Organic fertilizer

Organic fertilizers are fert ilizers t hat are nat urally produced and cont ain carbon (C).[1] Fert ilizers
are mat erials t hat can be added t o soil or plant s, in order t o provide nut rient s and sust ain growt h.
Typical organic fert ilizers include mineral sources, all animal wast e including meat processing,
manure, slurry, and guano, plant based fert ilizers, such as compost , and biosolids.[2] There are also
ot her abiot ic non-chemical, fert ilizer met hods t hat meet t he Principles of Organic Agricult ure,
which det ermines whet her a fert ilizer can be used for commercial organic agricult ure.

A cement reservoir containing cow manure mixed with water. This is common in rural Hainan Province, China. Note the
bucket on a stick that the farmer uses to apply the mixture.
Liming soil

Bone meal and meat meal can be added to soil to stimulate root growth and to release phosphorus.

Examples and sources

The main organic fert ilizers are, peat , animal wast es, plant wast es from agricult ure, and t reat ed
sewage sludge.[3][4]

Minerals

Minerals can be mined or fossil product s of animal act ivit y, such as greensand (anaerobic marine
deposit s), some limest ones (fossil shell deposit s),[5] and some rock phosphat es (fossil guano).[6]
Adding limest one or “liming” a soil is a way t o raise pH.[7] By raising t he pH of a soil, microbial
growt h can be st imulat ed, which in t urn increases biological processes, enabling nut rient s t o flow
more freely t hrough t he soil.[8] When nut rient s flow freely t hey are more accessible t o plant s and
t herefore can increase plant healt h and mass. If t he soil is already pH balanced, liming t he soil,
would be ineffect ive.
Peat

Peat , or t urf, is plant mat erial t hat is only part ially decomposed. It is a source of organic mat t er. 
Soil wit h higher levels of organic mat t er are less likely t o compact , which improves t he soil
aerat ion and wat er drainage, as well as assist s in support ing soil microbial healt h.[9][10] It is
somet imes credit ed as being t he most widely use organic fert ilizer and by volume is t he t op
organic amendment .

Animal Sources

Animal sourced mat erials include bot h animal manures and residues from t he slaught er of
animals.[2] Manures are derived from milk-producing dairy animals, egg-producing poult ry, and
animals raised for meat and hide product ion, or sport and recreat ion. Manure is an abundant
resource wit h est imat ions for cat t le manure in t he US alone reaching t wo billion t ons annually,[11]
and one hen has t he pot ent ial t o produce a cubic foot of manure every six mont hs.[12] By adding
manure t o crops it adds nit rogen, pot assium, phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium and calcium.[10] While
also increasing soil st abilit y by increasing organic mat erial, increasing wat er infilt rat ion, it can add
bact eria diversit y and over t ime reduce t he impact s of soil erosion.[10] However, t here is organic
manure and non-organic manure.  In order for manure t o be considered organic it must come from
organic livest ock or cert ified organic growers.[13] If organic manure is not available, t hey are
permit t ed t o use non-organic manure as long as t he animals have room t o roam, are not kept in
t he dark, and growers abst ain from using genet ically modified feeds.[13] Fresh manure, right from
t he st all, can cause issues because it can be t oo high in ammonia, or cont ain bact eria from t he
animal’s gut .  This can have an adverse effect on plant s as t he ammonia can burn t he root s and
microbes from t he animal’s gut can harm t he microorganisms in t he soil, killing t hem, or
cont aminat e produce, such as E. coli and salmonella.[14] There is also a risk of int roducing weeds,
as seeds can pass t hrough t he gut of an animal relat ively unharmed, or t here can be seeds in t he
bedding of t he livest ock, which is oft en mixed in wit h t he manure. Therefore, manure is required
t o be compost ed which will ideally kill any seeds or pat hogens and reduce t he ammonia
cont ent .[11]
A large commercial compost operation

Chicken lit t er, which consist s of chicken manure and bedding, is an organic fert ilizer t hat has
been proposed t o be superior for condit ioning soil for harvest t han synt het ic fert ilizers.[15] It
cont ains similar minerals t o ot her manures, while also having t race amount s of copper, zinc,
magnesium, boron, and chloride.[14] Depending on t he t ype of chicken lit t er obt ained, it may
cont ain bird remains. This t ype of chicken lit t er should not be spread on crops, and can pose a
risk t o grazing livest ock due t o bot ulism, a disease caused by bact eria wit hin decaying birds.[14]

