Organic Matter is so helpful to us. Though it is expensive , it saves much of our money in other ways.

1. What does“organic” mean?
The term “organic” referstothe way agricultural productsare grownand processed.Specific
requirementsmustbe metandmaintainedinorderforproductsto be labeledas"organic."
Organiccrops must be grownin safe soil,have nomodifications,andmustremainseparate from
conventional products.Farmersare notallowedtouse syntheticpesticides,bioengineeredgenes
(GMOs),petroleum-basedfertilizers,andsewage sludge-basedfertilizers.
Organiclivestockmusthave accessto the outdoorsandbe givenorganicfeed.Theymaynotbe given
antibiotics,growthhormones,oranyanimal-by-products.
Advantage:
In nature,decompositionof organicmattercreatesanatural fertilizer.Applyingorganiccompostor
well-agedherbivore manureaddsnutrient-richorganicmaterialtothe soil,improvingqualityand
texture.Addingorganicmaterialtothe soil increasesitsabilitytoholdwater;reduceserosionfrom
waterand wind;decreasescompactionandcrustingof the soil;andraisessoil pH.A studyat Virginia
Tech comparingorganicor inorganicfertilizersdeterminedthatorganicfertilizeristhe betterchoice.
Creatingyourownorganic fertilizerfromleaves,grassclippings,kitchenscrapsandyarddebrisrecycles
waste intovaluable,no-costfertilizer.Natural fertilizersare lesslikelytoburntender,youngplantsas
theyare lessconcentratedthanchemical formulas.Youmayalsowantthe peace of mindof knowingthe
foodyoucultivate isfree of noxiouschemicals.Natural fertilizersare chemical-free andcansave you
money.Until earlyinthe twentiethcentury,compostedmanure,kitchenscraps,andotherorganic
wastesrepresentedthe onlymeansof improvingsoil fertility.Organicfarmingandgardeningwerenot
moral or environmentalchoices,butsimplythe wayof life.The advantagesof suchasystemare many,
includingthe followingpoints.
ImprovedSoil Health
Virtuallyeveryaspectof organicgardeningrevolvesaroundthe healthof the soil.Organicfertilizer
contributesto soil healthinthe followingways:
 IncreasedOrganicMatter: Natural soil isrichin organicmatter.Increasingorganicmatterin
agricultural soil improvesthe soil structure,creatingmore airspace and waterretentionwithin
the soil.
 ReducedSoil Erosion:A higherproportionof organicmaterial inthe soil will alsopreventsoil
erosion,helpingtoavoidthe dustbowl effectseeninthe 1930s.
 HealthyEcosystem:OrganicFertilizerisgentleronmicroorganismsandearthwormslivinginthe
soil,creatingahealthyecosystemthatissustainableandconducive tolong-termuse.

2. SteadyRelease of Nutrients
The slowand gradual release of nutrientsislistedamongboththe advantagesanddisadvantagesof
organicfertilizer.Asanadvantage,the natural release of elementsmeansthatthere isa reducedriskof
nutrientburnfromover-fertilization.Thisapproachalsomeansthatfertilizerapplicationisrequiredless
frequently,reducingoperatingcostandmanual labor.With organicfertilizer,nutrientavailabilityand
uptake byplantsoccur at roughlyanequal rate,meaningnutrientsare preservedinsoil and plant
matterrather thanleachingawaywithrainwater.The resultingplantgrowthoccursata natural,healthy
pace.This tendstoproduce stronger,more stable plantsthanthose grownat an artificiallyaccelerated
rate,theoreticallyproducingimproved taste andnutritional valueatthe same time.
More Economical
Organicfertilizerispotentiallyacheaperoptionthanchemical alternatives.If youhave compostor live
ina rural area, the onlycost istime.Many farmerswill sell manurebythe truckloadorevengive itaway
if you are willingtopickitup. Inurban and suburbanneighborhoods,acompostingunitcanbe cheap,
effective,andunobtrusive.Fora nominal upfrontinvestment,evenapartmentdwellerscanhave their
ownorganic wormbincompostingsystemtofeedabalconygarden.
Betterforthe Environment
The combinedinfluence of increasedorganicmatterandreducednutrientleachingmeansthatelements
such as nitrogenandphosphoruswillendupinyourplants'roots insteadof the local waterways.
Nutrientleachingfromagriculture isamajorculpritinthe developmentof algae bloomsonlakesand
ponds.Thisprocess,knownaseutrophication,disruptsecosystemsandrenderswaterunfitforhuman
use.
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Organicfoodsprovide avarietyof benefits.Some studiesshow thatorganicfoodshave more beneficial
nutrients,suchasantioxidants,thantheirconventionallygrowncounterparts.Inaddition,peoplewith
allergiestofoods,chemicals,orpreservativesoftenfindtheirsymptomslessenorgoawaywhenthey
eat onlyorganicfoods.Inaddition:
 Organicproduce containsfewerpesticides. Pesticidesare chemicalssuchasfungicides,
herbicides,andinsecticides.These chemicalsare widelyusedinconventional agriculture and
residuesremainon(andin) the foodwe eat.
 Organicfoodis oftenfresher. Freshfood tastesbetter.Organicfoodisusuallyfresherbecause it
doesn’tcontainpreservativesthatmake itlastlonger.Organicproduce isoften(butnotalways,
so watchwhere itis from) producedonsmallerfarmsnearwhere itissold.
 Organicfarmingisbetterfor the environment. Organicfarmingpracticesreduce pollution(air,
water,soil),conserve water,reduce soil erosion,increasesoil fertility,anduse lessenergy.
Farmingwithoutpesticidesisalsobetterfornearbybirdsandsmall animalsaswell as people
wholive close toor workon farms.
 Organicallyraisedanimalsare NOTgivenantibiotics,growthhormones,orfedanimal
byproducts. The use of antibioticsinconventional meatproductionhelpscreate antibiotic-
resistantstrainsof bacteria.This meansthatwhensomeone getssickfromthese strainsthey

