Side Effects to the Soil From Long-Term Use of Fertilizer

Soil Content

• Soil content consists of about 25 percent each of air and water, 45 percent minerals and between 2 percent and 5 percent organic matter. The various types of particles are sand, silt and clay and sand consists mostly of mineral quartz. The organic matter in the soil contains a large number of living creatures, including earthworms, fungi, bacteria, algae and protozoa, as well as dead organisms that are in the process of decay. These living creatures keep the soil healthy with their life cycle, excretions and keeping the decomposition process going.

Ammonia-based Fertilizers

• While many commercial and organic fertilizers help boost the nutrient content of the soil, several fertilizers do the opposite. Anhydrous ammonia-based fertilizers contribute to the acidity of the soil and kill a high number of soil organisms immediately on application. While bacteria and certain organisms can recover within two weeks, soil fungi take longer to do so with a regeneration period of up to seven weeks.

Fertilizers Containing Salt

• Potassium chloride fertilizers are made from refined potassium chloride ore, which has a high salt concentration because it contains clay from lake and seabeds. Sodium nitrate fertilizers also add a high salt content to the soil. This is particularly deadly for soil intended for growing plants such as potatoes, legumes, tobacco and peaches, as the salt residue remains in the soil for long periods, making the land unusable for these plants.

Nitrogen Fertilizers

• Most commercial fertilizers contain up to 82 percent nitrogen. The presence of nitrogen causes an increase in the reproduction of bacteria, and this speeds up the decomposition of organic matter in the soil. It also reduces the quantity of carbon in relation to the nitrogen, causing an explosion in the bacterial population and speeding up decomposition significantly. The bacteria starve and die because of insufficient food sources, leaving the soil without nourishment for plant life. Neutralization of the soil after using the type of fertilizer requires 1.8 lbs. of lime for every pound of fertilizer used, according to the Soil and Health Library.