Using Dry Organic Fertilizers
Dry organic fertilizers can be amendments that supply a single nutrient (such as rock phosphate) or blended materials that supply several nutrients. Blended general-purpose organic fertilizers contain balanced amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, along with varying amounts of micronutrients.
Read the label of the fertilizer to find out what nutrients are included in it. Several pre-blended commercial organic fertilizers are available through mail order supply houses and, increasingly, at garden centers. If you are a gardener who’s making the switch from chemical to organic fertilizers, you may be afraid that using organic amendments will be more complicated and less convenient than using premixed chemical fertilizers. Not so! Commercially formulated organic blended fertilizers can be just as convenient and effective as blended synthetic fertilizers. You don’t need to custom-feed specific amendments to each of your plants unless it’s an activity you enjoy. So, while some experts will spread a little blood meal around their tomatoes at planting, and then some bonemeal just when the blossoms are about to pop, most gardeners will be satisfied to make one or two applications of general- purpose organic fertilizer throughout the vegetable garden.
How to Apply Dry Fertilizers
You can apply dry and granular fertilizers three ways. The most common method is to broadcast the fertilizer, meaning to spread it evenly across an area, by hand or with a spreading tool. Generally, you should till, hoe, or rake the broadcast fertilizer into the top 4 to 6 inches of soil.
Another way to use dry fertilizers is to add small amounts to planting holes or rows as you plants seeds or transplants. The great advantage of dry organic fertilizers over dry synthetic fertilizers for this approach is that organic fertilizers are non-burning and will not harm delicate
seedling roots.
You can also use dry fertilizers to boost plant growth by side-dressing, meaning spreading the fertilizers alongside the row during the growing season or around the drip-line of trees or shrubs. It’s best to work side-dressings of fertilizers into the top inch of the soil.
Fortunately, with a growing concern in the world for the environment, there are more and more truly organic fertilizers coming on the market. Unfortunately, some companies are taking advantage of the increased concern for safety and abusing the word “organic.” Like most everything else on the market, you really must read the label and determine the contents of the fertilizer to be sure it is what you want.
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