3. will be lessresponsivetoantibiotictreatment.Notfeedinganimal byproductstootheranimals
reducesthe riskof mad cow disease (BSE).Inaddition,the animalsare givenmore space to
move aroundand accessto the outdoors,bothof whichhelptokeepthe animalshealthy.
 Organicfoodis GMO-free. GeneticallyModifiedOrganisms(GMOs) orgeneticallyengineered
(GE) foodsare plantsor animalswhose DNA hasbeenalteredinwaysthatcannotoccur in
nature or in traditional crossbreeding,mostcommonlyinordertobe resistantto pesticidesor
produce an insecticide.Inmostcountries,organiccropscontainnoGMOs andorganic meat
comesfromanimalsraisedonorganic,GMO-free feed.
Disadvantage:
Natural fertilizersare slowtobreakdownintothe nutrientsthe growinggardenrequires.Manynatural
fertilizers,suchasmanure,seaweedorfishoil,are quite smellyandare toooffensivetouse onindoor
plants.Gatheringnatural materials,suchasseaweed,grassclippingsand leaves;toaddto the compost
pile islabor-intensiveandtime-consuming.Distributionof nutrientsinorganicfertilizervaries.Organic
materialsbreakdownatdifferentrates,sothe compositionandcontentof organicfertilizerisnever
consistent.Itisa misconceptiontobelieve thatjustbecause afertilizerisorganic,itisautomatically
safer.Organicfertilizer,if youapplyitincorrectly,cancontribute tosurface andgroundwater
contamination,create anutritional imbalance inthe soil andcause saltburns.Organicfertilizerholds
manyadvantagesoverchemical alternatives,butitmaynot be bestin everysituation.Somepotential
disadvantagesinclude:
 LimitedNutrientAvailability:The slow-and-steadyapproach thatmakesorganicfertilizerperfect
for mostapplicationscanpose a problemincertainsituations.The releaseof nutrientsfrom
organicfertilizerscanbe dependentonbothambienttemperaturesandthe presence of
microorganismsinthe soil.Damagedsoilsmaylackthe necessarybiologicalconditionsfor
effectivecomposting.Severelynutrient-deprivedplantsneedingaboostmightdobetterinitially
witha readilyavailablenutrientmixture inaliquidform.
 Labor-Intensive:Organicfertilizerscanbe bulky,messymaterials.Some wouldargue that
workingwithorganicfertilizerisalaborof love,butturningcompostpiles,movingmanure,and
spreadingsolidfertilizerare notfor everyone.Thisalsomeansthatapplyingfertilizerona large
scale can be more difficult,asheavymanure orbloodmeal granulesare lesssuitablefor
mechanical spreaders.
 PotentiallyPathogenic:Incomplete compostingcanleave certainpathogensinthe organic
matter.These pathogenscanenterthe watersystemorthe foodcrops,causinghumanhealth
and environmental problems.
 Expensive:Commercialorganicfertilizersare oftenmore expensive perunitthancomparable
chemical products.