Horse manure cont ains t he perfect balance of Carbon t o Nit rogen for compost ing (30:1) and is a
t radit ional garden soil amendment . However, careful organic sourcing is crit ical because feed
(and bedding mat erials) from fields t reat ed wit h t he picolinic acid family of herbicides including
aminopyralid, clopyralid, and picloram (market ed in t he US as Milest one and Grazon-)can pass
t hrough a horse’s digest ive t ract , remaining unchanged in manure and compost piles for long
periods. These chemicals commonly affect pot at oes, t omat oes, and beans, causing deformed
plant s and poor or non-exist ent yields. Also, horse de-wormers like Ivermect in can be det ect ed
in manure at levels harmful t o beneficial insect s and organisms for up t o 45 days. Taint ed
compost can not only kill plant s and beneficial organisms, but can creat e liabilit y issues for
owners.[16]

Bat guano has been used as a fert ilizer for t housands of years, most prominent ly by t he Incans,
who valued bat s and t heir guano so much, t he penalt y for killing a bat was deat h. Bat guano is
high in element s such as carbon, nit rogen, sulfur, and phosphorus. Guano t ypically cont ains about
10% nit rogen, which helps plant s keep a healt hy and vibrant green color and promot es rapid
growt h. Guano compared t o manufact ured fert ilizers is safe t o use inside and out side of t he
house, large gardens or small plant s, and does not leach from t he soil but rat her remains and
cont inues t o slowly feed t he plant s and enhance t he soil. Guano is also rich in bioremediat ion
microbes which helps t o clean unnat ural t oxins from t he soil t hat can prevent plant growt h and
cause rapid decay.[17]
Urine, from humans as well as animals, is a fert ilizer: urea in urine is a nit rogen compound, and urine
also cont ains phosphorus and pot assium.[18][19][20][21] Human urine t ypically has about 3 t imes as
much nit rogen as pot assium, and more t han 20 t imes as much nit rogen as phosphorus.[22][23][24]
The amount of pot assium in urine is variable, and depends on t he amount of pot assium in t he
person's diet .[23][25] Urine is not current ly allowed t o be used in any commercial agricult ural
operat ions. However, t here are ongoing st udies t hat have shown t hat aging urine in concealed
cont ainers for 12–16 mont hs eliminat es 99% of harmful bact eria, due t o increasing urea cont ent
and t herefore pH.[18]

Animal by-product s. When any animal is but chered, only about 40% t o 60% of t he live animal is
convert ed t o market product , wit h t he remaining 40% t o 60% classed as by-product s. These by-
product s of animal slaught er, most ly inedible—blood, bone, feat hers, hides, hoofs, horns, -- can be
refined int o agricult ural fert ilizers including blood meal, bone meal[3] fish meal, and feat her meal.

Compost bin for small-scale production of organic fertilizer

Plant

Processed organic fert ilizers include compost , humic acid, grain meal, amino acids, and seaweed
ext ract s. Ot her examples are nat ural enzyme-digest ed prot eins. Decomposing crop residue
(green manure) from prior years is anot her source of fert ilit y.

Compost provides lit t le in t he means of nut rient s t o plant s, but it does provide soil st abilit y
t hrough increasing organic mat t er.Compost does help microorganisms proliferat e which in t urn
breaks down decaying plant mat erial int o subst ant ial bioavailable nut rient s for plant t o easily
assimilat e. [26]
Grain meals can be made of corn glut en, alfalfa, cot t onseed, or soybean.  Most supply nit rogen
and pot assium, but soybean meal provides nit rogen and phosphorus.[26]  When init ially spread t hey
can cause an increase in ammonia wit hin t he soil and burn seeds, it is recommended t o use t hese
aft er plant s have developed, t o ensure crop success.

Ot her ARS st udies have found t hat algae used t o capt ure nit rogen and phosphorus runoff from
agricult ural fields can not only prevent wat er cont aminat ion of t hese nut rient s, but also can be
used as an organic fert ilizer. ARS scient ist s originally developed t he "algal t urf scrubber" t o
reduce nut rient runoff and increase qualit y of wat er flowing int o st reams, rivers, and lakes. They
found t hat t his nut rient -rich algae, once dried, can be applied t o cucumber and corn seedlings
and result in growt h comparable t o t hat seen using synt het ic fert ilizers.[27]

Treated Sewage Sludge

Sewage sludge, also known as biosolids, is effluent t hat has been t reat ed, blended, compost ed,
and somet imes dried unt il deemed biologically safe. As a fert ilizer it is most commonly used on
non-agricult ural crops such as in silvicult ure or in soil remediat ion. Use of biosolids in agricult ural
product ion is less common, and t he Nat ional Organic Program of t he USDA (NOP) has ruled t hat
biosolids are not permit t ed in organic food product ion in t he U.S.; while biologic in origin (vs
mineral), sludge is unaccept able due t o t oxic met al accumulat ion, pharmaceut icals, hormones,
and ot her fact ors.[28]

Wit h concerns about human borne pat hogens coupled wit h a growing preference for flush t oilet s
and cent ralized sewage t reat ment , biosolids have been replacing night soil (from human excret a),
a t radit ional organic fert ilizer t hat is minimally processed.

