What is an organic fertilizer?

What is an organic fertilizer?

• A. A fertilizer that contains all three of the primary nutrients
• B. A fertilizer derived directly from an animal or plant products
• C. A fertilizer manufactured chemically
• D. A fertilizer derived from minerals

Answer: (A)

An organic fertilizer is defined by its source: it comes from natural plant or animal materials, such as manure, compost, bone meal, or seaweed. Because these nutrients come from the breakdown of organic matter, the exact amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium can vary, and they are often released slowly as soil organisms decompose the material. This makes organic fertilizers different from synthetic options that are manufactured to deliver a specific, fixed mix of nutrients. So the best match is the description that a fertilizer is derived directly from animal or plant products. The other descriptions refer to inorganic or mineral-based fertilizers, or to a fixed all-three-nutrients formulation, which isn’t how organic fertilizers are defined.

An organic fertilizer is defined by its source: it comes from natural plant or animal materials, such as manure, compost, bone meal, or seaweed. Because these nutrients come from the breakdown of organic matter, the exact amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium can vary, and they are often released slowly as soil organisms decompose the material. This makes organic fertilizers different from synthetic options that are manufactured to deliver a specific, fixed mix of nutrients.

So the best match is the description that a fertilizer is derived directly from animal or plant products. The other descriptions refer to inorganic or mineral-based fertilizers, or to a fixed all-three-nutrients formulation, which isn’t how organic fertilizers are defined.