Organic methods for soil and plant health

Add Kelp to your gardening process

May07
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Rick Weller

While using kelp and kelp products to enhance growing environments is not new, it has been a well kept secret until fairly recently.

Kelp is not a primary source of macro nutrients nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK). However, as any organic gardener knows, developing and maintaining a healthy plant and soil environment requires much, much more. Kelp contains over 60 trace minerals along with amino acids, enzymes and alginates.

What does kelp do

  • improves stress resistence from disease, pests, drought and frost
  • enhances root growth and development
  • contains natural chelators improving plant uptake
  • promotes natural growth hormone development (cytokinin and auxin production)
  • stimulates microbial activity

Benefits

While kelp is not a ‘miracle’ plant product, it can be a very important addition to your growing process. There are many factors that impact and influence your gardening success but, all things being equal, by adding kelp to your repertoire, you will see improvements in soil health, seed germination, plant vigor, plant sugar content, bloom set and size and the storage life of fruits/vegetables.

How to Apply

Kelp can be found in meal and liquid form. Kelp meal is kelp that has been harvested, dried and ground. It should be applied twice a season (spring and fall) at the rate of 1 lb per 100 sq ft and mixed into the soil as most organic soil products should be – microbial activity breaks down kelp meal so, the more soil contact the better.

Liquid kelp is an extract of harvested kelp and can be found in concentrated form (Organic Kelp). Liquid kelp may be used as either a soil drench or a foliar feed but studies show that foliar feeding is the most effective method. As with most foliar feeds, wet both sides of the plant leaves, applying in early morning or late afternoon. Foliar feed every 2-4 weeks.

Posted in Organic - Tagged , ,

is this really what we mean by gardening?

May02
2012 1 Comment Written by Rick Weller

I was bombarded by radio ads today, letting me know what I NEED to do to ensure a healthy weed-free lawn this year. It’s simple – just apply good Irish fertilizer+pesticide 4 times between spring and fall. If a weed happens to be diligent enough to escape, take care of it with a quick spray of a good Irish weed touch-up product.

I manufacturer organic plant products for a living and am very conscious of the harm we are doing to the environment with our continuously expanding use of chemicals. In the middle of this constant weed-free lawn message, I decided to check out the organic section of a big-box store and this is the first thing I saw as I entered.

This aisle (50′ long and 8′ tall) is entirely filled with pesticides intended to kill ants, weeds, spiders, fungus, moths, roaches, etc. –  anything in our home environment that we don’t want. The typical label indicated that the product was effective on 50-100 different species.

There are a lot of things about these two experiences today that I find disturbing.

  • The companies that manufacturer these pesticides do not have a clue what impact their products have on a majority of unintended targets, i.e., all of the other microbiology, insects and wildlife that share the target’s environment. The EPA requires a very limited number of non-target species to be tested for effect (EPA Pesticide Programs 40 CFR). A study I read a year or two ago estimated that less than 1% of pesticides applied reach the targeted pest.
  • No one is responsible for measuring the synergistic impact of these products on human health much less any environmental aspect, i.e., who tests the effect of using product 1 and 2 in the same environment? no one.
  • Do Americans really believe that we can continue to use these poisons  in these amounts everywhere in our environment without any adverse effects?

Garden stores carry these pesticide products because their customers buy them. Many consumers buy these products because they believe that ‘they must be safe since they are on the shelf’ (DDT was on the shelf for 45 years until 1972).

By the way, the organic section of the garden center? One shelf, 8′ long…

Posted in Chemicals, Commentary

interesting discussion on chemical fertilizers

Oct31
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Rick Weller

I had an interesting discussion today regarding the negative impact (or lack thereof) of chemical fertilizers. My colleague is an intelligent, health-conscious person with a deep understanding of the gardening environment. Her take on the beneficial use of organic fertilizers is that it is largely a media-driven story and that their only harmful impact is when they are mis-used.

