What makes a fertilizer organic vs non-organic?

Question

I think I know the answer to this but... I was looking at the Miracle-Gro lable and read a list of basic naturally occuring elements and chemical componds, stuff that you find in soil (Cu, Mn, Fe, B, N, P2O5, K2O). In essence these are not organic elements/compounds they are by definition inorganic, so why would using this product make my plants non-organic?

Answer 1

.stop l*****g your fingers..especially after using the urinal

does that answer the question

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAL..

Answer 2

An organic fertilizer has organs. A non-organic fertilizer has had it's organs removed by a process called an organoscopy.

Answer 3

The idea of organic growing is that you don't use inorganic chemicals.  You don't use pesticides, even if those ARE organic.  Basically, you grow plants the way God* intended: Dirt, plants, water, sun.

*or deity of your choosing

Answer 4

You are confusing two different definitions of the word. All things that contain carbon are organic (definition 1), while things that don't contain carbon are inorganic.

The difference between organic (definition 2) and its opposite, NON-organic, is in distinguishing its source (although the term "organic" refers generally to foodstuffs). An organic product has no synthetic materials used in its production. A product that is non-organic has man-made components.

Manure is organic because it's used in its natural state. Miracle-Gro does not occur in nature; it was conceived in a laboratory. Therefore, Miracle-Gro is not organic, by definition.

Consequently, any food grown using Miracle-Gro cannot be considered organic, as it now has man-made components.

Answer 5

Organic fertilizers are derived from organic sources, such as urea, manure, and composted wastes. Most organic fertilizers involve some sort of decomposition process. As such, they generally require some moderately significat time span, but are comparatively low on the energy inputs and can use pretty much any sort of non-toxic organic waste in their creation.

"Non-organic" fertilizers are generally synthetically generated compounds, usually created purely through chemical processes. They are generated much faster but require much higher inputs of energy and generate larger outputs of difficult to dispose of chemical wastes.

Answer 6

Congratulations, you have raised an important point to help illistrate the foolishness of organic labeling programs.  

The elements you listed are absolutely naturally occuring, and things that undisturbed plants in nature would have access to naturally.  The only difference in providing them with fertilizer is that you are increasing the levels of the vital nutrients that they prefer.

The reason it cannot have an inorganic labeling is because these chemicals have been mechanically processed.  A fertilizer that is labeled "organic" is raw and unprocessed, such as manure, or compost (a natural processing).

In response to your question, I'll ask a couple of rhetorical ones.  

Isn't the product you are talking about more pure than what an "organic" product would be?  Isn't the lack of impurities in a product a desired quality?