Why Is Chemical Fertilizer Bad?

Frequent Application

• Chemical fertilizers contain only a few, concentrated nutrients, including nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and sulfur, which are readily available to plants and grass. However, because of the formulation, these nutrients are lost to the soil very quickly as well. As a result, chemical fertilizer requires more frequent applications than an organic fertilizer, which is slow acting and remains in the soil for longer periods. You may need to apply a chemical fertilizer several times over a growing season to maintain a steady supply of nutrients to your plants and lawn.

May Burn Greenery

• Because chemical fertilizers are highly concentrated, fast-acting and extremely soluble, it is easy to overfertilize your lawn or plants. When too much fertilizer is applied, you may wind up with unattractive chemical burns that form rings on your lawn, killing all of the grass and plants in the area. In most cases, you won't realize that you have applied too much fertilizer until the damage is already done.

Detrimental to Environment

• Chemical fertilizers can do significant damage to the environment. Unlike organic fertilizers, they do not promote soil health. In fact, chemical fertilizers actually harm soil by leaching valuable trace elements without returning any to the soil, resulting in long-term damage. They also alter soil pH and disturb microbes that are actually beneficial to the soil and surrounding vegetation. They may also attract additional pests, which can cause plant damage. In addition, some chemical fertilizers are derived from fossil fuels and may promote the release of greenhouse gases.

Potential Health Risks

• Some chemical fertilizers contain heavy metals, which makes them a potential health risk. In particular, fertilizers that contain arsenic, lead or dioxin are a threat because prolonged exposure to these metals can be extremely harmful. Children are especially vulnerable when exposed to lead and other heavy metals, so it is important that any potentially hazardous chemical fertilizers are stored out of reach of children and pets. In addition, children and animals should not be allowed to play in areas where chemical fertilizers have been applied.