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Step 1 of the Basic Organic Program
The Basic Organic Program is the guts of everything I teach. Might be a good idea to review the program step by step. The main parts are – 1) Stop using the destructive products. 2) Start using materials that build the life in the soil. 3) Use soft pest control techniques.
Liquid soluble products are destructive to soil health and unacceptable.
The destructive products are in two categories - synthetic, high-nitrogen fertilizers and toxic chemical pesticides. Synthetic fertilizers are unbalanced because they contain no carbon, have unidentified, often toxic fillers and the nutrients are basically salts. They are harsh and can burn plants. The salts build up and damage soil health and plant roots. Because the nutrients in synthetic fertilizers are basically in the anionic form, they do not bind to the soil and plants only use a small portion of the synthetic nutrients - the rest pollutes. Synthetic fertilizers are a significant source of pollution and environment destruction. They volatize and pollute the air, leach into the soil to contaminate aquifers and wash into waterways to contaminate and cause weed growth. They are extremely damaging to the beneficial microbes in the soil - both bacterial and fungal. They are also damaging to earthworms.
High-nitrogen synthetic fertilizer are basically salts and are highly destructive to soil life - especially when misused.
The small percentage of high-nitrogen fertilizer that gets into plants forces fast growth that results in weak, watery cell growth and sick plants. Plants grow and flower in the short run, but the imbalance and the weak cells that are created encourage insects and diseases. Plant health is decreased long term. Nature’s job is to take out sick plants and to encourage the survival of the fittest. Synthetic nitrogen advisers tell people to buy products where the slow release portion of the product is in the 60% range. The artificial attempt to slow down these fake fertilizers is humorous. If they would use organic fertilizers, 100% of the fertilizer would be in the slow release form. Organic fertilizers contain N-P-K, trace minerals, organic material, carbon, humus and beneficial microbes - and that's all good.
Toxic chemical pesticides are dangerous and control pests poorly.
The worse choices are 1) Chemical weed-and-feed fertilizers and 2) Nitrogen-only fertilizers such as 24-0-0 and the soluble crystal products such as Miracle Grow.
This widely used herbicide is far more dangerous than advertised - especially to soil life health and the gut health of wildlife, livestock, pets and humans.
Toxic chemical pesticides should be avoided because 1) they are toxic and dangerous, 2) they don’t work well because they kill more beneficials than the targeted pests and 3) the gentle natural organic products are no-toxic and work better. Next week we’ll discuss the details of how to build soil health with aeration, natural-organic fertilizers, compost, rock minerals, sugars, microorganism products and shredded native tree trimmings mulch.
Dallas Morning News - April 26, 2018
BASIC ORGANIC PROGRAM LEADS TO SOFT PEST CONTROL - STEP 1
Step 1 of the Basic Organic Program
The Basic Organic Program is the guts of everything I teach. Might be a good idea to review the program step by step. The main parts are – 1) Stop using the destructive products. 2) Start using materials that build the life in the soil. 3) Use soft pest control techniques.
Liquid soluble products are destructive to soil health and unacceptable.
The destructive products are in two categories - synthetic, high-nitrogen fertilizers and toxic chemical pesticides. Synthetic fertilizers are unbalanced because they contain no carbon, have unidentified, often toxic fillers and the nutrients are basically salts. They are harsh and can burn plants. The salts build up and damage soil health and plant roots. Because the nutrients in synthetic fertilizers are basically in the anionic form, they do not bind to the soil and plants only use a small portion of the synthetic nutrients - the rest pollutes. Synthetic fertilizers are a significant source of pollution and environment destruction. They volatize and pollute the air, leach into the soil to contaminate aquifers and wash into waterways to contaminate and cause weed growth. They are extremely damaging to the beneficial microbes in the soil - both bacterial and fungal. They are also damaging to earthworms.
High-nitrogen synthetic fertilizer are basically salts and are highly destructive to soil life - especially when misused.
The small percentage of high-nitrogen fertilizer that gets into plants forces fast growth that results in weak, watery cell growth and sick plants. Plants grow and flower in the short run, but the imbalance and the weak cells that are created encourage insects and diseases. Plant health is decreased long term. Nature’s job is to take out sick plants and to encourage the survival of the fittest. Synthetic nitrogen advisers tell people to buy products where the slow release portion of the product is in the 60% range. The artificial attempt to slow down these fake fertilizers is humorous. If they would use organic fertilizers, 100% of the fertilizer would be in the slow release form. Organic fertilizers contain N-P-K, trace minerals, organic material, carbon, humus and beneficial microbes - and that's all good.
Toxic chemical pesticides are dangerous and control pests poorly.
The worse choices are 1) Chemical weed-and-feed fertilizers and 2) Nitrogen-only fertilizers such as 24-0-0 and the soluble crystal products such as Miracle Grow.
This widely used herbicide is far more dangerous than advertised - especially to soil life health and the gut health of wildlife, livestock, pets and humans.
Toxic chemical pesticides should be avoided because 1) they are toxic and dangerous, 2) they don’t work well because they kill more beneficials than the targeted pests and 3) the gentle natural organic products are no-toxic and work better. Next week we’ll discuss the details of how to build soil health with aeration, natural-organic fertilizers, compost, rock minerals, sugars, microorganism products and shredded native tree trimmings mulch.
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