What types of fertilizers exist

Every summer resident wants to have beautiful, healthy garden plants, an attractive and bright lawn, lush indoor flowers, as well as a good harvest of berries and vegetables. To achieve what you want, you need to apply fertilizers to the soil several times a season to fertilize plants. Without basic top dressing, the chemical composition of the soil may be deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, nutrients that help plants grow and develop. As a result, the soil is depleted, and without top dressing, crops simply have nowhere to take nutrients. This affects the vital activity of plants and the harvest — it will be poor, or the young shoots will not bear fruit at all, and will die at the growth stage.

Fertilization is an important element of garden and vegetable garden care that should not be ignored. There are various types of fertilizers on the market, each of which has its own special feature. But before fertilizing, you need to know their characteristics, take into account the possibility of a negative impact on the soil and crops for a certain region. In the article we will tell you what types of fertilizers exist, how they differ from each other, and how they affect plants and the environment.

What is the purpose of fertilizing the soil

The climate in some regions of the country leaves much to be desired, and it's not just about the cold. This affects the timing of cultivation, which requires careful selection of seeds and varieties, as well as fertilizing. On depleted soil, it is difficult to grow a healthy and rich harvest, which at the same time will have good keeping quality.

The loss of soil fertility, the presence of pests, soil contamination, and lack of nutrients have increasingly led to a reduction in agriculture. Therefore, it is not necessary to explain the importance of applying fertilizers to the soil and performing regular fertilizing.

Fertilizers are necessary for plants for at least the following reasons:

1. Fertilizers in any form strengthen plants, creating a kind of "barrier" for them from viruses and pests. Due to this, their dependence on herbicides has significantly decreased, which actually provided a healthier and better harvest. The number of diseases affecting plants has decreased, which is effective in terms of aesthetic value and taste qualities of fruits.
2. Fertilizers retain moisture in the deep layers of the soil and loosen the earth, so that the root system of plants develops more efficiently and can increase its depth. This is more important at the stage of root development, so at this time you should not ignore the need for basic top dressing.
3. The useful substances contained in the composition of fertilizers strengthen the stems of plants, providing resistance to adverse climatic conditions. Mineral fertilizers contribute to a more accelerated development of the root system and a set of green mass, as well as improved seed formation in fruits.

Types of fertilizers

Most fertilizers contain nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The rest of the useful and nutritious elements, which are also necessary for plants for normal functioning, are required for them to "maintain" in a lower concentration. As a rule, they are already in an accessible form in the soil. In nature, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus are formed as a result of decomposition of dead plants and processing of agricultural products.

The classification of fertilizers for plants occurs according to the following criteria:

• by the origin of nutrients (mineral and organic fertilizers);
• by aggregate state (liquid, solid, semi-liquid);
• by the method of action (direct and indirect);
• according to the method of application to the soil, there are several of them (basic, pre-sowing, post-sowing, top dressing);
• according to the method of performing plant top dressing (root top dressing, and foliar top dressing).

Fertilizers contain many nutrients, which differ in the ways of application and the effect on the chemical composition of the soil. What types of fertilizers exist:

1. Organic.
2. Mineral ones.

Organic fertilizers are made from natural, natural substances of plant origin. These include: manure, compost, peat, straw, silt. They have always been considered an excellent and most importantly affordable source of nutrients, despite the fact that it is impossible to accurately determine their amount.

In terms of action, organic elements are inferior to inorganic fertilizers, but at the same time they are in the long term. Over time, such top dressing will have a positive effect on the soil, contributing to its strengthening and enrichment. The main advantage of organic fertilizers is considered to be accessibility and savings from a financial point of view, because they can be made at home from what is on the site.

Mineral fertilizers are manufactured in the factory, and contain a chemical composition. Basically, they contain the following nutrients: potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, boron. They are often used by gardeners and farmers in order to quickly enrich the soil for growing garden plants and vegetables. Crops look stronger, have stable immunity to diseases and pests, the harvest turns out to be richer, which is noticeable both in the number of fruits and in quality.

Organic fertilizers

In simple words, organics are fertilizers that nature provides. They can be of plant and animal origin, but the most important advantage is their naturalness and environmental friendliness. Due to these features, organic fertilizers are effectively used by summer residents, since they are obtained completely free of charge. They are used in their original form, such fertilizers contain a large amount of vitamins and biologically active substances necessary for plants.

The following components are used for organic top dressing:

Manure	It promotes the development of soil bacteria and beneficial microorganisms that help the root system of plants to receive available elements in nutrition.
Compost	It contains humus and many trace elements that contribute to accelerated plant growth and improved fruiting.
Straw	It creates a layer that prevents the evaporation of moisture from the soil layers, protects the soil from drying out, and helps plants to survive the drought favorably.
Peat	It contains a variety of photosynthetic products and carbon, improves soil permeability to moisture and oxygen, makes it more friable, and changes the biological composition.
Ash	Improves the characteristics of acidic soil, promotes accelerated decomposition of organic matter, and rooting of seedlings. Effectively combats pests and diseases.
Bone meal	It is famous for its high concentration of nutrients, contains large amounts of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and sodium. It decomposes slowly in the soil, and provides a gradual release of nutrients.
Bird droppings	It contains the most valuable trace elements such as zinc, manganese, copper and boron. It deoxidizes the soil well, improves its biological activity, and improves yield.
Or	It promotes the formation of a fertile layer on sandy and depleted soils, accelerates the formation of humus, and restores fertility. It helps to better retain moisture in the deep layers of the soil, has antiseptic properties, cleanses the earth from fungi and pathogenic viruses. Significantly reduces the amount of nitrates in the soil.

Mineral and complex fertilizers

Mineral fertilizers are divided into the following types:

1. Nitrogen. They contain nitrogen in their composition in various forms
2. Phosphorous. They contain phosphorus in the form of phosphates.
3. Potash. They contain potassium in the form of chloride, sulfate and nitrate.
4. Comprehensive. They contain several nutrients in their composition at the same time.

The use of any fertilizers as a top dressing directly affects the chemical composition of the soil, which is why it tends to tolerate changes. The following aspects can be attributed to the positive qualities of fertilizing with such fertilizers:

• increased productivity;
• formation of crop resistance to various viruses and pests;
• improvement of the taste characteristics of fruits;
• increase in the keeping quality of the crop.

The choice of fertilizers for fertilizing plants is diverse, and it should be done based on the chemical composition of the soil. Plants often themselves indicate a deficiency of certain substances in the soil, it's just worth paying attention to their appearance.

The leaves become small, their shape changes, and acquire a yellowish tint. The stems branch poorly, and practically do not stretch. This leads to a strong slowdown in the growth process of the plant, which creates the need for nitrogen fertilization. The leaves become small, their shape changes, and acquire a yellowish tint. The stems branch poorly, and practically do not stretch. This leads to a strong slowdown in the growth process of the plant, which creates the need for nitrogen fertilization.

Nitrogen
Phosphorus	The layers of leaves twist and bend down the stem, changing their shape. Sometimes there are burn marks on the edges of them. If buds are formed, they may not open.
Potassium
Magnesium	Leaves turn yellow and dry at the edges.