{"id":293,"date":"2020-12-21T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-12-21T15:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/blog\/?p=293"},"modified":"2020-12-20T21:46:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T02:46:43","slug":"what-are-the-harmful-effects-of-using-excessive-fertilizers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/blog\/what-are-the-harmful-effects-of-using-excessive-fertilizers\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are the Harmful Effects of Using Excessive Fertilizers?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Video Discussing the Harmful Effects of Using Excessive Fertilizer<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 656px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-293-1\" width=\"656\" height=\"369\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Fertilizer-useful-to-a-point.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Fertilizer-useful-to-a-point.mp4\">https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Fertilizer-useful-to-a-point.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<h3>What Are Fertilizers and Why Are They Beneficial?<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_103\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-103\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/lisa-peterson-small.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-103 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/lisa-peterson-small.jpg\" alt=\"Lisa Peterson, Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and Expert Regarding the Harmful Effects of Using Excessive Fertilizer \" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/lisa-peterson-small.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/lisa-peterson-small-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-103\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa Peterson is highly qualified to comment on the harmful effects of using excessive fertilizer. Lisa is a professional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/\">Sustainability<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/p\/pa-sustainability-consultants.html\">ISO 14001<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aftansustainability.com\/p\/lean-six-sigma-continuous-improvement.html\">Continuous Process Improvement<\/a> Consultant with a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Fertilizers are<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>concentrated nutrients that are in a form that makes it easy to add to the soil physically;<\/li>\n<li>typically a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, commonly known as NPK; and<\/li>\n<li>lastly, intended to influence plant growth for root strength and top growth positively. Top growth means things like\n<ul>\n<li>larger foliage;<\/li>\n<li>a lusher, thicker, and greener yard; and<\/li>\n<li>more flowers, fruit, and grain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>What Are the Harmful Effects of Using Excessive Fertilizer?<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Too much fertilizer can<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>result in stunted growth and withering or death to the plants<\/strong> commonly known as leaf scorch;<\/li>\n<li><strong>decrease the organic matter in the soil<\/strong> leading to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Soil_acidification\">soil acidification<\/a>;<\/li>\n<li><strong>deplete the soil of essential nutrients<\/strong> resulting in less vitamin and mineral content in food crops; and<\/li>\n<li>lastly, <strong>release the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide<\/strong> into the air.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>What Are the Harmful Effects of Misapplying Fertilizer?<\/h3>\n<p>If you apply fertilizer<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>to compacted soil<\/strong>,\u00a0 the fertilizer will lay on top and run off with the next rainstorm; and<\/li>\n<li><strong>right before a rainstorm<\/strong>, the fertilizer will go with the water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Either case results in nutrient surplus in the water. Those nutrients fuel algae growth, resulting in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.noaa.gov\/what-is-harmful-algal-bloom\">Harmful Algal Bloom<\/a> or HAB.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Harmful Algal Blooms<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>reduce oxygen in the water<\/strong> causing fish to die (known as a fish kill event);<\/li>\n<li><strong>can sicken people and their pets<\/strong> when contacting the water; and<\/li>\n<li>lastly, <strong>stink and are unpleasant to look at<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Ways to Reduce the Harmful Effects of Fertilizer<\/h3>\n<p>Modern farming methods used to mitigate the impact of fertilizers on the environment include<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>designing custom applications<\/strong> based on the needs of that area of the field which assures\n<ul>\n<li><strong>crops get just the right amount of fertilizer<\/strong>; and<\/li>\n<li>in addition, that <strong>the farmer isn&#8217;t wasting money<\/strong> on excess fertilizer;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrcs.usda.gov\/wps\/portal\/nrcs\/detail\/national\/home\/?cid=nrcs143_023568\">buffer strips<\/a> between fields and waterways<\/strong> to catch excess nutrients from fertilizer that might drain off the field.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Mindful Use of Fertilizer Begins in Your Backyard<\/h3>\n<p>In conclusion, take personal responsibility for using fertilizers. When fertilizing your backyard, consider how much you need to apply and when to apply it. If the fertilizer doesn&#8217;t stay where you applied it, you&#8217;re sending your money down the river and into the bay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Video Discussing the Harmful Effects of Using Excessive Fertilizer What Are Fertilizers and Why Are They Beneficial? Fertilizers are concentrated nutrients that are in a form that makes it easy to add to the soil physically; typically a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, commonly known as NPK; and lastly, intended to influence plant growth [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[25,22,24,23],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Are the Harmful Effects of Using Excessive Fertilizers? | Aftan Engineering Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the harmful effects of the misapplication and excessive use of fertilizer. 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