What Are Examples of Natural Fertilizer?

Fish Emulsion

• Fish emulsion is pulverized fish in a blended form that supplies 5 percent of immediate nitrogen to plants. The material also contains a number of trace elements. A drawback of using fish emulsion is its temporarily intense smell that often discourages gardeners from using it.

Animal Manure

• Animal manure is a frequently used form of natural fertilizer. The nutritional content of the manure differs according to what the animals have been fed. The general rate of nutrition in manure is about 1-1-1. The nitrogen in manure is about 0.5 percent. Commonly used manure sources includes chicken, cow, horse and sheep. Fresh manure has the greatest content of nutrients. Manure works best when incorporated fully in the soil.

Dried Blood

• Dried blood fertilizer is the drained blood from slaughtered animals. This blood is dried and then used after grinding into a powder. The product is a rich source of nitrogen and also supplies trace elements like iron. However, you should not use more than the recommended amount.

Cottonseed Meal

• As the name suggests, cottonseed meal is the byproduct obtained from the cotton manufacturing process and has varying degrees of nutritional content. Generally, cottonseed meal has 7 percent nitrogen, 3 percent phosphorus and 2 percent potash. The material is acidic in nature and works well as fertilizer for plants that prefer high acidity. These include camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons. The nitrogen contained in cottonseed meal becomes available gradually to plants.