Are you an oxymoron?
Are you an oxymoron? What would you do if you found out you were an oxymoron?
Aiyoh we don’t know woh. Serious thing like this you must figure it out yourself. But we can tell you one thing definitely for sure:
“Organic fertilizer” is an oxymoron.
But first, you know what’s oxymoron or not? Don’t know, leh. Something to do with moron, is it?
An oxymoron, my friend, is a term in which words that seem incongruous or contradictory are combined to achieve a particular effect or description. Like “deafening silence” or “mournful optimist”. Or “working vacation” Or “idiot genius”. Faham tak?
Ok. So. “Organic fertilizer” is an oxymoron because organic fertilizers are not really fertilizers as far as fertilizers go.
You see, ah. When you use fertilizer, you fertilize the plant of your choice kan? You fertilize your roses, the grass on your lawn, your sawi, or your kangkung.
But organic fertilizers have no direct effect on plants. It is something you put into the soil so that your soil comes alive with all kinds of microbes. The microbes will digest the stuff that organize fertilizers are made of. Plants absorb what the microbes make when they digest organic fertilizers.
Why want to use organic fertilizer? Oh a lot of reasons.
Sodium chloride. That’s salt. The one you sprinkle on your fried bayam to get a higher blood pressure. Chemical fertilizers. These are also salts, you know? All chemical fertilizers are technically known as chemical salts. You know how dangerous salt is to a plant, ah? You pour a cup of salt water on your favourite plant and see.
Even worse, salt and microbes don’t mix. This one no need to explain one. Salted fish, salted vegetables, salted eggs. They can last for a long time right? Because microbes cannot touch them mah.
So when you whack your plants with chemical fertilizer, all the microbes will definitely die for sure. Micro-biological activity in the soil stops. Your plants have nothing to feed on but the chemicals you use. Then the problem really starts up.
Let’s say we use a fertilizer that’s very rich in nitrogen. Actually, most of the nitrogen evaporates into the air in just a few hours. You won’t notice lah because the air around you is 70% nitrogen already. Only a little bit is left, but even then, this little bit is VERY strong. Your plants will react madly. They will grow like crazy. But the growth is erratic because that little bit of nitrogen will be used up without you knowing. The plants will all of the sudden stop growing because the nutrients finish already. Must wait for you to remember to add more fertilizer. Meanwhile, all the half-grown, incomplete parts of the plants that suddenly stopped growing are extremely vulnerable and waiting for insects and fungus to attack them. So now you have to use pesticides and fungicides pulak. Die lah, like that.
And your plants are not stupid you know? They know how to “talk” to microbes. At required times, they release a variety of bio-chemicals and even ultra violet and infra red light that microbes will respond to. These bio-signals trigger the microbes to react in infinitesimal ways. The microbes will generate a library list of hormones, stimulants and nutrients that your plants need whether to grow kah, to make fruits or flowers kah, to fight diseases kah or whatever lah. Some of these good stuff are produced in micrograms, but enough already.
Plants do it to animals too. You think your plants make fruits and flowers for you ah? Please lah. It’s for the birds and the bees!
As far as we know, plants haven’t learned to talk to chemical fertilizers yet. But can talk also no use. Chemical salts are mostly one-dimensional. They don’t have all the trace minerals your plants need. Boron lah (Not moron ah). Magnesium lah. Copper lah. Gibberelin lah. Etc, etc, etc.
So you see, the correct approach to sustainable agriculture is actually to make sure you got good, living soil. Then the soil will make good plants for you. If you think you are very smart and use chemicals, then Mother Nature will move to one side and you will be all alone. Don’t know lah. What d’you think? No need Mother Nature ah?
And actually, if you have really good soil, then all types of fertilizers can be considered as morons which are even more worse than oxymorons because you won’t need them at all.
So now. What happens if you use 100% worm compost to grow plants? Hah. Click here.
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“But organic fertilizers have no direct effect on plants. It is something you put into the soil so that your soil comes alive with all kinds of microbes.”
you are right in most organic standards agricultural inputs like compost, vermicompost, kuntan, etc. are categorised as “soil conditioners” not as “fertilisers”. the term “soil conditioners” clearly explain what products like your actually do on organic farms.