With the large and growing population, food sources are increasingly important. To increase crop yield, fertilizers are used. These fertilizers can come in two forms, inorganic and organic. Furthermore, although these fertilizers can help the human race increase the food supply, fertilizers, in excess, can harm the natural environment, killing other organisms. Fertilizer is made up of three main macronutrients and, whether organic or inorganic, can have negative effects on the environment. Fertilizers play an important role in increasing the yield of a crop. Both organic and inorganic fertilizers supplement a plant's nutrient source with macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as some micronutrients such as boron, copper, and chloride. These nutrients are all directly affected by soil pH. Some nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus can only be absorbed by a plant with a higher pH level. Nutrients such as boron and copper can only be absorbed at a lower pH level. Balanced soil will provide the optimal benefits of each nutrient (“Plant Nutrients,” n.d.). Inorganic fertilizers, or chemical fertilizers, are any fertilizers that have been synthesized in a factory to create a completely balanced nutrient source (Blessington, n.d.). In chemical fertilizers, nutrients are available to the plant after fertilization. In the laboratory where the fertilizer is produced, the nutrients have already undergone all the chemical changes necessary for the plant to absorb them. Nutrients are measured exactly in inorganic fertilizers. Excess nutrients can cause health problems for plants, and too little will be ineffective. Unfortunately, chemical fertilizers are also easily washed away by rainwater, or, if too close to the plant, they could cause it to "burn" due to the high concentrations. “Burning” a plant is “a