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Organic tree and lawn care products: what you need to know
Are you looking for a safe and effective way to keep your lawn, garden and fruit trees looking their best? Here is what you need to know about organic fertilizers and pesticides.
What is Organic Fertilizer?
Organic fertilizers are derived entirely from natural ingredients like rock minerals and plant and animal by-products. This makes them renewable, biodegradable, sustainable and eco-friendly.
What is the best organic fertilizer for plants?
Trees and shrubs tend to prefer high nitrogen fertilizers, such as:
- Cottonseed meal has a high organic content. This helps keep the soil aerated, prevents soil compaction and limits rapid erosion.
- Soybean meal is safe for children, pets and wildlife. It promotes leafy growth and overall plant health.
- Alfalfa meal contains a natural fatty-acid growth stimulant called triacontanol that helps young plants develop healthy roots and stems.
What is the Best Organic Fertilizer for a Vegetable Garden?
Here are three organic fertilizers you may want to consider for your garden:
- Bone meal is an excellent source of phosphorus and calcium and will help your plants grow healthy root systems and encourage them to flower and fruit.
- Blood meal contains a high amount of nitrogen and acts quickly to feed plants for six to eight weeks effectively. Blood meal is also a great pest deterrent and repels deer, rabbits and moles.
- Fish emulsion absorbs quickly and is fast-acting. Moreover, it contains mild properties, which means you can use it whenever you like without the risk of causing fertilizer burn to your plants.
Which organic fertilizers are high in potassium?
Potassium is essential for plant growth and development. This nutrient helps plants survive drought, fight off disease, resist pests and produce better yields. The following organic fertilizers have high levels of potassium:
- Kelp is a seaweed that grows underwater in large groups and contains 4 to 13% potassium by weight.
- Wood ash is what’s leftover after you burn wood. Most hardwood ash contains 3 to 7%potassium by weight.
- Greensand is a type of sandstone mined from ancient seabeds. As a fertilizer, greensand contains 5%potassium by weight.
If you want healthy plants and food crops, you must have the right amount of potassium in your soil.
Like organic fertilizers, organic insecticides contain only natural components to kill bugs. At ArborCare ®, we proudly use an ORMI-certified organic insecticidal soap to kill pests like mealy bugs, mites, leafhoppers, psyllids, scale insects, thrips, whiteflies and more. Our completely non-toxic solutions will not harm you, your pets, your yard or the environment.
We also use TreeAzin®, a systemic insecticide owned by the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) and developed with BioForest. This product is made from neem tree seed extracts. It is injected directly into the base of trees to manage invasive pests like leaf miners and emerald ash borers.
Organic Fruit Tree and Shrub Care in Western Canada
At ArborCare ®, we are committed to helping you keep your fruit trees, shrubs and vegetable plants happy and healthy with organic fertilizers and insecticides. Our experienced arborists provide various tree lawn care services for residential and commercial customers in Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna and Winnipeg. Contact us today to learn more.