If you have wondered whether you should switch to organic fertilizers, here are some facts that I believe are compelling…

  • Chemical fertilizers are typically soluble and in a form instantly available to plants meaning, what the plant does not absorb will often be washed into our water supplies – fertilizers are considered the primary cause of algae blooms
  • Chemical fertilizers contain only a small subset of the minerals and nutrients required by a healthy growing environment
  • Chemical fertilizers do not support soil biology which is a key aspect of healthy soil
  • Chemical fertilizers are produced from fossil fuels (non renewable) and require a large amount of energy to convert
  • Since the long term use of chemical fertilizer leads to nutrient-deficient soils, many people believe that this results in less nutritious produce. This makes sense to me although I have not discovered research that provides the ‘proof’
  • Chemical fertilizers do not work ‘better’ than organic fertilizers

 Research

Next Post Discussion: Comparison of organic fertilizers

Posted in Uncategorized

Comparing organic fertilizers

Aug08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Rick Weller

So you’ve decided to use organic growing methods and are trying to determine how to best feed your plants. In a previous post (How do organic fertilizers work…), we discussed the role organic fertilizers play in the growing process – they replenish the elements required for healthy soil and plant growth that are lost through natural processes. This discussion will describe organic fertilizer choices.

Commercial Organic Fertilizer Blends

Until recently, quality organic fertilizers were not widely available to the consumer although this is now beginning to change. While you have more choices than in the past, you should do your research before selecting your products.

Just because a package says ‘natural’, ‘organic’, or ‘derived from organic sources’ does not mean that it is a product that you want to use for your soil and plant management.

  • Urea – a synthetically derived organic compound, prohibited for use in organic agriculture
  • Ingredients you do not recognize – often an indication of synthetic components
  • Extremely high NPK claims – beware of anything that sounds “too good to be true”, this may be an indication of synthetic additives
  • Country of origin – due to lax regulations, products from other countries have been found to contain unwanted (and undocumented) substances

Single Components

A wide range of organic and safe sources exist that can provide the elements necessary for healthy soil and plant growth. Unfortunately, it requires a proper formulation of these sources to deliver a complete balanced diet since any single element cannot do it alone.

  • Plant-based components:  typically one of your safest nutrient sources. Potential risk of pesticide and GMO contamination – use organically certified where available.
  • Livestock by-products:  often a rich source of nutrients. Potential risk of contamination due to livestock management practices (hormones, antibiotics, pathogens).
  • Fish-based products:  the American Indians had the answer; an excellent, active source of nutrients and enzymes.
  • Mined components – as natural as you can get but not always good for your garden. Beware of heavy metals, source contamination and salts.

Compost – As discussed in a previous post (Not all compost is the same), compost is an important component in organic growing practices. Compost contains organic matter, trace elements, plant growth hormones and beneficial microbes. However, nutrient and mineral analysis is normally low (less than 1-1-1 NPK) and compost does not typically provide these in sufficient levels to support robust plant growth and yield.

Worm Castings - similar to compost, worm castings are an excellent addition to your organic environment. But, while they offer a wide range of important elements, they are not a major source of nutrients.

Manures – A wide variety of feedstock manures are used as soil amendments in both chemical and organic agriculture including cattle, horse, poultry, swine, goat, etc. Usage is typically dependent on what is available locally or on-farm.

NPK values are typically below 1 but vary across manures. As with most organic fertilizers and amendments, manures also provide a broad range of trace minerals and organic matter. Manures break down rapidly, meaning their nutrients are available to plants relatively quickly.

Caution should be used when applying manures:

  • Manures may contain antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones, chemical contaminants, heavy metals, salts and weed seeds depending on source animal and animal management practices
  • Nutrient levels are a direct relationship to what we feed our livestock – as we continue to move towards corn-based and processed feed, manure nutrient levels drop
  • Manures have risk of biological contamination such as e coli passed from source animal
  • The USDA restricts the use of raw manure for crops intended for human consumption
  • Properly composted manures minimize some of these health risks

Guano (Bats and Seabirds)

Guano is the excrement of bats and seabirds and can contain high levels of nitrogen or phosphorous, dependent on the bats’ or birds’ diet. It has been used as a natural fertilizer for centuries. However, mining and usage of guano is not without risk.

Mining disrupts natural habitats and has led to the loss of bat species, associated invertebrates and fungi. Additionally, a serious human illness (histoplasmosis) has been associated to guano.

