Soil is always the primary source of plant nutrients. However, some soils are infertile due to a number of reasons, including insufficiency in mineral content and excessive tillage.
It therefore becomes necessary to replenish the soil using external mechanisms. This is where use of manures and fertilizers comes in.
Large and small-scale farmers seek to realize productivity in terms of yields in their farming venture. These yields must be of high quality and in great quantities for any farming venture to be feasible.
Farmers therefore employ fertilizers and manures with the goal of maximum productivity in mind.
Thumbs up for manure
Manure is better than fertilizer for your garden. It is derived naturally from decaying organic matter, mainly dead plants and animals.
It is also obtained from animal waste and kitchen waste such as vegetable peelings. It is also prepared in the field. On the other hand, fertilizers are derived synthetically from chemicals.
They are prepared in factories. These chemicals include salts or organic compounds such as ammonium sulfate, sodium nitrate and urea.
They provide minerals such as phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, zinc and magnesium to plants and enhance plant metabolism.
Advantages of manure
Manure has many advantages when it comes to use in any garden or farm. These advantages include the following:
- It improves soil fertility, leading to healthy growth of plants.
- It aerates the soil.
- It improves the physical structure of the soil through addition of humus.
- It is cost-effective because it is cheaper to obtain.
- It greatly improves the soil’s water holding capacity, reducing and even preventing water runoff.
- It reduces leaching of soil nutrients such as nitrates.
- It helps to prevent soil erosion.
- It is easier to handle in terms of transportation because it is prepared in the field.
- It increases carbon in the soil while reducing the levels of carbon in the atmosphere.
- It reduces energy demand for nitrogen fertilizers which are natural gas-intensive.
- It promotes recycling of nutrients within the soil which then improves the soil’s fertility.
- It helps to manage pests and diseases by reducing pest and disease outbreaks. It also acts as a natural insecticide and helps to suppress certain plant diseases.
- It increases crop productivity by providing a broad range of essential nutrients to plants.
- It improves the health of the soil by increasing the soil’s organic matter and promoting the growth of beneficial microorganisms.
Disadvantages of manure
While manure has many advantages in plant and crop production, it also has a few disadvantages worth noting for any gardener or farmer.
They include the following:
- There is risk of contaminating it with chemicals, pathogens, and other substances if not well managed. This can compromise the health of both humans and animals.
- Manure is challenging when it comes to handling and storage due to its volume and weight. It is also dirty and has an unpleasant smell.
- Availability of manure is limited as it isn’t produced in quantities large enough to meet market demand. Where production of animals and animal feeds is minimal, it is not possible to generate enough manure for the growing season.
- Suitability of manure use is also limited because it may not be suitable for all types of crops and soils. Manure may contain certain plant nutrients in excess amounts or may have lesser nutrients, therefore negatively impacting certain plants.
- The risk of leaching is very high. Manure can leach nutrients into both surface and ground water, leading to water pollution.
- Unlike fertilizer, manure is slowly absorbed and utilized by plants.
- Manure is less rich in plant nutrient as compared to fertilizer.
Pros of fertilizer
Thou manure is more preferred to fertilizer, it is worth noting that fertilizers do have their own pros as well.
Below, we look at some of the advantages or pros of fertilizers. These pros will help you make an informed choice between use of manure and fertilizer:
- Fertilizer helps to increase crop yield during or at the time of harvest.
- It helps to increase the rate of growth of plants.
- It helps to meet the nutritional needs of human populations by increasing food production.
- It is rich in plant nutrients and provides nutrients not ordinarily available in the soil.
- It helps to keep a farm or garden healthy so long as it is properly used.
- It helps to replenish nutrients depleted during the growing season, therefore guaranteeing maximum production during the next growing season.
- Fertilizer helps to balance soil nutrients leading to better crop quality and higher yields.
- It is water soluble, making absorption by plants quick and easy.
Cons of fertilizer
Use of fertilizer in gardening has its own cons thou. These include:
- It is easily washed away by water, especially during the rainfall seasons when flooding and water runoff tend to become common. This leads to water pollution.
- It reduces the soil’s fertility with long-term use.
- It changes the pH of the soil by making it either too acidic or too alkaline.
- It is expensive compared to manure and may therefore not be a viable option for a gardener.
- It harms the microorganisms in the soil.
- It provides only short-term benefits in gardening.
- It is toxic and can therefore impede the health of consumers of foods grown using it.
- It can cause great damage to plants if not used correctly and in the right ratios or amounts.
- It reduces both the quality of the soil and the microbial activity within it.
- It adversely affects the eco-system when used excessively, and also due to its inefficient nature, leading to loss of nutrients to the environment, contamination of freshwater bodies and devastation of coastal zones and shorelines.
- Use of chemical fertilizer can also cause disease to plants, leading to poor plant health and browning of leaves or leaf burn if the right application is not followed.
- Overuse of fertilizer can lead to loss of an entire crop and therefore loss of all capital invested in a farming venture.
- It does not improve soil aeration, soil structure and texture, and the soil’s capacity to hold water due to lack of humus.