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FERTILIZERS & MINERALS, OMRI Registered Organics, Compostable – Info Here…
- Both fertilizers and minerals provide nutrition for plants. – Info Here…
By legal definition the term fertilizer refers to a soil amendment that guarantees
the minimum percentages of nutrients (at least the minimum percentage of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash).
- An ORGANIC fertilizer refers to a soil amendment derived from natural sources that
guarantees, at least, the minimum percentages of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash.
- Examples include plant and animal by-products, rock powders, seaweed,
inoculants, and conditioners. *These are often available at garden centers; through horticultural supply companies and related magazine advertising, as well as online.
- These should not be confused with substances approved for use with the USDA
National Organic Program (NOP). The USDA NOP, with its “USDA Organic” label, allows for the use of only certain substances. The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI at www.omri.org) approves brand name products made with ingredients from the “national list” for use with the NOP. (For details refer to www.ams.usda.gov/nop and click “NOP Regulations” and then “National List Information”). Many of the organic fertilizers listed here will meet NOP standards (based on the National List). Growers participating in the NOP should consult with their certifier to ensure compliance for organic certification.
- The term soil amendment refers to any material mixed into a soil.
- Mulch refers
to a material placed on the soil surface.
- By legal definition, soil amendments make
no legal claims about nutrient content or other helpful (or harmful) effects it will have on the soil and plant growth. In Colorado, the term compost is also unregulated, and could refer to any soil amendment regardless of active microorganism activity.
- Many gardeners apply organic soil amendments, such as compost or manure,
which most often do not meet the legal requirements as a “fertilizer” but add small amounts of nutrients.
- Notes:
- Release Time – Organic products require the activity of soil microorganisms
before nutrients are available for plant uptake. **Microorganism activity is generally dependant on soil temperatures greater than 50ºF in the presence of sufficient soil moisture.
- Dry and/or cold soil conditions will delay the
release of nutrients from these organic sources.
- Time is a factor and refers to how
long these products are available if applied to the soil. Use age as a basis for quality and how the material is stored or packaged will have bearing on quality also. Review local information to determine best times to apply any type of product. Application – Different products may be applied in various ways. Some may be tilled in (worked into the soil with a machine or hand tool), others may be applied as a foliar spray (mixed with a surfactant and sprayed in a fine mist on the leaf surface while temperatures are below 80ºF), and some may be injected into a drip or overhead irrigation system (fertigation with a siphon mixer). Application rates are always generalized and based on the manufacturers’ recommendations which may or may not have been thoroughly tested under actual conditions. Over- or under-fertilization may occur using these recommendations.
- ROI carries fertilizers and minerals in liquid form, complexed and chelated with organic and amino acids – and so are not harmful to soil/compost microbiology as are all synthetic chemical fertilizers derived from crude oil. – Info Here…
