As seen in Issue #8

Welcome once again, my faithful floral facilitators! This month I will explore the hows and whys of organic gardening, be it for legal medicinal cultivation or just rockin’ some killer tomatoes on the back porch. There is no shortage of hype about organics these days- my favorite is the assertion that organic corn makes better ethanol to run your car! (umm no, not exactly…)- and there is quite a bit of emerging research out there that organic farming on a large or small scale can be even more productive than we thought.

First, some of the hype; organic farming will save the world through reducing nasty chemicals sprayed on our food supply. Lots of truth to that, but also some hype- after all, just because a substance is organic does not mean that it is automatically safe or non-toxic. Just ask Socrates about his organic hemlock… Also, even organic fertilizers can cause nutrient rich runoff that damages soil and water, causes unhealthy algae blooms and poisons groundwater. Hog farmers and cattle feedlot owners, among others, constantly have to deal with this problem. Another hyped idea (by those opposed to organics) is that you can’t treat insect, fungal or microbial infestations organically. NOT true! Turns out there are plenty of organic repellants and pesticides out there including my favorite, pyrethrum sprays. Very effective against spider mites, this spray can be manufactured from plant sources and in fact growing marigolds (a member of the pyrethrum family) around the perimeter of your garden significantly reduces pests.

Now, on to some of the research being done. It turns out that many of those microbes in the soil that people used to either ignore or attempt to eradicate are extremely helpful to the process of growing plants in ways we are just beginning to discover. For instance, microbes are very helpful in assisting nutrient take up through the plant’s root system, in some cases even manufacturing nutrients or breaking down substances into forms the plant can use. Others eat old, dead roots and thereby allow the plant to regenerate itself, a process that happens continually, even in healthy plants that live 90 days or less… Still more of them assist in buffering the soil or water medium, helping stabilize pH and again, making more nutrients available right where the plant needs them. Who knew?

I wholeheartedly encourage you, no matter what your growing situation, to ‘go organic’, not only because of its sustainability and all the above advantages, but also simply because of an idea so obvious I don’t hear people mention it- the fact that these microbes and plants evolved together, symbiotically, and that attempts to enforce a ‘divorce’ lead to reduced productivity, less vigor, and increased susceptibility to infestation and infection. The best advice on what to use can be found wherever organic supplies are sold or on the internet. Remember that the ultimate goal of organics is to create ideal conditions for your plants- AND for the little microbes in your growing medium who are working so hard to help you out! That’s it for this month, so happy growing! As always, any comments or questions can be sent to my email address and I’ll be happy to answer them!

About the Author:
Tyler Davidson – Indoor Cultivation Consultants -

indoorcultivationconsulting@gmail.com

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