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Hey. As a home gardener, I'm interested in using the most effective and environmentally friendly fertilisers for my plants. Can you explain in detail how bio-fertilizers differ from chemical fertilisers, both in terms of their composition and how they work in the soil? What are the main benefits of using biofertilizers over chemical fertilisers, and are there any drawbacks or limitations I should be aware of? Finally, do you have any recommendations for specific types of bio-fertilizers that would work well for a variety of plants and soil types?

Are you asking about wild systems, food systems or synthetic processing? Wild systems are easily damaged by the application of fertilizers of any description and depending on where you live it may be illegal.

In commercial growth processors, bio-fertilizers differ from chemical fertilizers in that bio-fertilizers invariably contain DNA, while chemical fertilizers don't.

The presence of DNA in growth medium, other than that in the intended crop itself, endangers the health and development of the intended product. The foreign DNA may, for example, still be part of a biologically active cell complex, in which case it may begin to consume the growth medium in competition with the intended crop. Or depending on the crop it may represent a parasitic species. At the most basic level the DNA may engage in gene exchange, at which point the growth vat could endanger the integrity of the entire production system.

It is recognized that the growth medium may need modification during the production cycle but where possible this should be avoided. It happened in earlier batch cycle production, but modern continuous production methods have preset gradients for growth medium content. The only DNA in the system should be that of the crop and any authorized symbiote.

There are still hobbyist gardens where private growers continue to practice pre-industrial cultivation. You would need to find a specialist publication for advice in that area, or maybe you could find a local collective which has not yet phased out their land allotment system.

Organic fertilizers are fertilizers containing plant nutrition elements mainly in the form of organic compounds. These include manure, compost, peat, straw, green fertilizer, silt (sapropel), complex organic fertilizers, natural zeolites.

Mineral (chemical) fertilizers are inorganic compounds containing nutrients necessary for plants in the form of various mineral salts. using them, the plant itself synthesizes the compounds it needs.

In the wild, there is a normal circulation of minerals and microelements, since everything that has grown is eaten by animals and eventually remains in the same place and is consumed again by plants.
Problems arise when the crop is grown in one place and consumed in another - the soil begins to deplete. Organic fertilizers are more expensive and more difficult to produce, plus, for a large harvest, plants require some elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) in large quantities. Therfore the use of mineral fertilizers is one of the main methods of intensive farming.

So if you are not a fan of organic products, use both types of fertilizers in the garden - compost and basic mineral fertilizers (phosphoric, nitrogen, potassium and micronutrients - superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, еtс). This will allow you to get a bigger harvest at a lower cost.

Bio-fertilizers are made from organic matter, promoting soil fertility and aiding nutrient absorption for plants, while chemical fertilizers deliver specific nutrients quickly but might not be as eco-friendly.

The main benefit of bio-fertilizers is their eco-friendly nature, keeping your garden green and happy, but they may take longer to show results compared to chemicals.

Look for bio-fertilizers with a good mix of beneficial bacteria and fungi for different plants and soil types. Happy gardening!

Biofertilizers are natural solutions that make it possible to obtain a better balance in the soil (by optimizing and regulating its functioning), with the aim of improving crops sustainably. However, they do not have the capacity to completely replace the use of fertilizers derived from mineral chemistry.

Astride96 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2023 10:51 pm Biofertilizers are natural solutions that make it possible to obtain a better balance in the soil (by optimizing and regulating its functioning), with the aim of improving crops sustainably. However, they do not have the capacity to completely replace the use of fertilizers derived from mineral chemistry.

I'll be interested to hear why you use the word "natural" in this post. What's unnatural about minerals? And biofertilizers "obtain a better balance in the soil" compared to what?

What do you think qualifies as a biofertilizer, and what do you think doesn't? Can you offer a definition of the term?