FAQ: Organic Fertilizers
Can you explain adding minerals and nutrients to soil? What value does this have?
Plants feed themselves by converting the energy contained in sunlight to forms that can be utilized by life on this planet. This is a process known as photosynthesis. As part of that process plants require certain nutrients some of which come from the air, some from water, and some from the soil. By supplying nutrients to the soil, we are ensuring that the plants have the elements they require to perform the valuable service they provide the rest of us who depend on them for food.
A good example is magnesium. It is at the heart of the chlorophyll molecule — putting the 'green' in plants — and acts much like the hemoglobin in our own blood. Only 20% of the magnesium in plants is part of chlorophyll, it also is necessary to every operation in a plant involving phosphorus; it influences the metabolism of nitrogen and is important to the assimilation of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. Obviously, it is vital to the well being of plants. Plants get magnesium from the soil. At the same time, it is important to understand that every time we harvest a vegetable, cut a flower, or feed plants to livestock we are transferring minerals and nutrients from the soil where the plants grew to a new location — our bodies, the cows, our dining room table, or even the garbage. If we don't replace those nutrients either by composting or through supplements from fertilizers we could eventually deplete the natural reserves of available nutrients in the soil, and we would no longer be able to grow plants.
It is also true that in many soils some nutrients are deficient or in a form that is not available to plants. This is particularly true of nitrogen. Nitrogen is very soluble in water and is often deficient in most soils. It is also absolutely essential for plant growth. It can dramatically limit our abilities to grow plants. By adding it to our soils, we ensure that our plants have what they need to grow and thrive. Ultimately, the value of adding nutrients and minerals to the soil is that we ensure that our plants grow, that the organisms in the soil vital to the health and growth of our plants are able to grow and thrive, and most importantly we ensure that the food we eat is rich and well balanced and contains the minerals and vitamins we need to live.
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