The Pros And Cons Of Organic And Synthetic Fertilizers

Most experienced gardeners and farmers use fertilizer to improve soil health and support their plants. However, many people can’t easily decide between organic and synthetic fertilizers. Neither is perfect, and both have their fair share of pros and cons.

Organic fertilizer lasts longer than synthetic fertilizer, but it doesn’t yield great results as quickly. Synthetic fertilizer comes in many unique formulations, which helps people dealing with deficiencies in soil nutrients and stunted plant growth. Unfortunately, synthetic fertilizer is not good for the environment because of the runoff and greenhouse gas emissions.

Organic fertilizers support soil microbes, whereas synthetic fertilizers can harm or kill them. Follow along as we explore the pros and cons of organic and synthetic fertilizers.

Pros And Cons Of Organic Fertilizer

Farmers, gardeners, and novice plant enthusiasts from all over the world use organic fertilizer. It isn’t always perfect, it has remained popular for a reason. Follow along as we explore the pros and cons of organic fertilizer.

Pros

Boosts Nutrient Availability

Infusing your soil with nutrients is useless if they can’t be easily absorbed. Luckily, organic fertilizer helps support nutrient uptake to ensure oprimum use. Organic fertilizers slowly release nutrients into the soil, ensuring long-lasting benefits. This is important, as releasing those nutrients too quickly can harm your plants. Nutrient toxicity can occur when you overfertilize your plants. That said, over doing it is still a risk if you don’t closely follow the instructions when fertilizing your plants.

Supports Microbes

Soil contains many tiny organisms known as microbes, which play a big role in soil health. The bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa in soil help recycle nutrients and decompose organic matter. Microbes love organic fertilizer because it helps support the biomass. By supporting these microbes, you can help improve the soil structure and nutrient availability. Healthy microbes can also help protect your plants from diseases. Synthetic fertilizer doesn’t support microbes in the same way, which is a big downside.

Helps With Aeration

While you should aerate your soil yearly, you must also support natural aeration. Organic fertilizers help support natural aeration through decomposition. They also help attract worms, which can help aerate your soil and prevent compaction. Attracting earthworms is one of the best things you can do to support your soil. Like microbes, worms break down organic matter, which helps loosen and soften the soil. More importantly, worm droppings, known as castings, help break up hard clay and help with moisture retention. 

Cons

Slow Results

Organic fertilizer may disappoint you if you expect extremely fast results. No natural process can yield incredible results overnight, so you must adjust your expectations. While organic fertilizer will help support your soil, you may not notice results for a few weeks or months. That said, slow results are better than using dangerous products that harm the environment. Apply the fertilizer as early as possible, so you don’t have to wait until mid-summer to sreap the benefits.

Some Fertilizers Are Contaminated

Because fertilizers are organic, some of them may contain contaminants. Organic fertilizer manufacturers don’t always have the best quality control, so the fertilizer can contain heavy metals, forever chemicals, pathogens, pesticides, and herbicides. Ideally, only buy organic fertilizers from trusted sources. Otherwise, you can create your own organic fertilizer by composting your food scraps and organic waste. That way, you at least know where it came from.

It Can Be Expensive

Organic fertilizer is naturally more expensive than synthetic fertilizer. Manufacturers must combine many natural resources to create organic fertilizer. Conversely, synthetic fertilizers are cheap and easy to produce, so they cost much less.

Pros And Cons Of Synthetic Fertilizer

Synthetic fertilizer is more controversial than its organic counterpart, but that doesn’t mean it’s terrible. What works well for your neighbor may not work well for you. It’s up to you to decide if the pros outweigh the cons.

Pros

Fast Results

You don’t have to wait too long to see some great results after using synthetic fertilizer and many people use it because they don’t want to wait too long to see their garden become colorful. You may notice vibrant growth and color after just 1 to 5 days of using synthetic fertilizer. However, you must read the label, as some products are meant to release slowly. Fast-release fertilizers can help you treat your plants for nutrient deficiencies.

More Options

Synthetic fertilizers come in many formulations meant to fix a wide variety of garden problems. For example, you can find one meant to provide massive yields for specific crops. Or, you can find certain synthetic fertilizers meant to infuse your soil with high doses of nitrogen or potassium. Some people use acidic fertilizers to fix soil pH problems when their soil is too alkaline. Learn as much about your soil and plants as possible to ensure you get the right fertilizer.

Easy To Use

Organic fertilizer can confuse people who haven’t used it before but synthetic fertilizer is often more accessible, as it comes in measured doses. That’s a big deal for anyone who is new to gardening and is confused about soil health.

Cons

Environmental Damage

Many people take a strong stance against synthetic fertilizer, given the environmental risks. It emits greenhouse gases and leaches dangerous chemicals into nearby water. This dangerous runoff can taint nearby plants, soil, ponds, and swimming pools.

Microbial Damage

Organic fertilizer helps support microbes, but synthetic fertilizer can damage them. This is largely because the synthetic option drastically changes the soil nutrient profile and pH so rapidly. Synthetic fertilizer can essentially burn the microbes in your soil, which relies on them. Destroying microbes can make soil more reliant on synthetic fertilizers. Of course, you can help reintroduce microbes by mixing compost with the soil. However, using more synthetic fertilizer can kill those new microbes, too.

Short Effects

Synthetic fertilizer doesn’t last nearly as long as organic fertilizer. That’s because organic fertilizer slowly releases nutrients into your soil over many months. While synthetic fertilizer works faster, it doesn’t continually release nutrients for too long. This can make you reliant on synthetic fertilizer, which means you must go through a lot of it. It’s often cheaper than organic fertilizer, but constantly reapplying it isn’t cost-effective.

Do Synthetic Fertilizers Kill Earthworms?

Yes, synthetic fertilizers can kill earthworms in the soil. The concentrated salts can dry out worms out, and they can’t breathe when they’re dry. Some synthetic fertilizers increase soil acidity enough to kill earthworms and other beneficial organisms. Ammonium sulfate and anhydrous ammonia can also kill worms, and they’re present in many synthetic fertilizers.

Worms are good for soil in so many ways, that killing them can ultimately hold your plants back. The natural aeration, fertilization, microbe support that worms provide is essential. You can use organic fertilizer to support worms and help them thrive in the soil. You can also support the worm population by mixing compost with your soil. That’s a better way to infuse the soil with nutrients than using synthetic fertilizers.

Summing It Up

Organic fertilizer is a better long-term option than synthetic fertilizer because it slowly releases nutrients. However, it doesn't work as quickly when compared to synthetic fertilizers, which provide results within days or weeks. Synthetic fertilizer ultimately has worse negative effects than organic fertilizers, given the environmental harm and microbial damage.

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• How To Tell If Your Garden Soil Is Compacted
• 14 Easy And Effective Ways To Improve Soil Drainage In The Garden