The Advantages and Disadvantages of Organic Fertilisers

In recent years concern has grown over the disadvantages of the use of chemicals in agriculture, hence organic farming – the traditional method – has once again grown in popularity.  This involves the use of natural organic fertilisers to supplement the soil and encourage more plant growth.  There are advantages and disadvantages to the use of organic fertilisers, which are dealt with below, following an outline of why fertilisers are used in agriculture.

Essential nutrients

Plants use nutrients in their soluble inorganic form, from which they are incorporated into the plant structure.  Figure 1 below indicates the relative proportions of nutrients required for the most successful plant growth.

Figure 1. The proportions of elements required for healthy plant growth (adapted from Hamilton 1987)

 The 3 essential nutrients for successful plant growth are:

• Nitrogen (N) for leaf and stem growth (absorbed as nitrates)

• Phosphorus (P) for root and seed development (absorbed as phosphates)

• Potassium (K) for flower and fruit growth (absorbed as potassium ions) (Anon 2004)

The ratio of Nitrogen: Phosphorus: Potassium is known as the NPK ratio.

What does organic mean?

The term ‘organic’ gardening is used to encompass gardening methods which make minimal use of manufactured chemical substances (Royal Horticultural Society 2003).   Within the EU the official use of the term organic is governed by law (EU regulation 2092/91) (The Soil Association 2005), with a specific symbol and UK certification number being required in order for the term to be legally applied.   

What is an organic fertiliser?

An organic fertiliser is a supplement to the soil in which a plant grows that seeks to address specific deficits in essential nutrients in order to encourage good plant growth.  An organic fertiliser is one that is derived from naturally occurring plant or animal products, but can also include natural inorganic substances such as rocks (Ondra 1998).
Table 1 below lists a number of common organic fertilisers, together with their average nutrient values:
Table 1. Some common organic fertilisers along with their average NPK ratio (adapted from Hamilton 1987)

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