Organic fertilizers have become increasingly popular in recent years as more farmers and gardeners seek sustainable ways to enrich their soil and nourish their plants. But what exactly goes into making these eco-friendly soil amendments?
In this complete guide, as a professional organic fertilizer production line manufacturer, I’ll cover the key raw materials used to produce organic fertilizers, including both animal-derived and plant-derived sources. I’ll also touch on some important considerations around nutrient composition and sustainability when selecting ingredients for organic fertilizer production.
So if you want the inside scoop on what goes into the organic fertilizers you’re using in your garden or farm, you’ll find everything you need right here. Let’s dive in!
What Raw Materials Are Used for Organic Fertilizer Production?
Animal-Derived Materials
Animal manures and other animal by-products make up a significant portion of many organic fertilizer blends. Here are some of the most commonly used animal-based materials:
Manure
Manure from farm animals like cows, horses, chickens, pigs, sheep and goats forms the base of many organic fertilizers. Packed with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, manure provides an excellent natural source of plant nutrients. Different types of manure vary in their exact nutritional makeup.
For example:
- Chicken manure is particularly high in nitrogen and potassium.
- Cow manure tends to be higher in organic matter and beneficial microbes.
Manure might get composted or go through other processing, but often the raw manure gets used directly in organic fertilizers.
Guano
Guano comes from the excrement of seabirds, bats and seals. Bat guano in particular can be an excellent source of phosphorus and nitrogen for organic fertilizers. Deposits of ancient guano built up over thousands of years get mined from islands off the coast of Peru and other areas.
Blood and Bone Meal
As the names suggest, these organic fertilizer ingredients come from animal by-products. Blood meal is made from dried, ground animal blood, usually cow or pig blood. Bone meal comes from ground animal bones, also typically cattle or pig bones.
Both blood meal and bone meal provide organic fertilizers with a boost of nitrogen and phosphorus. And bone meal also contributes calcium.
Fish Products
By-products from the fishing industry also find their way into some organic fertilizers. Fish meal and fish emulsion are two examples.
Fish emulsion is made by finely chopping up small fish like sardines into an emulsion that provides nutrients like nitrogen along with amino acids and proteins. The odor takes some getting used to!
Plant-Derived Materials
In addition to animal by-products, a wide variety of materials derived from plants serve as ingredients in organic fertilizer blends.
Compost
No organic fertilizer would be complete without compost! Compost consists of decomposed organic matter like crop residues, wood chips, vegetable scraps from food waste, etc. Food scraps and yard waste get collected, shredded and composted.
The finished compost provides a slow-release source of plant nutrition. And compost helps improve soil structure and moisture retention.
Green Manures
Green manure crops like legumes and rye get grown specifically to nourish the soil. The plants incorporate nitrogen and other nutrients as they grow. Then the green manures get tilled directly into the soil.
Cover cropping with green manures allows organic growers to enrich their soil without introducing outside inputs.
Oilseed Cakes
The waste products from pressing oil from seeds and nuts can provide an organic fertilizer ingredient. Sources include soybean meal, cottonseed meal and linseed meal. These oil cakes or seed meals contain good levels of nitrogen and phosphorus.
Crop Residues
Instead of removing crop residues like stalks, stems and leaves after harvesting grains and produce, some plants get chopped up and incorporated into organic fertilizers. This upcycles agricultural wastes into a usable fertilizer product.
If crop residues don’t go back to enrich the soil directly, they might get composted instead. Or the plant matter could become an ingredient in commercial organic fertilizer blends.
Other Key Sources
The above covers the major raw material categories used in manufacturing organic fertilizers. But there are a few other origins worth noting as well:
Seaweed and Seaweed Extracts
Marine plants like kelp and seaweed provide micronutrients like iron, zinc and manganese. Dried seaweed gets used directly in some organic fertilizers. And companies also extract nutrients from seaweed to concentrate specific elements.
Peat
Sphagnum peat moss offers another slow-release source of organic matter and nutrients like sulfur. Peat often gets used as an ingredient in potting mixes. And you’ll also find peat products like humic acid from peat in some organic fertilizers.
Biosolids
Biosolids come from treated sewage sludge from wastewater processing facilities. Yes, that means biosolids originate from human waste! Although that might sound off-putting, biosolids get thoroughly processed and sanitized. The nutrient-rich end product can be approved for certified organic production.
Key Considerations
As you can see, organic fertilizers pull from a diverse array of raw materials! Keep the following key considerations in mind when sourcing ingredients:
Nutrient Content Varies
The exact nutrient levels depend heavily on the particular raw materials used. For instance, nitrogen content tends to be higher when including manures, seed meals and compost. But micronutrients usually come more from seaweed and rock dust sources.
Processing Is Important
Proper processing transforms waste products and pathogens into safe, usable materials. Composting manures enables the heat and microbes to break down pathogens. And biosolids go through extensive sanitization.
Sustainability Is Key
Responsibly sourced, regionally available materials help reduce the carbon footprint associated with organic fertilizer production. Reclaimed wastes get upcycled rather than directly applied. And mining of limited resources like phosphate rock gets minimized.
In Summary
As we covered, the key raw materials that go into manufacturing organic fertilizers include both animal manures and plant residues. Compost forms the base of many organic blends, incorporating materials like yard waste, food scraps and crop residues. Seed meals left over from pressing vegetable oils provide additional organic matter and nutrients. And amendments like kelp extracts and rock dust supply micronutrients.
No matter what combination of ingredients an organic fertilizer contains, the sustainability, quality and safety of those raw materials is paramount. Proper processing ensures pathogenic bacteria get eliminated before the finished product makes its way to your garden. And choosing locally-sourced, reclaimed ingredients helps minimize the environmental footprint associated with production.
Now that you know what goes into those bags of organic fertilizer, you can better understand the unique nutritional profiles that each blend provides!
