Compost vs chemical fertilizers

compost vs fertilizers
what is fertilizers? types of fertilizers ? difference between organic and inorganic fertilizers? comparison and conclusion

1. Why Compost Is Beneficial Over Chemical Fertilizers? Submitted By : Palak , M.sc E.V.S II 19521120

2. WHAT IS FERTILIZER? A fertilizer is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. Many sources of fertilizer exist, both natural and industrially produced . Fertilizers are chemical substances supplied to the crops to increase their productivity. These are used by the farmers daily to increase the crop yield. The fertilizers contain the essential nutrients required by the plants, including nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. They enhance the water retention capacity of the soil and also increase its fertility. 2 04/04/2021 Add a footer

3. Types of Fertilizers 3 04/04/2021 Add a footer Fertilizer comes in organic and inorganic forms. There are six different types of fertilizers that are mentioned below: Inorganic fertilizers are chemical fertilizers that contain nutrient elements for the growth of crops made by chemical means. The inorganic fertilizers are of the following types: 1.Nitrates (The leaf makers): These fertilizers are high in nitrogen. Nitrate help plants to grow faster by encouraging formation of more & more leaves. Common Nitrates: Ammonium sulphate , Ammonium chloride, Calcium-ammonium nitrate, Urea.  2.Phosphates (The root makers): These fertilizers are high in phosphorus. Phosphates encourage the root formation & rapid root growth; hence helping the overall growth of plants. Common Phosphates: Single Super phosphate, Basic slag, Rock phosphate. 

4. Cont. 3 . Potash (The fruit makers): These fertilizers are high in potassium. Potash fertilizers encourage flower & fruit formation in plants. Addition of potash leads to increased fruit production, with high quality, better tasting, shiny fruits. Common Potash:  Muriate of Potash(60%), Sulphate of Potash(50%). 4. Mixed fertilizers: (N:P:K): These are combinations of all 3 NPK. Therefore these are given to plants as complete fertilizers for better growth of leaves, roots, flowers & fruits. Common combinations:  Nitrophosphate (20:20:0), Mono Ammonium phosphate (11:18:0), Diammonium phosphate (21:54:0), Nitrophosphate with potash- Suphala (15:15:15), Sampurna (19:19:19). Micronutrients: These are given in lesser quantity to plants for enhanced growth. Micronutrients are provided in case if plants are showing deficiency of any particular micronutrient.  Iron, Boron, Copper, Zinc, Molybdenum, & chlorine are mineral nutrients that are required in a very less amount in the soil. These play a key role in plant growth. 4 04/04/2021 Add a footer

5. nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium An N-P-K ratio encompasses the amount of N – Nitrogen P- Phosphorus K- Potassium that is in a package of fertilizer. Inorganic, or synthetic fertilizers are fast acting, but can burn and damage plants. Supplementary Nutrient : Calcium, Magnesium & sulphur are also essential nutrients, but are required in a moderate amount in the soil. 5 04/04/2021

6. Benefits of fertilizer Fertilizer is a very accurate way of gardening.  Using a fertilizer , you know exactly how much and how strong the level of nutrients you are adding is. The products can be watered down or used at full concentration depending on the level of nutrients you need. Used properly, it can greatly increase the amount of fruit and vegetables produced. This is crucial as the demand for food globally increases and there is a smaller amount of land to use for farming . 6 04/04/2021 Add a footer

7. Downsides of fertiliser 7 04/04/2021 Add a footer A fertiliser is a man-made chemical which means it has an impact on the environment. The fertiliser can enter the water system and be washed into rivers and lakes. This process, called eutrophication , can affect fish and other wildlife living in our waterways. Chemical fertilisers are created by using acids and alkalis so they affect the pH balance of the soil. They also rely on petroleum which is a non-renewable source so it can damage the environment in the long term and is not sustainable.

8. 8 04/04/2021 Add a footer Organic fertilizers : All organic fertilizers release nutrients slowly & steadily over a period. Organic fertilizers are required to be provided in bulk i.e. larger quantities for an insured continuous supply of nutrients. They increase the humus content of the soil, keeping the soil moist & overall improving health & quality of the soil.

9. Cow dung manure : It is most commonly available organic fertilizer in India. Well, rotten cow-dung manure should be used instead of fresh cow-dung. Ideal cow-dung manure is black, moist powdered form. Leaf mould : It is a form of compost exclusively made by the fungal & bacterial breakdown of dry leaves. Leaf mould is good quality humus. It is used as rooting medium for stem cutting & pot mixture for orchids & ferns . 9 04/04/2021 Add a footer

10. Compost Compost , crumbly mass of rotted organic matter made from decomposed  plant  material, used in  gardening  and  agriculture . Compost is especially important in  organic farming , where the use of  synthetic   fertilizers  is not permitted. Compost improves soil structure, provides a wide range of nutrients for plants, and adds  beneficial  microbes to the  soil . The maximum benefits of compost on soil structure (better aggregation, pore spacing, and water storage) and on  crop   yield usually occur after several years of use . Composts commonly contain about 2 percent  nitrogen , 0.5–1 percent  phosphorus , and about 2 percent  potassium . Nitrogen   fertilizers  and  manure  may be added to speed decomposition. The nitrogen of compost becomes available slowly and in small amounts, which reduces leaching and extends availability over the whole  growing season . Because of their fairly low nutrient content, composts are usually applied in large amounts . 10 04/04/2021 Add a footer

