- The intended use of fertilizers is as plant food. When added to the soil, fertilizers provide plants with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients like magnesium, zinc and iron. The effects of these nutrients on plants are highly beneficial: they allow plants to fight off pests and diseases, keep the leaves of plants green, enable healthy growth and encourage the production of flowers and fruits or vegetables. When used properly, fertilizers have a noticeable and positive effect on living things.
- One of the negative effects of fertilizer on living things is fertilizer burn. When misapplied or applied in excess, the salts and other chemicals in fertilizers dry out the plants they are intended to feed. This leads to leaves taking on a scorched or burned appearance, which prevents the plants from photosynthesizing properly and leads to weakened growth and declining vigor. Improper use of fertilizer damages living things.
- Run-off is a problem associated with excessive use of fertilizer, as well as agricultural fertilizing processes. After fertilizer is applied, some of it is washed away. It ends up in the water table as well as in moving bodies of water, like rivers and streams. The excess chemicals in the water lead to problems for the animals that drink it, including humans. Fertilizers that end up in the water supply cause pollution and even birth defects.
- Fertilizers help increase the yield of many plants grown for food. The added nutrients in the soil allow plants to grow faster and produce more and larger fruits or vegetables to be sold. This enables farmers to feed more people and animals after they harvest their crops. Fertilizers affect living things by providing commerce, jobs and food to people in amounts that would not be available without the addition of organic or inorganic chemicals.
Plant Food
Fertilizer Burn
Run-Off
Increased Yields
SHARE
