Understanding Inorganic Fertilizers

Most of the common types of fertilizer that you find in your local supply store are called “inorganic fertilizers”, or “mineral fertilizers”. This is because rather than including organic components that supply the nutrients that most plant life need, these fertilizers include things such as limestone, rock phosphate, iron, and sodium nitrate.

These kinds of fertilizers are broken into two groups: macronutrients and micronutrients. You can tell the difference between micro and macro by looking at their concentration levels of plant dry matter and how they are chemically mixed. For instance, the six macronutrients are, in and of themselves, broken into two groups: primary and secondary. The primary macronutrients are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. The secondary macronutrients are Calcium, Magnesium and Sulfur. The reason why these are considered secondary is not because of any difference in allotment in any particular kind of fertilizer, but rather because plants, even ones that need fertilization, usually can get calcium, magnesium and sulfur from the earth.

Micronutrients, on the other hand, are a different story. There are hundreds of micronutrients that plants need to thrive; however, they only need certain amounts. Most micronutrients are required somewhere between five and one hundred parts per million, with some micronutrients required even less. Some of these micronutrients include Boron, Copper, Nickel, Chlorine, Zinc and Iron.

While macronutrients are considered the primary nutrients for keeping plants alive, micronutrients are often credited for keeping many species of animal and insect alive. Many mammals who graze get their calcium and iron from the plant life, and if the plants do not have enough iron for the animals to consume, they can become very ill and even die. That is one thing to consider when you weigh the positive and the negative aspects of fertilization. If you want to fertilize your garden, but you are worried that you may oversaturate the ground, you can also always look towards organic fertilizers, which are proven to be much safer.

Lawn Blog | Understanding Inorganic Fertilizers