The Basic Philosophy of the Organic Program
 

Stimulating and maintaining healthy biological activity is the key to organics. It’s not complicated – simply avoid doing anything that hurts the life in the soil and choose only those inputs that benefit the life in the soil and that make sense from a horticultural standpoint.

GETTING STARTED

1.  Stop using all synthetic fertilizers, toxic pesticides and other chemicals that harm living organisms.  All high-nitrogen products are bad and nitrogen-only products are the worse. 
     
2.  Build soil health with aeration and natural organic fertilizers and amendments.

3.  Use native plants and well-adapted introductions, water carefully and make wise decisions.
 
SOIL AMENDING - Apply compost, rock materials such as lava sand, granite, basalt and other paramagnetic materials and dry molasses to all planting areas. Use products that introduce and/or stimulate beneficial microbes in the soil.

MAINTENANCE

FERTILIZING - Broadcast organic fertilizer to the entire site 2-3 times per year at 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. Foliar feed all plants during the growing season, at least monthly with aerated compost tea or Garrett Juice. High-nitrogen salt fertilizers and products that contain synthetic material must be eliminated. Biosolid products should be avoided on food crops. Miracle-Gro, Peters, other soluble crystal-type products and Osmocote are not acceptable in an organic program.  Dry molasses is usually the best first step at 20 lbs per 1000 sq. ft.

MULCHING - Mulch bare soil around all shrubs, trees, ground covers and food crops with shredded native tree trimmings to protect the soil from sunlight, wind and rain, inhibit weed germination, decrease watering needs and mediate soil temperature. Other natural mulches can be used, but avoid Bermudagrass hay because of herbicide residue. Also avoid pine bark, cypress mulch and chemically dyed wood products. Do not pile mulch on the stems of plants.

WATERING - Water only as needed. The organic program will reduce the frequency and volume of water needed. Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per gallon of water when watering pots. Use 1 ounce of liquid humate in acid soils. Garrett Juice can be used in either case. Be careful of drip irrigation systems because with those systems, it is difficult to avoid dry and waterlogged spots. Watering from above as nature does is usually best.

MOWING - Mow turf as needed and mulch clippings into the lawn to return nutrients and organic matter to the soil. Put occasional excess clippings in the compost pile. Don’t ever let clippings leave the site. Do not use line trimmers around shrubs and trees. Buffalograss lawns need less care than other grasses.

WEEDING - Hand pull large weeds and work on soil health for overall control. Mulch bare soil in beds. Avoid all synthetic herbicides including Roundup, 2,4-D, MSMA, pre-emergents, broad-leaf treatments, soil sterilants and especially the SU (sulfonylurea) herbicides such as Manage and Oust. Spray noxious weeds as needed with vinegar-based or fatty acid herbicides.
 
PRUNING - Do not “lift” or “gut” trees. Remove dead, diseased and conflicting limbs. Do not over prune. Do not make flush cuts. Leave the branch collars intact. Do not paint cuts. For more details, see  Pruning

CONTROLLING INSECT PESTS - In general, control insect pests by encouraging beneficial insects and microbes and spraying with compost tea or the Garrett Juice mixture. Spray minor outbreaks with plant oil products including orange oil, garlic-pepper tea, and Eugene oil. Avoid all pyrethrum products, especially those containing Piperonyl butoxide (PBO), petroleum distillates and other contaminants.

CONTROLLING DISEASES - Most diseases such as black spot, brown patch, powdery mildew and other fungal problems are controlled by prevention through soil improvement, avoidance of high-nitrogen fertilizers and proper watering. Outbreaks can be stopped with sprays of potassium bicarbonate, cornmeal juice, diluted milk or the commercial product Bio Wash. 

 PLANTING