11. Cont. Compost can be prepared on a small scale for home gardens, usually in a simple pile of yard waste and kitchen scraps, though compost bins and barrels are also used. Aeration is important for proper decomposition, so piles are usually mixed every few days. When properly prepared, compost is free of obnoxious odours . A compost pile with the right ratio of carbon to nitrogen (30:1) and with adequate moisture will produce enough heat during decomposition to kill many pathogens and seeds, though it is advisable to avoid adding diseased plant matter and  weeds  that have gone to  seed . Some municipalities collect household yard waste for large-scale composting, which reduces the amount of organic matter in landfills . 11 04/04/2021 Add a footer

12. VERMICOMPOSTING Vermicomposting is a method of composting that utilizes  earthworms . Worms are kept in specialized bins and fed kitchen scraps and other plant matter. After several weeks the worms are removed, and their rich castings (manure) are collected for use as a soil  amendment . Vermicompost  ( vermi -compost ) is the product of the decomposition process using various species of  worms , usually  red wigglers ,  white worms , and other  earthworms , to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable or  food waste , bedding materials, and vermicast . This process is called vermicomposting , while the rearing of worms for this purpose is called vermiculture . Vermicompost contains water-soluble nutrients and is an excellent, nutrient-rich  organic fertilizer  and soil conditioner. [3]  It is used in farming and small scale sustainable, organic farming. 12 04/04/2021 Add a footer

13. Vermicomposting can also be applied for  treatment of sewage . A variation of the process is  vermifiltration  (or vermidigestion ) which is used to remove organic matter, pathogens and  oxygen demand  from  wastewater  or directly from  blackwater  of flush toilets. Suitable worm species All worms make compost but some species are not suitable for this purpose. Species most often used for composting include: Eisenia fetida , the red wiggler or tiger worm ( Eisenia andrei ) Lumbricus rubellus , does not adapt as well to the shallow compost bin as does  Eisenia fetida Eisenia hortensis , European nightcrawlers , aka dendrobaenas , dendras , and nightcrawlers Eudrilus eugeniae , African Nightcrawlers Perionyx excavatus , Blueworms may be used in the tropics. [12] These species commonly are found in organic-rich soils throughout Europe and North A merica and live in rotting  vegetation , compost, and  manure  piles. They may be an  invasive species  in some areas.   Vermicompost  is moist, dark, consistent manure with a slow & steady supply of nutrients 13 04/04/2021 Add a footer

14. Benefits of compost The biggest benefit of compost is that it is free. You can  create it easily  and cheaply without investing in expensive chemicals or additives. While you may want to invest in a bin or construction to keep your compost in, this can be as expensive or as cheap as you want and it can also be made yourself from a few lengths of timber and a tarpaulin if you don’t want to spend much. Composting can be started at any time of the year and even if you don’t have a backyard you can create compost in a bin in your kitchen. It is organic and doesn’t have any man-made chemicals so you can rest assured that everything you’re putting on your flora and fauna will be 100% natural. 14 04/04/2021 Add a footer

15. Downsides of compost Compostable items can take months to break down so it is not a fast way to get a soil additive . Although  you can use worms  to speed things up, a process called  vermicomposting , you will still be waiting around three months to get the first properly rotted batch of compost. It can also be a difficult job to make sure your compost heap is mixed properly as if you add too much of one thing it can throw the balance off and alter the pH level . As the heap smells, you may also find it attracts pests.  Rats , mice and even foxes can be enticed into your garden by the smell of leftover food. There are steps you can take to limit the risk of  pests  gathering around your compost pile such as buying an airtight bin and covering your heap over. The other downside of compost is the spread of disease. If you use cuttings or  grass clippings  from your garden, you may have inadvertently included some organic materials which have a plant disease. When you spread this compost on new plants, you could infect them with this disease without realising which could be harmful to new foliage 15 04/04/2021 Add a footer

16. COMMON TRAITS OF COMPOST AND FERTILIZER Compost and fertilizers can work together really well when used properly. The organic matter in compost sponges up nutrients within fertilizer and stores them until they are needed by plants. Compost also provides many nutrients that plants need in very small amounts, like boron. You can use fertilizer without using compost buy why miss a chance to increase soil fertility and your soil’s ability to hold moisture. Soil that is amended regularly with compost becomes rich, dark, and crumbly, often needing much less fertilizer than soil that hasn’t been regularly treated with compost . 16 04/04/2021 Add a footer

17. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COMPOST AND FERTILIZER The easiest way to tell the difference between compost and fertilizer is that compost feeds the soil while fertilizer feeds the plants. Fertilizer adds to the soil’s nutrient levels. But instead of feeding the soil food web, the ingredients in fertilizers are intended to meet the needs of fast-growing plants. Sometimes the amount of compost gardeners are directed to add to the soil is very general, fertilizer application rates are based on the needs of plants . Either organic or conventional fertilizers work well for veggies, but organic fertilizers have been shown to be better for balancing the soil food web . Chemical fertilizer can also feed composting, but continual use may throw off your soil’s chemistry and discourage beneficial insects and microbes . 17 04/04/2021 Add a footer

18. Conclusion ​ While compost is a natural, cheap and organic way to enrich your soil there are downsides such as the space you need to create the compost, smell, pests and  the risk of diseases spreading and contaminating new plants . With fertiliser , it is an accurate, disease-free way to enrich the soil but it is man-made and the  chemicals used can affect other plants or even wildlife adversely . 18 04/04/2021 Add a footer

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