What Are Considered Nonorganic Fertilizers?

Nonorganic Fertilizer Process

• Nonorganic fertilizer is created by the Haber-Bosch process, which synthesizes ammonia from nitrogen in the air. The ammonia is then oxidized to make nitrates to create explosives or fertilizer. Fritz Haber also invented chemical weapons for Germany in World War I. Nonorganic fertilizers are created from chemical nitrogen with potassium and phosphorus added. The most commonly used synthetic fertilizers contain only these three nutrients.

Nutrients Plants Need

• Vegetables, fruit and ornamental plants need 16 nutrients to grow and thrive. Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are supplied by water and air. The remaining nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, manganese, iron, boron, copper, molybdenum and chlorine. Soil fertilized exclusively with nonorganic fertilizer becomes depleted of the nine trace minerals. Mineral depletion contributes to plant disease and susceptibility to insect infestation.

N-P-K Label

• Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the nutrients needed in the largest quantities by growing plants. Some nonorganic fertilizers add trace minerals in small amounts to create nutrient balance. The N-P-K label on fertilizer products is required by law to indicate the percentage by weight of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. A soil test is used to analyze the ratio of these three nutrients in soil. The deficiency is then corrected by choosing an appropriate N-P-K fertilizer.

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Nonorganic fertilizer is inexpensive, quick-acting and readily available. Plants easily absorb its soluble high-nitrogen content. The massive global increase in the use of high-nitrogen fertilizer has contributed to air pollution and the disruption of wildlife ecosystems, according to the World Resource Institute, an environmental research organization. Nonorganic fertilizer in a home garden may deplete soil of the trace nutrients that create healthy food crops. Soil depleted of trace minerals does not support the microorganisms that create healthy soil.