As I've traveled around the nation to talk about our nonprofit foundation SafeLawns.org, I've encountered a tremendous amount of confusion about organic products. "What's really organic, and what isn't?" people ask. A recent Internet poll of 1,162 home gardeners, commissioned by the Organic Trade Association, indicated that 97 percent of gardeners are confused by fertilizers and soil amendments labeled as organic.
Among the other perplexing decisions concerning fertilizer involves the digits on the front of the bag. Americans, who inherently like big numbers, are drawn to the bags of synthetic fertilizer that offer 32-18-24 in their percentages of (N) nitrogen, (P) phosphorus and (K) potassium. You'll probably notice that organic bags of fertilizer have far smaller numbers on the front; a ratio of 5-1-3 would be common.
The obvious question is: How can organic fertilizers possibly compete in performance and value when the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is so low in comparison?
WHAT'S ORGANIC? — The answers are somewhat complex and we'll tackle the definition of "organic" first. Chemists will argue that anything containing a carbon molecule is therefore organic, but in gardening that designation doesn't fly. A true organic fertilizer should be derived exclusively from either animal or plant byproducts, or mined minerals such as gypsum, limestone or greensand. Organic products should not contain ingredients such as urea or ammonium nitrate, which are manufactured in a laboratory by burning copious amounts of fossil fuel.
The confusion in the use of organic products often involves the deliberate deception perpetrated by some extremely clever marketers. That means that you, as a consumer, parent, pet owner and homeowner, need to be a really good student of the language. Watch closely, for example, for the phrase "organic based." By placing this phrase on a bag, the marketers are duping people into thinking the product is perfectly safe. Many organic based products do contain some organic materials, but most often also contain synthetic materials which often harm the environment.
The other favored word by marketing companies is "natural." Absolutely no legal strangleholds are placed on the word "natural," and therefore it can literally mean anything. The best advice is to be sure to read the ingredient labels. If you see a whole bunch of chemical compounds listed on the bag, box or bottle, then chances are it's not truly organic.
In the future, as SafeLawns.org grows in stature and resources, we plan to offer a SafeLawns.org Seal of Approval. Until then, look for a seal from OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) on the organic fertilizer; that national organization offers a voluntary standardization program for organic fertilizers. Locally, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) offers an approval process of its own.
FERTILIZER BY THE NUMBERS — Another clear indicator that a fertilizer is not organic would be the numbers on the front of the bag. If you see values of greater than 9-5-6 for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the product is not likely to be organic. Straight blood meal, often collected from cows during slaughter, contains about 14 percent nitrogen, but not much phosphorus and potassium. Pure bone meal, also most often derived from cows, contains as much as 20 percent phosphorus, but no nitrogen and potassium.
To get high values of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium simultaneously in an organic fertilizer would be impossible, but that doesn't mean organic products don't offer good value. Organic products release their nutrients slowly and become part of the soil in time; synthetic fertilizers, on the other hand, tend to leach away and need to be reapplied time and time again.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that only 35 percent of the synthetic fertilizer that homeowners apply actually feeds plants; the other 65 percent washes into the surface water and groundwater, or volatizes into the air we breathe. So if your 40-pound bag of synthetic fertilizer contains 30 percent nitrogen — 12 pounds of N — that means that approximately eight pounds of nitrogen winds up in the water and air. Water becomes green and eutrified; air quality diminishes.
Think of it this way next time you shop for fertilizer . . . when you buy and apply organic products, you're investing in an annuity that will pay you and your garden back for years. If you buy and apply synthetic fertilizer, it's just like term life insurance. The older you get, the more you need to apply and the more expensive it becomes!
Check Out the numerous resources for education, such as www.melna.org or www.rodaleinstitute.org . For video tips specific to organic lawn care, you can now visit www.SafeLawns.org.
Be sure to let us know what you think after viewing the video. Send me an email at
Paul Tukey at paul@ppplants.com.
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