One of the
first things that I hear from turf managers when we are discussing organic
fertilizer is, “Organic fertilizers are nice, but I can get much more for
my money when I purchase a synthetic fertilizer.” They to point out the
fact that they can purchase a synthetic product like 18-5-9 for considerably
less per bag and get almost double the amount of nitrogen for their money than
what they can get in Nature Safe 8-3-5 or 10-2-8. And, if you are comparing
just the amount of nutrients listed on the labels, they are correct. However,
to find the real value of a fertilizer, we must go beyond what meets the eye.
When it
comes to organic fertilizers, the nutrients listed on the label do not tell the
whole story. The numbers on the bag are only a guarantee of the minimum
nutrients that will be found in that bag. With synthetic fertilizers, the
minimum listed on the bag is also the maximum that will be available. With
organic fertilizers, the numbers only tell you that if you run a chemical
analysis on the contents in that bag, you had better find at least what is
listed. In other words, it will tell you the minimum amount of nutrients that
you will receive from that bag, which will probably be quite a bit different
from the maximum you are likely to receive. The maximum will be determined by
the amount of food value that a particular organic product has for the soil
microbes.
Beneficial
soil microbes eat carbon. The more carbon they are fed, the more they increase
their numbers. The carbon they eat is contained in proteins, which are made up
of amino acids. The products that contain the highest level of amino acids will
therefore produce the highest populations of beneficial soil microbes. When these
microbes die off, they release nutrients in the form that is usable by plants.
Therefore, these higher populations of soil microbes translate directly into
increased fertility for the plant. If you look at the amino acid profiles of
various products, it quickly becomes obvious that Nature Safe contains far
higher percentages of amino acids than any other fertilizer on the market.
Since synthetic fertilizers do not feed the microbes, they cannot cause any
increases in nutrient levels above and beyond their guaranteed minimums.
The
beneficial soil microbes break down and release many nutrients that are
contained in unusable forms in the soil. The increased microbial activity
releases many of these nutrients and makes them available to the plants. Some
forms of microbes that are being fed by the amino acids also convert
atmospheric nitrogen that is in a form that is unavailable to plants, into
forms that plants can readily use. This available nitrogen is added to the
supply of soil nitrogen.
In addition
to the nutrients that the microbes manufacture, they also conserve nutrients by
tying them up in their bodies and keeping them from leaching and volatilizing.
Synthetic fertilizers tend to contain large portions of soluble nutrients that
can be lost to leaching and volatilization before they can be taken up by the
plants. The bottom line is that Nature Safe provides more nutrition for the
plants than synthetic products that have far higher analyses.
Of course,
the above discussion only considers the nutrition that can be derived from
using Nature Safe. There are many other benefits that can be realized from
using Nature Safe on a regular basis. These benefits include:
·
Suppression
of plant diseases.
·
Thatch
reduction.
·
Improvement
of soil structure.
·
Reduction
of localized dry spots.
·
Less
mowing due to decreased shoot growth.
·
Reduced
irrigation requirements due to lower salt levels and,
·
Greatly
improved stress management.
Dr.
Elliot Roberts found that decomposing soil microbes release a fertilizer with a
10-5-2 analysis. This is a continual process if the microbes are being
adequately fed. At Nature Safe, we refer to this phenomenon as a little
fertilizer factory in the soil. After a Nature Safe user has been using our
products for a year or two, this little fertilizer factory in the soil gets
cranked up enough that most customers report decreased fertility needs, which
tends to prove that extra nutrients are being made available by the soil
microbes. When one looks at the actual amount of nutrition that is being derived
from a Nature Safe program and they add in the other non-nutritional benefits
they are getting, it quickly becomes very obvious that Nature Safe is their
least expensive option.