Home Gardening Tips

Bill Stanley on Growing Flowers, Organic Vegetables, and More

Home Gardening Tips header image 2
← ASHT ISSUES STRETCHES AND TIPS TO PREVENT INJURIES THIS GARDENING SEASON Pollinators and Flowers: Welcome Your Garden Guests With Their Favourites →

Organic Gardening is not Free of Chemicals

May 29th, 2008 · No Comments · home gardening tips, organic

Organic Gardening Has Chemical
Questions & Answers (Q&A)
IPM -Organic ControlsIf you think that organic gardens are natural places that are completely free from chemical effects then you need to reconsider your own opinion. With increasing awareness about organic gardening governments across the world are taking necessary legislative actions and as a result we observe several relevant acts and other legislative provisions coming in to effect.

Most of such ‘Organic Certification Acts’ permit gardeners for using micro-organisms, microbial products, materials extracted from plants, mineral bearing rocks, specific synthetic chemicals, and other matters. Such provisions are helpful for gardeners in order to ensure better control over bugs, weeds, and diseases.

Various controls applied by organic gardeners have a fast break down rate. These controls do not destruct the pests, organisms, and insects that are beneficial for gardening. This is not the case with toxicity as well. You should know that such controls are not equally non-toxic and not fit for use indiscriminately. Organic chemicals also require careful handling and a wise use.

An “Integrated Pest Management (IPM) System” is a better option for using these controls. A typical IPM facilitates gardeners with specific tools for specific purposes.IPM uses purpose specific controls. This is always better compared to simple spraying.

While using an IPM you need to be a good observer first. Try to identify the existing problems in your garden first. For this you need to know how to identify insects, pests, organisms, micro-organisms, weeds, and other diseases. This ability of identifying at the first sight would enable you to catch the problem instantly and then the solution finding becomes easier with IPM. There cannot be a single control applicable to every situation and problem.

With the help of IPM gardeners would be enabled to use more organic controls. You can hand pick several of the problems like pests, insects, and diseases which are easy to dispose out. In specified small areas of your garden you may also spray less toxic organic controls. This way you do not have to waste your efforts in covering the whole garden space.

But you must also understand that even the use of IPM would not make the whole area completely free of the chemicals. Organic gardens may only utilize several tools like naturally occurring chemicals. It is always better if you use fewer chemicals in your organic garden as far as possible. If it becomes extremely essential then use them with extra care and caution.


Organic Gardening Has Chemical Pictures

organic gardeningfor dummies.jpg
thum1-39.jpg
EliotBarbara.jpg
commondaylily.jpg
soy.jpg
monkeyjuice.jpg
downy_mildew.jpg


Organic Gardening Has Chemical Videos

Green gardening guide - part one
Green gardening guide - part two
How to Compost : Learn Organic Garden Composting Online : What Temperature your Organic Garden Compost Pile Must Reach and Why
THE PRODUCE GARDEN-Make your own fertiliser


Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question & Answers

Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question: 1


Organic gardening?

What are some things I can do to keep my plants from getting diseases, I don't want to use any chemicals? And how do I keep vegetable eating insects out of my garden? I know there are some insects I can put in to eat the others, what can I plant to attract them?

Answer:
Pepper plants are good for unwanted insects. You can also use dish soap. Nothing fancy just regular "Joy" soap cheap soap only. But, there is a good chance you will kill the good insects too. 1st: Get a bucket, fill it with water 2and: Pour the soap in (not to much because you don't want to get rid of all the good insects) 3rd: stir it up so it can blend. (not to much suds) 4th: Let the bucket of soap sit out in the sun for at least a couple of hours. 5th: Use a sprayer and distribute it all over your plants. See the soap gets in the insects esophagus and the insect dies because it can't breath. You can use this anywhere in your yard. works GREAT for cinch bugs.

Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question: 2


What tips do you have for organic gardening?

I try to garden without any chemicals added. What tips do you have? Especially in regards to pest control?

Answer:
I love the book Secrets of Companion planting. I've never used any chemicals, but thats probably why I spend at least a hour a day in my gardens pulling weeds. Composting is another great thing (and I have horses!)

Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question: 3


Do Ferry Morse flower seeds (Morning Glories) have a chemical coating?

I'm trying to have a complete organic garden, and I have a few Ferry Morse brand seeds. But I know that some brands put chemicals on their Morning Glory seeds because some people use them as drugs (?). "There have been reports that commercially available packets of morning glory seeds from some distributors are coated with fungicides or other chemicals to increase shelf life or discourage the practice of eating them. Seeds from plants grown in one's own garden will be safe as long as you do not spray them with insecticides. " I just didn't want to put seeds into my garden with chemicals that could possibly harm other vegetables or flowers. THANKS!

