Organic Fertilizer or Synthetic Fertilizer – Which is Right For Me?

Synthetic Characteristics
Synthetic fertilizers are generally much higher in Nitrogen. It is the Nitrogen that will give your lawn a rich, deep green color. It will also cause your lawn to grow more quickly. However, synthetic fertilizers also have a high salt content, which takes away from the moisture in the soil. Synthetic fertilizers generate fast growth and quick green up.

Synthetic weed control is generally included in most synthetic fertilizers, thus the term weed and feed. Weed control using synthetic herbicides is relatively easy and shows quick results.

Organic Characteristics
Organic fertilizer is much lower in Nitrogen and much lower in salt. Organic fertilizer feeds the microbes in the soil, which break down nutrients so that the grass plants can readily take in the nutrients. Organic fertilizer is low in Phosphorous as well, which is good to use around water sources, as phosphorous leads to algae growth. Results are slower and growth is more even when using an organic fertilizer.

Organic weed control is limited to corn gluten meal. Corn gluten meal products are more expensive than synthetic herbicides and must be re-applied over several years to be effective. However, weeds become less over time with an organic service due to the increased density of the turf.

Which fertilizer is right for you?

Reasons to chose synthetic:
· want a near perfect lawn
· results in a relatively short period of time
· less expensive.

Reasons to chose organic:
· personal safety and environmental concerns
· willing to wait for the lawn to develop and weeds to be squeezed out
· longer lasting results

In a nutshell
Synthetic fertilizers and herbicides concentrate on the visible growth while the organic fertilizers and soil amendments concentrate on the soil quality and root structure.

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