I use both kinds of fertilizer.....simply because I have a ready source of organics (goat poo)-every couple weeks I toss a handful of pellets into the plants or whenever I rake oout the pens I'll toss it over the plants. I also rinse out my fish filters over my plants, dump the turtle water into the plants, etc. But I use chemical fertilizers on a more or less regular basis. I tried making manure tea but it ended up being a smelly yuck that the dog *loved* to drink out of... and poo balls just sound like dog treats to me!
One of the first things Jim Smith said to me when talking about Portulacaria afra's is that they'll take all the food you can throw at them and still want more...if they aren't a nice dark green keep feeding em! I didn't notice how true this was until I compared one newly purchased plant to my existing ones and saw the difference in the leaf color. Oooops.......
That's when I went to the miracle grow/whatever is on sale chemical feedings....