Organic and Inorganic Fertilisers Explained

The difference between organic and inorganic fertilisers.

The essential difference between organic fertilisers and inorganic fertilisers is that organic fertilisers are ‘natural’. They are derived from plants or animals. Basically anything that haslived!

Almost all inorganic fertilisers are manufactured.

For practical purposes, fertilisers can be divided into bulky manures and concentrated fertilisers. The bulky manures are all organic types - such as farmyard manure and compost. They are essential for keeping the soil in good heart, and they also release plant nutrients slowly.

Most of the concentrated fertilisers are inorganic salts such as ammonium and potassium nitrate. Superphosphate, or compound mixtures such as Growmore. They are used in much smaller quantities, release the nutrients more rapidly, but do little to improve the soil structure.

However, Bonemeal and Blood Fish and Bone are not 'bulky' manures. they are fully organic fertilisers. Together with this, there are several liquid feeds which are fully organic - such as seaweed extract.

So, the main criteria for classifying them is

Organic fertilisers - manures - from something that has lived.
Inorganic fertilisers - are normally manufactured.