What makes a fertilizer organic vs non-organic?
Question:I think I know the answer to this but... I was looking at the Miracle-Gro lable and read a list of basic naturally occuring elements and chemical componds, stuff that you find in soil (Cu, Mn, Fe, B, N, P2O5, K2O). In essence these are not organic elements/compounds they are by definition inorganic, so why would using this product make my plants non-organic?
Answers:
Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards. For crops, it means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial or synthetic fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified.
Increasingly, organic food production is legally regulated. Currently, the United States, the European Union, Japan and many other countries require commercial producers to obtain organic certification in order to market food as organic. In the US, the approved list of organic products that can be used in certified organic farming is maintained by the Organic Materials Review Institute (www.OMRI.org).
So, as an example, using a synthetically generated potassium sulfate is not organic and, therefore, is not on the OMRI list. Using a naturally occurring product like Ag Granular SOP Organic from Great Lakes Minerals is considered organic and is on the OMRI list. Chemically both are the same, organically it matters what the source of the material is. Miracle-Gro's elements are not from natural sources (they are synthetically or chemically derived), therefore, any products grown from the use of Miracle-Gro would be deemed inorganic.
P.S. It is a misnomer that organic foods can not be exposed to pesticides. Organic foods can be exposed to naturally occurring pesticides. There are many naturally occurring pesticides on the approved list of organic products (OMRI).
Organic and inorganic( different from "non-organic") are terms used in chemistry to distinguish compounds that contain carbon from compounds that do not contain carbon.
Organic, a broad-ranged label, grocery-wise, is a non-scientific term used to identify produce that has not been exposed to pesticides.
"100% Organic" designations are provided as per a USDA-specific set of criteria and are arrived at only after approved growing areas are certified within the guidelines.
For growing "home-grown" crops for personal consumption without using a certification, then use of manure-based fertilizers, limited simple (N,P,K)compounds, and compost is warranted. If you want to go "pure organic", I would suggest compost teas and manures. Just be careful and use them wisely. Their runoff and outgassing can be impactful if not making informed choices.
Organic is dried & powdered animal poop. I would not recommend using it fresh from its source. Cow manure is excellent but if it is too 'fresh' then the overpowering nitrogen will 'burn' your plants.
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