plant indirectly through its roots and, even if the fertilizer is applied directly to the plant together with the irrigation water, it is inevitable that a significant part of the product also ends up in the earth by the simple action of gravity and the elements.
So what is the best way to tell them apart? We can point out that fertilizer are natural products, organic either inorganicwhich are used to enrich the nutrients of the soil and, therefore, also those of the crop in it.
fertilizersinstead, they are artificial products, artificially created by man and that are basically comprised of macronutrients. Currently, most of the fertilizers that are used are of chemical origin and are dangerous and harmful to the environment, but there are organic fertilizers, many of them that can be made at home, that are totally ecological.
What types of fertilizer are there?
There are many types of fertilizer, all of them used to provide the soil with nutrients that will end up going to the plants in the garden or orchard through their roots. These are some of the most common:
Manure
Manure is one of the fertilizers most used, especially in rural areas, due to the simplicity of obtaining it. It can usually be purchased for good prices from nearby farms, or even produced if you have animals. Manure can be obtained from cow feceshorses, sheep or practically any other type of livestock, although it is important that their diet is as natural as possible.
Depending on its origin, the different types of manure are more recommended for one type of crop or another, since the balance of its components varies.
Compost
The king of homemade fertilizers in terms of popularity, since anyone with space can make it very easily with nothing more than the organic leftovers from home and garden. Producing a good compost requires patience and some experience, but it is one of the best ways to recycle household waste in an ecological way while achieving excellent nutrient supply for cultivation.
Discover the Types of compost and How to make homemade compost in the following EcologíaVerde articles that we recommend.
Worm humus or vermicompost
The earthworm humus is one of the organic fertilizers more complete and of most beneficial effect, if not directly the best. Californian earthworms, large devourers of organic matter, produce this powerful cocktail of nutrients, which is also loaded with beneficial microscopic organisms for plants.
You can buy it in any specialized store, or produce it yourself in a small space if you dare to set up your own vermicomposter, which is not expensive at all.
Discover How to make earthworm humus in the following EcologíaVerde post.
chicken manure
Chicken manure is nothing more than manure that comes from chickens. It is very rich in nutrients such as sulfur, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. In addition, with the Japanese bocashi technique, a much faster-maturing fertilizer can be made from chicken manure, rice husks, earth and charcoal.
inorganic fertilizer
Nor should we forget about inorganic fertilizers: compounds of mineral origin that do not come from animals or plants but they are still totally natural and ecological.
What types of fertilizers are there?
In fertilizers, the most important distinction is the one that differentiates a natural or organic fertilizer from a chemical fertilizer.
synthetic fertilizers
chemical fertilizers used in intensive agriculture on a large scale, they are artificially created to provide plants with the specific macronutrient sets they need. They are also called agrochemicals and are dangerous because they can reach contaminate groundwater and even large flows such as rivers, sometimes being terribly harmful to the environment. In addition, they do not enrich the soil in a lasting way.
Organic fertilizers
Although all fertilizers they are artificialNot all of them are harmful. Organic fertilizers perform the same function as fertilizers, with the difference that they are usually applied directly to crops, often included in irrigation water.
They are products made with natural ingredients and do not have to be harmful to the environment. There are a large number of traditional homemade recipes that anyone can make at home, such as banana tea, which is made with coffee grounds, or consuela purin.
If you want to read more articles similar to Difference Between Manure and Fertilizerwe recommend that you enter our Garden Care category.
