As more people are becoming aware of the devastating effects of climate change to our planet and livelihoods, so too are those that cultivate crops. Moving towards more organic and sustainable ways of growing is a necessary but also a beneficial and rewarding process, the use of organic plant food is a great step in this direction. This article discusses some of the things you might want to know about using organic plant food:

• Why organic plant food is better for the environment
• How organic plant food improves soil quality
• How you can add organic plant food to the soil yourself

Organic plant food is better for the environment

This might seem obvious, but it is worth highlighting why the use of organic plant food is better for the environment. There are many reasons why, here are just some of them:

• Using a non-petroleum based fertilizer means decreasing one’s carbon emissions and ecological footprint. Less CO2 emissions mean your growing practices will contribute less to human-driven global warming.
• Synthetic fertilizers, especially those high in nitrogen and phosphorus, can have a devastating effect on ecosystems and waterways. Leaching is common with synthetic fertilizers, and they might end up in water sources causing algae blooms that consume all the oxygen in the water, killing fish and other inhabitants and contributing to biodiversity loss and destabilising ecosystems.
• Organic plant food actually contributes to better soil quality and is more sustainable and efficient in the long term, making it an environmentally friendly choice. Read more about organic plant food here.

Organic plant food improves soil quality

Avoiding chemical fertilizers and opting for organic plant food instead will actually improve the quality of the soil. Where chemical fertilizers can acidify, deplete and exhaust your soil and kill beneficial micro-organisms, an organic fertilizer will increase soil quality. They will also help improve water retention and will help oxygen reach the roots more easily. This way you can be sure that you will have great yields and healthy crops, also in the long term. If you have any questions about soil health or about our products, feel free to get in touch with our knowledge centre for personalised advice here.

You can add organic plant food to the soil yourself

‘Going organic’ does not need to be expensive. You can even take a D.I.Y. approach and add some organic plant food that you probably have lying around the house to your soil. Eggshells are a great source of calcium. Adding coffee grains to the soil is an organic way to provide plants with nitrogen. Banana peels buried in the soil are a source of potassium, calcium and phosphorus. Although we do not recommend that you rely fully on these supplements alone as plants might still lack nutrients as dosing can be hard, as decomposition and intake of these organic additives rely on the initial health state of the soil and other factors. Therefore we would recommend to also use one of Bac’s organic high-quality fertilizers as well. When you use these you will know more precisely which nutrients you are adding and you will make sure your plants will have access to everything they need. Take a look at our organic products here.