Decomposing animal manure is an organic fertilizer source

Others
Alfalfa

Ash[29]

Blood meal

Bone meal[30]

Compost

Cover crops

Fish emulsion[31]

Fish meal

Manure

Rock phosphat e

Raw Langbeinit e

Rockdust

Unprocessed nat ural pot assium sulfat e

Wood chips/sawdust [32]

PROM

See also

Seaweed fert ilizer

Biofert ilizer

Organic hydroponic solut ions

Reuse of excret a

References

1. Christians, Nick E.; Patton, Aaron J.; Law, Quincy D. (2016-11-21). Fundamentals of Turfgrass
Management, Fifth Edition (http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/9781119308867) . Hoboken, NJ, USA: John
 Wiley & Sons, Inc. doi:10.1002/9781119308867 (https://doi.org/10.1002%2F9781119308867) .
ISBN 978-1-119-30886-7.

2. Guertal, E. A.; Green, B. D. (2012). "Evaluation of organic fertilizer sources for south-eastern (USA)
turfgrass maintenance" (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09064710.2012.683201) .
Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B. 62 (sup1): 130–138. doi:10.1080/09064710.2012.683201 (h
ttps://doi.org/10.1080%2F09064710.2012.683201) . ISSN 0906-4710 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/
0906-4710) .

3. Heinrich Dittmar, Manfred Drach, Ralf Vosskamp, Martin E. Trenkel, Reinhold Gutser, Günter Steffens
"Fertilizers, 2. Types" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2009, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.
doi:10.1002/14356007.n10_n01 (https://doi.org/10.1002%2F14356007.n10_n01)

4. "Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium Values of Organic Fertilizers" (https://extension.oregonstate.edu/nod

e/139446/printable/print) . extension.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-16.

5. Barker, Allen V. (2012). "Plant Growth in Response to Phosphorus Fertilizers in Acidic Soil Amended with
Limestone or Organic Matter" (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00103624.2012.68482
9) . Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. 43 (13): 1800–1810.
doi:10.1080/00103624.2012.684829 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F00103624.2012.684829) .
ISSN 0010-3624 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0010-3624) .

6. Hillel, Daniel (2008), "SOIL FERTILITY AND PLANT NUTRITION" (https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/

pii/B9780123485366500162) , Soil in the Environment, Elsevier, pp. 151–162, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-
348536-6.50016-2 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fb978-0-12-348536-6.50016-2) , ISBN 978-0-12-
348536-6, retrieved 2021-04-08

7. Barker, Allen V. (2012). "Plant Growth in Response to Phosphorus Fertilizers in Acidic Soil Amended with
Limestone or Organic Matter" (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00103624.2012.68482
9) . Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. 43 (13): 1800–1810.
doi:10.1080/00103624.2012.684829 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F00103624.2012.684829) .
ISSN 0010-3624 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0010-3624) .

8. Ahmad, Waqar; Singh, Balwant; Dijkstra, Feike A.; Dalal, R.C. (2013). "Inorganic and organic carbon
dynamics in a limed acid soil are mediated by plants" (https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0038
071712003926) . Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 57: 549–555. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.10.013 (http
s://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.soilbio.2012.10.013) .

9. Saito, B.; Seckler, M. M. (2014). "Alkaline extraction of humic substances from peat applied to organic-
mineral fertilizer production" (http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0104-66322014
000300010&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en) . Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering. 31 (3): 675–682.
doi:10.1590/0104-6632.20140313s00002512 (https://doi.org/10.1590%2F0104-6632.20140313s000
02512) . ISSN 0104-6632 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0104-6632) .
10. "Manure and Nutrient Management - Beef Cattle Research Council" (http://www.beefresearch.ca/resear
ch-topic.cfm) . Manure and Nutrient Management - Beef Cattle Research Council. Retrieved
2021-04-09.

11. "The Poop on Manure" (https://www.westcoastseeds.com/blogs/garden-wisdom/poop-manure) . West

Coast Seeds. Retrieved 2021-04-09.

