Articles on Gardening | Topics: gardening, gardens, garden
by Tullia Underwood
Organics – How to Follow this Trend of Gardening
Sustainable Organic Gardening begins with building of the soil. If plants do not get all of their vital nutrients, they weaken. One way to get increased plant productivity is to purchase organic soil amendments and conditioners. When the plants are healthy, they store longer, taste better, are more resistant to insect attacks, and grow a lot more. Their resistance is heightened to the drought, heat, disease, and the cold. When using the best soil, the plant is sure to get all of its necessary nutrients by organically getting rid its deficiencies. By using chemical fertilizers the planter is adding unwanted nitrates to the soil. When using chemical fertilizers, chemical residues are also being added to the food. Adding chemical fertilizers and additives will in the long-run damage the ability of the soil to produce what the plants need to fight against insect attacks, disease, and stress. The growing of plants with chemical fertilizers and building the soil naturally to support healthy plant life is called organic gardening. One of the main causes of unhealthy plants and the disease in plants is the depletion in soil of organic nutrients. If you add pesticides and chemical fertilizers together, the planter will get infertile soil, insect attacks, and stressed out plants. When the planter puts together organic fertilizers and microbial activity, he or she will get resistance to insect attacks, soil fertility, and healthy plants. Healthy, organic gardens are able to produce strong plant that can withstand harsh conditions. Consistent habits and traits are needed to make good soil, are also needed to build fertility in our daily lives.
The growth in the garden proves to oneself that you can use these tools to expand our gardens, the garden of our self, and the garden in our front and back yards. Adding organic soil amendments and conditioners can revive the life of your dying soil without having to add any unwanted chemicals. Potassium, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, along with trace minerals, makes up the nutrients in soil. The soil's pH can be acidic, alkaline, or neutral. The mineral content in the part of the soil called the subsoil determines the pH. The symbol for the logarithm of the reciprocal of Hydrogen ion concentration in gram atoms per liter is called pH. For a better understanding of pH, lets use this example, .00001 or 10-5 gram atoms of hydrogen ions in one liter of solution is a pH of 5. A pH range of 1 to 6.5 is acidic soil. The pH range for alkaline sol is 7.5 to 10. Neutral soil's pH is 7. In order to increase the alkalinity in acidic soil, add dolomite (lime), which is also known as oyster shell lime. If you want to decrease the pH in alkaline soil add gypsum or soil sulfur. In the spring when the soils are getting warmer and the microorganisms are more active. You can add these amendments to the soil. The majority of plants grows the best in the pH range of 6, but will withstand a pH of 5.5 to 7. Here are the organic nutrients in organic soil building:
NITROGEN – this element stimulates the plants and increases green growth; it has proteins, and is a food source for many compost piles (green vegetable matter and grass clippings). Some sources of nitrogen are fishmeal, fish emulsion, blood meal, alfalfa meal, and cottonseed meal.
PHOSPHORUS – it stimulates the growth of roots and the maturation of seeds and fruits. Some sources of phosphorus are bone meal or soft rock phosphate. The way to tell if there is, a deficiency is by brittle roots, skinny stems, late fruit set, purple leaves, and late maturity.
POTASSIUM – this promotes the vitality of the plant and disease resistance in the plant. Some sources are sulfate of potash, Sul Po Mag, wood ashes, or Greensand, or better known as Glauconite. Some signs of deficiency are poor root growth and the yellowing of lower leaves.
| Bit of History |
Our fathers wrung their bread from stocks and stones
And fenced their gardens with the Redman’s bones;
| —Robert Lowell (1917–1977) |
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CALCIUM – it is important for the integrity of the cell wall, leaf growth, and root development. When there are deformed branches and leaves, weak stems and roots, there are low levels of calcium in the plant. Gypsum, which is a good source of calcium, also lowers the alkalinity of the soil.
MAGNESIUM – this is essential for green leaf development and chlorophyll. A sign of a magnesium deficiency is light green leaves with visible veins. If you add dolomite lime to make the pH level rise in an acidic soil, it will correct the deficiency. If you have alkaline soil, you can add magnesium sulfate.
SULPHUR – is a stimulant for microbial life in soil and used to lower the level of pH in alkaline soil. Do not use this very often. One good source of sulphur is soil sulphur or calcium sulfate, also known as Gypsum.
TRACE MINERALS – it is found in kelp meal, algae meal, seaweed meal, and compost. These provide copper, iron, sulphur, zinc, and boron.
OXYGEN – this is one of the most important parts of fertility in soil. Oxygen allows root growth and helps produce microbial activity. Compost, peat moss, humus, and aged manure mixed into the soil help increase air in the soil making plants better able to get the nutrients they need to grow. The soil should never be walked on and be loose to the touch. Mixing wet soil too early in the growing season can hurt or destroy the soil's structure, but pushing all the air out of it.
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