Soil nutrients are some of the most important factors for the proper development of plants and for a successful harvest. While some soils are fertile and suitable to support the optimal development of plants, there are also nutrient-deficient agricultural lands, where human intervention will be required, through the application of an organic slow release fertilizer.
Chemical fertilizers are made from synthetic ingredients designed to stimulate plant growth. The ones available in specialized stores have the advantage of predictability and reliability, in the sense that they have specific nutrients for different types of agricultural crops.
However, concerns about the environmental effects of using synthetic fertilizers have led many to reconsider them as a suitable alternative to organic solutions.
On the production side, synthetic fertilizers require more fossil fuels to be produced and create more greenhouse gases during production than organic fertilizers. Some of the synthetic compounds used in the manufacture of chemical fertilizers can have negative effects on the environment, when released into water sources. There is also some evidence that plants treated with chemical fertilizers do not have productive results like those treated with organic fertilizers, because, if used excessively, they can negatively affect the pH of the soil and destroy its bacterial flora, favoring the appearance of pests. If no analysis of soil nutrients is undertaken, the probability of overdose is much higher than in the case of organic fertilizers.