12. "Using Chicken Manure Safely in Home Gardens and Landscapes" (https://extension.unr.edu/publicatio
n.aspx?PubID=3028) . Extension | University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved 2021-04-09.

13. "How do the Regenerative Organic Standards compare to the Canadian Organic Standards?" (http://ma
gazine.cog.ca/article/how-do-the-regenerative-organic-standards-compare-to-the-canadian-organic-stan
dards/) . The Canadian Organic Grower. Retrieved 2021-04-09.

14. "Best practice guidelines for using poultry litter on pastures" (https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/b
est-practice-guidelines-for-using-poultry-litter-on-pastures-1) . www.thepoultrysite.com. Retrieved
2021-04-09.

15. "Researchers Study Value of Chicken Litter in Cotton Production" (http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2010/

100623.htm) . 23 July 2010.

16. "The Worm Farmer's Handbook: Mid- to Large-Scale Vermicomposting for Farms, Businesses,
Municipalities, Schools, and Institutions" (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329488189_The_W
orm_Farmer%27s_Handbook_Mid-_to_Large-Scale_Vermicomposting_for_Farms_Businesses_Municipaliti
es_Schools_and_Institutions) . Retrieved 2021-07-25.

17. "GUANO: BATS' GIFT to GARDENERS" (https://www.batcon.org/article/guano-bats-gift-to-gardeners/) .

Bat Conservation International. Retrieved 2021-12-02.

18. "Urine fertilizer: 'Aging' effectively protects against transfer of antibiotic resistance" (https://www.science
daily.com/releases/2020/01/200122080500.htm) . ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2021-04-09.

19. "Yes wee can: study gives green light to use urine as crop fertiliser" (https://www.theguardian.com/socie
ty/2020/jan/22/study-gives-green-light-to-use-of-urine-as-crop-fertiliser) . the Guardian. 2020-01-22.
Retrieved 2021-01-01.

20. "Can Human Urine Replace Chemical Fertilizers?" (https://modernfarmer.com/2014/01/human-pee-prov

en-fertilizer-future/) . Modern Farmer. 2014-01-13. Retrieved 2021-05-16.

21. Brown, Sally; scientist, ContributorSoil; chef; swimmer (2017-01-16). "Pee for Plants" (https://www.huffp
ost.com/entry/pee-for-plants_b_14204270) . HuffPost. Retrieved 2021-05-16.

22. "Urine Urea Nitrogen Test: Purpose, Procedure, and Results" (https://www.healthline.com/health/urea-nit
rogen-urine) . Healthline. 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2021-05-16.

23. "Potassium - Urine" (https://www.ucsfhealth.org/Medical%20Tests/003600) . ucsfhealth.org. Retrieved

2021-05-16.
24. "Phosphate in Urine" (https://myhealth.alberta.ca:443/Health/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=hw20234
2) . myhealth.alberta.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-16.

25. Mente, Andrew; Irvine, E. Jan; Honey, R. John D'A; Logan, Alexander G. (April 2009). "Urinary potassium
is a clinically useful test to detect a poor quality diet" (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19211830/) .
The Journal of Nutrition. 139 (4): 743–749. doi:10.3945/jn.108.098319 (https://doi.org/10.3945%2Fjn.
108.098319) . ISSN 1541-6100 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1541-6100) . PMID 19211830 (http
s://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19211830) .

26. "Plant-Based Fertilizers for Organic Gardens" (https://www.dummies.com/home-garden/gardening/orga

nic-gardening/plant-based-fertilizers-for-organic-gardens/) . dummies. Retrieved 2021-04-10.

27. "Algae: A Mean, Green Cleaning Machine" (http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/may10/algae0510.

htm) . USDA Agricultural Research Service. 7 May 2010.

28. "Organic Farming | Agriculture | US EPA" (http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/torg.html) . Epa.gov. Retrieved

2012-01-09.

29. "Managing Potassium for Organic Crop Production" (http://ucanr.org/sites/nm/files/76654.pdf)

(PDF). CO State Extension.

30. "Phosphorus Fertilizers for Organic Farming Systems" (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/0056

9.html) . CO State Extension.

31. "Maintaining Soil Fertility in an Organic Fruit and Vegetable Crops System" (http://www.extension.umn.e
du/distribution/horticulture/M1191.html) . University of MN Extension.

32. "Organic Materials as *Nitrogen Fertilizers" (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/00546.html) .

CO State Extension.

Wikimedia Commons has media relat ed t o Fertilizer.

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Organic_fertilizer&oldid=1060037418"

Last edited 2 days ago by Merrilju

Wikipedia