Yes, there is a difference between organic and inorganic fertilizers.
The differences can be subtle and range from non-existent to quite large depending on the grow! (strain/light/size of plant...etc.)
It's more a matter of using the right tool for the job. While it may be true that a claw hammer and a ball-pein hammer both work the same and if you just want to get a nail in the wall....either will work fine. But for specific situations one hammer will be much better suited for the job at hand.
Organics and salt fertilizers are BOTH bikes. They just have different gearing!. If you want fast growth with small plants, ride a chem bike. If you want long term growth on large plants ride an organic bike.
But analogy's can only take the debate so far.So I'm going to try and explain the differences as I understand them, and what my personal experiences have shown....
First off, lets make one thing perfectly clear - Its all chemicals!
I think it makes more sense to think in terms of salt fertilizers (water soluble) and organic fertilizers (broken down by microbes) and leave the word chemical out of it.
What we are really arguing about is the source of the chemicals and/or how they are bound up together.
For instance; does the "N" part of the nitrogen your plant is getting come from ammonia (NH3), ammonium (NH+4), ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3),ammonium sulphate ((NH4)2SO4), Magnesium nitrate Mg(NO3)2......just to name a few. In each case your plant may still receive the "same" nitrogen atom and it may not care where it came from, but Your soil/medium and roots care because of what gets left behind. Salt fertilizers can cause problems in the long run...salt build up, PH problems, Nutrient lockout. Good organic soils tend to improve over time especially with the addition of an occasional compost tea/batguano tea.
You also have to consider the ratio/Proportion of nutrients to one another. With salt fertilizers your plant will Up-take nutrients in what ever ratio you give it, whether it needs it or not. Organic fertilizers are buffered a bit more by the soil and the microbes.
When people talk about taste its more of an "over-fed" vs "well-fed" thing. Or to put it another way....the biggest healthiest plant has the biggest best buds. Its the over-feeding that effects how it tastes and how well it burns. And It is much easier to over-feed using salt fertilizers and consequently harder to hit the bullseye. Thats what gives the Salt fertilizers a bad rap. Too many people dump massive amounts of nutrients into the plant. But when done correctly it can be hard for all but the most jaded connoisseur to tell the difference.
Organics also use different tools. For instance: Mycorrhizal fungi -- "A plant well colonized with mycorrhizal fungi will have the equivalent of ten times more roots than one without the fungi. Another benefit of this association is that, as long as the fungi is flourishing, it can prevent all root pathogens and damaging nematodes from attacking the plant root."
I am not even trying to say one is better then the other, just that there are differences(I still skipped a lot). And if you keep in mind the differences you can use the right tool for the job.
case in point...
I have been growing a strain of lavender for a number of years now. It is one of the more potent strains I have smoked.(true medical marijuana) Unfortunately it is also the lowest yielding plant I have ever seen. If you try and do a sea of green with small plants you end up with some nice hard nugs, but no real colas, whats there is nice, but there is just not much of it. However if you grow just a few very large plants you really start to get your yield back. (as a medical marijuana patient less plants is better) I have found that this strain is capable of very fast growth and can take Huge amounts of fertilizer.
With this plant I use the best of both worlds.
For fast early growth I take my rooted clones, put them in 1/2 gallon containers of Fox Farm ocean forest, and water with General Hydroponics Flora Series(full strength!). They green up in a day or two, and 2 weeks later I have an 8" tall lush plant. Organics don't break down fast enough and the roots are too small to take advantage of whats there. But the water soluble 'salt fertilizers' go straight into the plant force feeding it. Most strains would not like this but my strain loves it!
For the second stage I go strictly organic. My 2 week old plants are transplanted into 7 gallon buckets. This is where organics start to shine. I am able to front load all my nutes.(5 weeks of vegging and 9 weeks flowering) But more importantly I can keep my plants extremely healthy but never over-fed. Why is this so important to me? Two words...bud rot. The strain I grow has some very dense buds. If I keep it green and healthy up to the end - no bud rot. With organics I can keep it healthy and thriving to the very end and not need to do much flushing.
Could I go pure organic at the start? Sure. It would just take a week longer to get the plant where i need it. One way is just faster and the end result is exactly the same.
Could I use salt fertilizers from start to finish? Sure. But I would have a much harder time riding the over-fed/under-fed line. And I would have to worry more about salt build-up and PH issues toward the end of the grow. After 3 1/2 months it gets tougher to maintain the "perfect" plant with salt ferts. But with organics I can hit the mark every time.
Using this system I have finally found grow room nirvana!
I guess the point I'm trying to make is - know your tools and know your strain. Salt fertilizers and organics both have strengths and weaknesses. You just need to match them to the Strengths and weaknesses of your strain.
I feel like I said too much and yet barely touched the surface of the subject!
I hope this makes sense....I'm very stoned
and tend to ramble....hahaha
