Synthetic vs. Natural

The nutrients of most lawn fertilizers on the market today are synthesized rather than derived from natural plant or animal matter. They are packaged as liquids or powders to dissolve in water, or as granular products. While many are quick-acting because they dissolve in water, manufacturers have developed technology to coat nitrogen so that it is water insoluble and is released slowly into the soil environment similar to the way nitrogen from natural or organic sources is. These granular, slow-acting synthetic fertilizers are appropriate for most situations. Their nutrient particles are uniform in size to promote more accurate formulation and more even distribution when spread on the soil. Chemically the nutrients are exactly the same as those in naturally derived fertilizer products.

We Go Natural in the Tool Shed
Natural fertilizers come the closest to replicating the natural nutrient processes of the soil itself. They come in “granular” or solid form or in “liquid” form. The liquid products are not recommended for lawns. The granular natural lawn products are by their nature slow-acting, because they depend on microbial action in the soil to release their nutrients for the plant roots. This feature protects the soil and its life and serves the plants better. That is why we offer product information only on natural lawn fertilizer products.

To learn about fertilizer spreaders go to Hand Tools For Spreading in Tool Shed.