Quote:
Originally Posted by MBAtarga
Does the plant really know the difference between nitrogen, etc introduced by manure or other "organic" means, versus the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that comes in a bag?
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Not in a chemical sense as N is N, K is K and P is P no matter what. What makes the difference is the delivery system and concentration. Generally, organic plant foods release the chemicals gradually and don't leach so much, meaning more of the nutrients get into the plant rather than being washed down through the soil and lost.
Actually, more specifically, in organics the chemicals aren't really released. The plant has to metabolize the compounds that contain the chemicals rather than simply absorb the chemicals straight up*. Thats why inorganic fetilizers with high N can burn stuff up. It's analogous to an injection vs digestion.
*Sort of. Bacteria, fungi, worms, insects, etc. do the metabolizing exposing the chemicals making them available to the plant. Not only do organic plant foods contain NPK, they also support the life cycles of the necessary bacteria, fungi, etc. and help to balance the pH of the soil which is a whole 'nuther thread.