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Lawn & Garden

Soil, Fertilizer, Pest Control

Soil, Fertilizer, Pest Control Article

More information on fertilizers and pest control below this article

Fertilizers (also spelled fertilisers) are compounds given to plants to promote growth; they are usually applied either via the soil, for uptake by plant roots, or by foliar feeding, for uptake through leaves. Fertilizers can be organic (composed of organic matter), or inorganic (made of simple, inorganic chemicals or minerals). They can be naturally occurring compounds such as peat or mineral deposits, or manufactured through natural processes (such as composting) or chemical processes (such as the Haber process).

Fertilizers typically provide, in varying proportions, the three major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), the secondary plant nutrients (calcium, sulfur, magnesium), and sometimes trace elements (or micronutrients) with a role in plant nutrition: boron, chlorine, manganese, iron, zinc, copper, and molybdenum.

In the past, both organic and inorganic fertilizers were called "manures," but this term is now mostly restricted to man-made manure.

Though nitrogen is plentiful in the earth's atmosphere, relatively few plants engage in nitrogen fixation (conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to a biologically useful form). Most plants thus require nitrogen compounds to be present in the soil in which they grow.

Pest control refers to the regulation or management of another species defined as a pest, usually because it is believed to be detrimental to a person's health, the ecology or the economy

Pest control is at least as old as agriculture. In order to maximize food production, it can be economically advantageous to protect crops from competing species of plants, as well as from herbivores competing with humans.