Guano is considered a ‘manure’ by the USDA National Organic Program with similar restrictions of use.

Sewage Sludge – Several commercially-available products (including Milorganite) are manufactured from human waste stream sewage sludge. These products are prohibited for use in organic agriculture.

These products may offer a relatively high NPK and a broad range of trace minerals.

Risks of using sewage-based products include:

  • high levels of heavy metals
  • pathogen contamination
  • toxins from items commonly disposed in our sewage systems

Research

What’s Coming Next: we haven’t decided yet

Posted in Organic, Uncategorized - Tagged , , , , ,

Growing organic tomatoes

Jul04
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Rick Weller

If you are growing your own seedlings, start with organic seeds. Many of the major seed suppliers offer a variety of certified organic seeds – my favorite is Seeds of Change.

If you are purchasing transplants, you will need to find a trusted supplier – I have had great luck at my local farmers’ market (don’t be afraid to have them explain their organic practices) and also with online sites such as Seeds of Change.

Tomatoes are extremely hardy and perform well under a variety of conditions:  sandy loams to heavy clay loams, 5-6 hours of sun (8 is better), in-ground, raised beds or containers… you get the picture. Regardless of your growing environment, there are several steps you should take to maximize fruit production.

Prepare your soil:  do not till soil, use a rich garden mix, work in quality compost and a balanced organic starter fertilizer a week or so prior to planting – this allows soil biology to establish. Make sure your starter fertilizer has potassium (HEALTH) which will support strong root development.

Your selection and timing of organic nutrients is dependent on the condition of your soil – soil tests are easy to obtain from county extension services. One of the great aspects of using organic products is that over fertilizing is generally not an issue – these nutrients break down slowly and do not leach into the environment.

Planting - Dig a deep hole and plant approximately 2/3 of your seedling to just below the top ‘Y’ – plants will root along entire buried stem. Add a quality gentle organic fertilizer to the bottom of your hole prior to planting seedling. We have a great fish product (FISHHYDRO) that is excellent for this purpose, kelp is another good source.

A quality balanced organic fertilizer will typically provide the correct balance of macro nutrients needed throughout the growing season. Soils that are deficient in specific nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium – can be amended with nutrient-focused formulas (GREEN, BLOOM, HEALTH).  Tomatoes are heavy feeders – continue to add organic fertilizer throughout the growing season.

Foliar Feeding - foliar spraying of diluted liquid nutrients (FISHHYDRO) has shown evidence of improving overall plant health and increased production in tomato plants, particularly if introduced at flower set – this should not replace root feeding as the root system is the plant’s primary source of nutrient uptake. Apply during morning hours.

Pests & Disease - the presence of pests or disease on plants is often an indicator of an unhealthy plant – this is much less of an issue in an organic garden – since 2006, I have been maintaining records of my organic garden environment and have never had a significant disease or pest problem. If issues do occur, organic gardeners have several options:  mechanical removal (pick the pest off your plants), garlic spray, insecticidal soap, and beneficial insects among others.

Watering - while this varies significantly with your environment, there are a couple of important rules of thumb.

  • water the soil at the base of the plant – wet leaves promote disease and pest infiltration (drip irrigation systems or soaker hose)
  • water deeply, 2-3 times per week
  • over-watering is as bad as under-watering:  yellowing leaves, curling leaves or soft roots may be an indication
  • applying mulch around your plants a few weeks after transplanting will help retain moisture (and keep the weeds under control)

Healthy tomato plants require a wide assortment of nutrients beyond NPK – over 70 trace elements are present in healthy soil – organic fertilizers often provide these additional components.

Stake or trellis your plants and train them early. Keeping the plants off the ground has many benefits – easier to spot pests, disease and fruit; allows for better air circulation and drying of water off fruit and foliage.

Research

Next Post Discussion: Comparison of organic fertilizers

Posted in Organic - Tagged , , ,

Not all compost is the same

Jun15
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Rick Weller

Compost has been a staple for the organic gardener and farmer for centuries. Scientific studies, along with years of anecdotal evidence, attest to the value that compost can bring to your growing environment. Even farmers who rely on chemically-managed crop production techniques are increasingly adding compost to their practices.

