Natural nutrient source can be found in animal waste,
plants, husks, and other agro-industry waste.
Soil with rich natural
ingredients can bond with water better than usual. Natural fertilizer is a good
repairer of soil structure. Natural fertilizer is low in N, P, and K, but rich
in micronutrients. Natural fertilizer is good in preventing erosion, crusting
and cracking. It’s also good in repairing internal drainage system.
Nitrogen, Calcium, and other nutrients are released from natural
fertilizer slowly through mineralization process. This ensures continuous and
long term fertile soil. The application of natural fertilizer is more or less
the same as chemical fertilizer.
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| Natural Fertilizer in Agriculture (Strawberry), Photo Contributor by: Muslehudien. |
General characteristics
that natural fertilizer has are as follows:
- Low nutrient level: Generally, nutrient level in natural fertilizer is quite low. It varies from one ingredient to another but still generally low.
- Slow nutrient supply: Nutrients in natural fertilizer needs microbe activities in soil to work thus supplying nutrients from natural fertilizer is not fast and plentiful enough for your crops.
Roughly, the benefit of
using natural fertilizer is in how it reacts with soil’s physical
characteristics. From the surface value, you can see that the soil will turn
colors from bright to dark. Natural fertilizer causes soil to be loose and
fertile and most suitable for plant roots to grow. Natural fertilizer also
helps sandy soil to bond within particles and with water more easily.
Ideally, natural
fertilizer is mixed with chemical fertilizer for maximum benefit. This
fertilizer mixture affects soil’s chemical characteristics, elevating cation
exchange capacity and nutrient level.
Natural Fertilizer in Agriculture
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Oleh
Wahid Priyono
