Natural Organic Programs - Reasons to Go Organic

There are many reasons to go natural organic and stop using synthetic toxic pesticides and high-nitrogen artificial salt fertilizers.

Here are the nine most important reasons:

1. Improved Health. Natural organic fertilizers, soil amendments, and pest control products improve soil health and the overall production of plants. They are nontoxic to beneficial insects, birds, lizards, frogs, toads, earthworms, and other valuable life-forms. Pets and humans can be added to the list. Even the manufacturers of the toxic chemicals admit, indeed brag about, the fact that their products kill all the bugs. That's right—they can't tell the difference between the good and bad. Only 1–2 percent of insects are troublesome. Even most disease pathogens are beneficial if they occur in their proper proportions.

2. Cost-Effectiveness. Any project can be converted from toxics to organics at the same budget. What is more important is that the organic program costs are reduced every year. Each year fewer sprayings for pests are needed, less plant loss is experienced, and plant yields continually increase. And what price do you put on the health of your animals and family? Garden beds never have to be removed and redone, as is often the case under chemical programs. Under an organic program, the soil gets better and better forever—just as the natural forest and prairie soils do. Organic grass–fed cattle ranches spend little to nothing on fertilizers and pesticides. They rely primarily on the natural recycling of organic matter and the natural control of pests and diseases.

3. Time Savings. Because of the healthy soil, irrigation, fertilizing, and replacing diseased and dead plants are needed less often, which saves time compared to the recommended synthetic schedule. Another time convenience is that the timing of the organic applications is not as critical. The season's first fertilization can be applied whenever time and weather allow after the first of the year. The second application may be applied whenever time allows in late spring to early summer. The third application should be done whenever possible from late summer through fall. Since the natural organic fertilizers aren't soluble, they can be broadcast basically anytime. The nutrients become available to the plant roots when the temperature and moisture conditions are right for microbial activity and plant growth. Organic fertilizers stay in place, don't leach through the soil into the water stream, don't volatilize into the air, and basically behave themselves.

4. Fewer Sick and Pest-Infested Plants. When adapted plants are chosen and planted correctly in the proper environment, they have few pests and require little care. High-nitrogen synthetic salt fertilizers and toxic pesticides are problem creators. They lead to more pest problems because of the destruction of beneficial microbes and insects. Natural organic fertilizers and organic pest control techniques are problem solvers. They concentrate on stimulating life instead of killing it.

5. More Stress Tolerance. Plants growing in soil that is rich in compost, rock
minerals, and beneficial living organisms have a greater resistance to all stresses—heat, cold, too much water, too little water, and unusual weather fluctuations. Trace minerals, which are abundant in an organic program, are an important part of this stress tolerance. Organically grown plants will have larger and more efficient root systems. When the proper balance of organic matter, mineral nutrients, air, and living organisms is present in the soil, ornamental plants and food crops have greater concentrations of complex carbohydrates, and these sugars function like natural antifreeze. Anecdotal evidence shows that freeze damage occurs on organically grown plants at significantly lower temperatures than on plants artificially grown. Many organic growers have personally experienced these benefits of the natural way.

6. Better Taste and Food Quality. The increased trace minerals and complex sugars in plants improve the taste of food crops, which is directly related to the health and nutrition of the plants. So-called experts will argue this point, as they will most of our points, but they are wrong. There's a very easy test: Eat fruits and vegetables grown both ways and see which you like better. Also, the use of toxic chemicals eliminates—or should eliminate—the eating of many vegetables, fruits, and herbs. The best example is the rose. Unless you are spraying poisons on the plants and dousing the soil with toxic synthetics, the rose petals are delicious in salads and teas, and the hips, which are the rose fruits, are delicious in teas and an excellent source of natural vitamin C.

7. Improved Environment. Unlike synthetic fertilization, organic products don't cause excess nitrogen to volatilize into the atmosphere or soluble nutrients to leach through the soil and into the water stream. Natural organic fertilizers stimulate beneficial microorganisms, which very effectively clean up contaminations such as pesticides, excess mineral salts, and heavy metals in the soil. Leaching is reduced to almost nil, and no one has to breathe the fumes or otherwise come in contact with the toxic materials. Carbon dioxide, a problem greenhouse gas related to global climate, is taken from the air and converted to an energy form in the soil, where it promotes soil life.

8. Recycled Valuable Natural Resources. All once-living materials are rotted through composting and mulching and then recycled back into the soil to build humus and trace minerals. Grass clippings are left on the turf, leaves are left as mulch in beds, tree trimmings are turned into mulch, and animal manures are composted to become important fertilizers. Under the synthetic programs, these valuable resources are often taken to landfills, burned, or otherwise wasted.

9. Natural Organic Programs Are Fun. It's really no fun to spill toxic chemicals all over you; breathe the fumes; or have to deal with the contaminated clothes, containers, and residues. It's certainly no fun to worry about developing cancer. Under an organic program, the ease of application, the great diversity of life that's experienced, and the successful production of plants truly create some of life's great pleasures.

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