Compost provides organic matter, a broad range of nutrients and active biology – all important elements of a rich, healthy organic soil. However, the quality and safety of composts vary dramatically based on the source of composted material and the composting process itself.

Organic materials used in industrial and commercial composting include yard debris, livestock waste, human food waste, industrial waste (such as unused carrot tops) and agricultural field waste – specific materials are primarily based on what is available to a local composter. These organizations will use aerobic methods (high temperature), anaerobic methods (low temperature) or a combination to decompose their raw materials in to a compost product.

These sources of organic inputs have potential harmful qualities:  pesticide residue (debris from chemically-treated environment, pesticide-treated food sources, manures),  weed seeds (discarded weed material), pathogens (most manures) and natural toxins (debris from black walnut trees).

Proper composting techniques using low-risk organic inputs can eliminate many of these potential hazards although some composters  will ‘over process’ their product in order to minimize this risk, destroying many of the nutrients and microorganisms that are the foundation of effective compost.

As you can imagine, this wide range of inputs and production techniques result in composts whose quality and risks range widely as well. Examples of compost quality:

  • % nitrogen ranges from 0.27% to 7%
  • pH ranges from 5.7 to 9.2
  • ppm arsenic ranges from 6 to 15 (the EPA considers .43 ppm in soil a cancer risk, the average US soil contains 5 ppm)

I am a huge advocate of using compost as part of an organic program. However, I strongly recommend that you know your supplier, their input materials and their composting processes, particularly when using compost on food crops. Find a supplier who is willing to share this information with you. If you want consistent, high-quality results from your compost, stick with your trusted source.

Compost Research - due to the focus on chemical management practices in the past century,  as is true of many organic growing methods, limited research has been performed on the subject of compost.

Next Post Discussion: growing organic tomatoes

Posted in General, Organic - Tagged , , ,

How do organic fertilizers work…

Jun14
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Rick Weller

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Just like people, plants need food to survive. Just like people, plants are healthier when they consume a healthy diet.

So, what makes a healthy plant diet? If you are like most of us, you would not consider a diet of pills and synthetic chemicals a healthy way to provide the complex vitamins, minerals, nutrients, etc that our bodies’ require. As an advocate of organic growing methods, we do not consider that a healthy regime for plants either.

The sun, water and soil are nature’s way of feeding plant life. A healthy soil contains the broad range of nutrients, trace minerals, amino acids and growth hormones required by plant life. Quality organic soil and plant products are formulated from natural complex organic ingredients that provide this broad range of components. Soil organisms convert these organic elements into forms that are available for plant uptake and develop symbiotic relationships with the plant that support the absorption process (see the Soil Food Web for more detail). As plant life uses these elements, replenish the food supply with additional organic nutrients.

In simple terms, provide your soil with rich organic materials and your soil will provide a healthy diet to your plants.

Next Post Discussion: Not all compost is the same

 

Posted in Organic Definitions - Tagged , ,

Organic methods for weed control

May26
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Rick Weller

We have a partner company that provides organic maintenance service to residential and commercial customers. Every single prospective customer asks the question “what do you do about weeds”.

Two methods exist to control weeds:  prevent them or kill them – prevention is obviously the preferred strategy.

Commercial organic herbicides will be discussed in another post.

Prevention Strategies

  • Prevent weed seed germination - corn gluten meal has proven to prevent seed germination in a number of studies and I can attest to its effectiveness. It is not a guarantee and does not work on all weeds. There is a small window of time that it may be applied (varies with your location) to be effective – get it down just before weed seeds are germinating. Regular use over consecutive seasons will continually reduce the number of weeds. At a cost of about $1/pound and an application rate of about 20 lbs/1,000 square feet, it is not an inexpensive solution. Corn gluten can be found at many feed stores. One other note – corn gluten will also prevent the germination of desirable plant seeds.
  • Block the sun - weeds require sunlight just like your desirable plants. In your lawn, block the sun that the weeds require by maintaining a thick turf (over-seed regularly) and cutting the grass long (3.5″). In your landscape,  cover up bare spots with 3″ of mulch.
  • No bare spots - weed seeds blow across your property every day looking for a home. Don’t give them one by keeping bare soil covered:  seed bare spots, cover spots with mulch, use ground cover.
  • Do not till soil - you have many weed seeds lying dormant in your soil where they have been for years. When you turn your soil you are bringing these to the surface where they will flourish. Turning soil also destroys beneficial biology.
  • Use landscape fabric - when you are installing or re-doing landscape areas, place fabric over the top of your soil (after removing existing weeds) and cover with mulch. Weeds may re-develop in your mulch over time but they will not be able to root deeply and can easily be removed.

