Organic vs. synthetic fertilizers

Another growing season is fast approaching, and before you can seed you must feed.

Now is the time to decide whether to use organic or synthetic fertilizers to enrich the soil. They produce similar results but come at it from different directions.

Most organic fertilizers are derived from plants and animals. This group includes manure, bone and blood meal, seaweed, compost and minerals. All are rich in nutrients, but must be "cured" or broken down by bacteria before they can nurture plants and condition soils.

Synthetic fertilizers are commercially produced from petroleum or natural gas, and are packaged in easy-to-apply granular or liquid forms. They give plants a vigorous, though short-term jolt.

"Plants don't know the difference if you're using a synthetic or an organic. It's all chemical to them," said Valerie Locher, a horticulturist and landscape manager from Housatonic, Mass. "But the beauty of organics is that they're naturally slow-release. They're there for the entire season."

Locher uses synthetic fertilizers when planting flowers in containers. "I plant a lot of annuals so I want their growth to be really quick," she said. "Synthetics leach into the soil with the first watering. Instant nourishment."

Organic fertilizers may not be the answer if:

► You don't like odors. "Fermented seaweed and fish make beautiful fertilizers, but they're often difficult to use because they smell," Locher said. "If you're spreading something like minerals on the ground, there's no odor problem."

► You want to reduce your workload. "If it's a compacted soil and you have a hard time breaking ground, then it will be hard for any roots to grow," Locher said. "That means you'll have to do a lot of soil work in the spring - I

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