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Synthetic Fertilizers - What's Wrong with Them? Newsletter


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Synthetic Fertilizers - What's Wrong with Them?

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There are all kinds of problems with synthetic, high-nitrogen fertilizers. For starters, they have unidentified fillers and the nutrients are basically salts. They are harsh and can burn plants. These salts build up and damage soil health and plant roots. Because the nutrients in synthetic fertilizers are basically in the anionic form, they do not bind to the soil and plants only use a small portion of the nutrients - the rest pollutes. These fake fertilizers are a significant source of pollution and environment destruction. They volatize and pollute the air, leach into the soil to contaminate aquifers and wash into waterways to contaminate and cause weed growth. They are extremely damaging to the beneficial microbes in the soil - both bacterial and fungal. Some such as ammonium sulfate, are deadly to earthworms.

The small percentage of high nitrogen fertilizer that gets into plants forces fast growth that results in weak, watery cell growth and sick plants. Plants grow and flower in the short run, but the imbalance and the weak cells that are created bring on insects and diseases. Plant health is decreased long term. Nature’s job is to take out sick plants and to encourage the survival of the fittest. Synthetic nitrogen pushers advise people to buy products where the slow release portion of the product is in the 60% range. The artificial attempt to slow these fake fertilizers down is humorous. If they would use organic fertilizers, 100% of the fertilizer would be in the slow release form. Organic fertilizers contain N-P-K, trace minerals, organic material, humus and beneficial microbes - and that's all good.

The worse possible choices? 1) Chemical weed-and-feed fertilizers, and  2) Nitrogen-only fertilizers such as 24-0-0.

Too much phosphorous has become a topic of concern to those who don't understand soil health and we will discuss that in next week's newsletter.

If you have any questions about this newsletter or any other topic, join me this weekend for my Dirt Doctor Radio shows.

Products for pest control, lawn and garden care are available in independent garden retailers that stock organic products and online at the Natural Organic Warehouse (NOW).

Naturally yours,
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Howard Garrett

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