As we become increasingly concerned with problems such as the environment and food shortages, one can't help but wonder if using such vitamins and minerals as a type of organic fertilizer might not only help the environment, but also increase our food production rates as well. Which Ones and How to Use Them. However, while chemical fertilizers may increase crop output, they often have a damaging effect on the environment.
Rain can cause fertilizers to run off into an area's watershed.
Run off not only harms the area's water supply and the creatures who depend on it, but it also diminishes the effectiveness of the fertilizer. Also, our increased dependence on chemical fertilizers has disrupted the earth's nitrogen cycle, resulting in a loss of soil nutrients, a raise of acids in lakes and rivers, and increasing the greenhouse effect. Therefore, finding an alternative to chemical fertilizers is essential in order to preserve our atmosphere. While alternatives do already exist in forms of organic fertilizers such as potash, many people are unaware which ones to use and are discouraged by the high prices of organically grown foods. However, it may be possible that by simply adding an important vitamin or mineral you could effectively, and inexpensively, stimulate plant growth without harming the environment.