Elimination Strategies

  • Pull the weeds - not something we want to hear. We have been maintaining our personal property organically for 6 years and still get weeds, but not many. Our regular ‘weed hunt’ takes about 10 minutes a week – when we see a weed, we dig it out. Taking care of the problem before it gets out of hand is the secret.
  • Boiling water - pouring boiling water on weeds is effective; some weeds will die and some of your desirable plants may die as well. I have found that pulling a weed is much quicker, more likely to work and less likely to damage surrounding plants.
  • Vinegar - many folks suggest a vinegar/soap mix (soap helps the vinegar ‘stick’ to the plant) sprayed on weeds as an organic herbicide. I have found this to be an ineffective solution – many weeds survive, surrounding plants are harmed. The intent is to use the toxicity in the vinegar to kill the plant which is how chemical pesticides work.
  • Salt - do not use salt to control weeds. Salt is harmful to the plant growing environment as well as fresh water aquatic life.
  • Use solar power in larger areas - if you have a larger area that needs to be completely cleaned of plant life, this method has worked very effectively:  cut existing vegetation close to the ground, cover the area with 4-5 sheets of non-glossy newspaper and cover this with black plastic sheet (2-4ml). Weigh plastic down to keep air pockets at minimum. Keep in place for 4-8 weeks. This will eradicate the majority of plants but may also harm soil biology – after removing plastic, cover area with compost to help re-establish biology.

My favorite weed control…

Posted in Organic - Tagged ,

Definition of organic food

May26
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Rick Weller

The USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) defines organic agriculture as “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use off off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain or enhance ecological harmony. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, animals and people.” (NOSB, 1997)

So, what does this really mean?

At the core of organic practices is the philosophy that healthy soil is the cornerstone of healthy plant production. The basic components of healthy soil include minerals, organic matter, water and air. Factors such as soil texture, water holding capacity and pH are also important relative to a soil’s ability to support healthy plant life. Additionally, a diverse biological population is critical to the functioning of an organic environment.

Many people equate the non-use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to organic growing. While this is true and a key tenant for the organic grower, the rationale goes beyond our polluting impact of these products – these chemical practices provide no support for the development and maintenance of healthy soil.

Posted in Organic - Tagged ,

The scoop on chemical (synthetic) fertilizers

May25
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Rick Weller

Many experts and marketers tout the benefits of chemical fertilizers – they are effective for plant growth, they are cheap and readily available, they are simple to use… all of this is true. However, there is a downside.

Chemical fertilizers are primarily produced from non-renewable energy resources (oil & natural gas) and manufacturing processes are extremely energy intensive (high carbon footprint). Most experts agree that runoff from chemical fertilizer application is the primary cause of fresh water algae blooms.

Many synthetic fertilizers are quick-release, meaning that nutrients are immediately available for plant uptake. Plants do not bank nutrients for later use so, the excess either burns the plant, washes away in the next rain or both. Slow-release fertilizers often use a chemical polymer coating to control the release of nutrients.

While these fertilizers are effective for plant growth they can be harmful to soil biology by depositing excess salts, they do not provide micro nutrients and trace minerals required for healthy soil, and they do not add organic matter to the soil. Without a healthy soil, plants become more dependent on chemical inputs.

Synthetic fertilizers are often credited with the tremendous boost in agricultural efficiency we have enjoyed during the past century. This has come at the cost of depleted topsoil, fresh water pollution and an ever increasing dependency on an unsustainable resource.

 

Posted in Chemicals - Tagged ,

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