Answer:
If you're worried about contaminating your garden, try this. Buy commercially available morning glory seeds. Plant them in a pot separately and allow the plant(s) you grow to go to seed. These seeds will be clean and organic. Use them to plant in your garden. It's a little time consuming, but at least you'll know what's on the seeds.

Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question: 4


organic garden?

what are organic gardening basics, i dont want to use manure, chemicals or pesticides. I was planning on using peat moss in the soil, what else should I know in regards to keeping the plants healthy and keeping pests away from the plants, please dont link, i just want simple real suggestions.

Answer:
Growing plants & vegetables without synthethic, artificial man-made chemicals is possible... if you nuture habitats for beneficial organisms that help deter problem pests, and enrich your soil to create a living ecosystem of beneficial bacteria and helpful fungi. If you use compost with composted manure,or fish emulsion for fertilizer ...you don't need artificial fertilizers. Use 1part milk to 9 parts water to control fungus. Milk has a germicidal effect--it kills the fungal spores-- and it also appears to stimulate plants in such a way that they become more resistant to the disease. I suffocated cabbage loopers by sprinkling flour on my cabbage plants when they were wet. The loopers would crawl up unto the leaves & get pasted & fall off. If I saw black insect eggs on the head of the cabbage, I killed them by pouring sour milk on them. Vinegar or boiling water or a layered newspaper mulch can be used to kill weeds. Bugs aren't a big problem when nature is in balance. Set out Praying mantis eggs & ladybugs to consume aphids, mites, whiteflies and scale. They can be attracted to your garden by planting members of the daisy family (Compositae), tansy or yarrow. Make your garden an inviting place for frogs & birds. Cornmeal works on seedlings to prevent damping off or any other soil-borne fungal diseases on both food and ornamental crops. One application may be all that is needed, but multiple applications are okay if necessary because cornmeal serves as a mild organic fertilizer and soil builder. You can grow these beneficial flowers next to your vegetables (as companion plants) to deter pests & improve their growth: Nasturtium are good planted with Tomatoes, radish, cabbage, cucumbers; planted under fruit trees; deters aphids & pests of curcurbits Geraniums repel cabbage worms and Japanese beetles, plant around grapes, roses, corn, and cabbage. Marigolds helps most plants, especially tomatoes and peppers, cucumbers, gourds, squash,broccoli, kale, cabbage Tansy is good for cucumbers, squash, raspberries & relatives, roses, corn. Repels flying insects, Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs and ants Good luck!! Hope this helps.

Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question: 5


Best tips and steps to making an organic garden?

I really want to make an organic garden, because of all the crap and chemicals they are adding to vegetables and fruits today. I want to give my family healthy, organic food and i was wondering if anyone can give me steps and tips on how to make a good organic garden. I live in Miami, fl .. very hott and sunny all day.

Answer:
Read ‘The One Straw Revolution’ by Masanobu Fukuoka. He is a Japanese farmer. I have a link to the USA Amazon below. It does not matter what environment you live in as long as you respect it. I live in England and gardeners here seem to be at war with nature, always trying to trick it into producing more. I find that fruit tree and bushes grow them selves over here. I recently started a wild fruit tree map in google, it has trees and bushes local to me on it, it is open to be edited by any one, so please if you have some fruit tree in Florida do add them. There is a link to this below as well.

Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question: 6


Bugs on organic veggies?

How can I keep bugs from eating my veggies if I am trying to have an organic garden? I dont want any kind of chemical sprays if at all possible.

Answer:
A lot of times, bugs aren't that big of a problem, and when they do invade it is usually just one type of bug. Start your garden, and if you notice that your plants are being eaten, then figure out what kind of insect is doing the damage, and do some research on it. There are different ways to repel every bug.

Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question: 7


What's the difference? Aren't they both organic?

If fertilizer is compiled of natural nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium - rather than some chemical, why is it considered 'bad' in terms of organic gardening? What is the difference between using nitrogen rich manure and nitrogen from a bag?

Answer:
Organic fertilizers vs. Inorganic fertilizers. There has been much controversy over organic versus inorganic fertilizers. It is important to realize that plants do not recognize the difference between organic and inorganic fertilizers. Their tiny root hairs can absorb only nutrients that have been broken down into inorganic, water-soluble forms. It makes no difference to your tomato plant if the atom of nitrogen it is absorbing has come from a compost pile or a fertilizer factory. There are, however, advantages and disadvantages to each form of fertilizer, organic and inorganic. Organic Fertilizer Advantages - Organic nutrients include such things as cow, sheep, poultry and horse manure. (One should avoid using pig, dog or cat feces because of the problems involved with internal parasitic worms which may be transferred to humans.) Bonemeal, bloodmeal, compost, and green manures will also provide nutrients for your plants. There is less danger of over-fertilization by adding decomposed organic material to a garden. It provides a slow release of nutrients as micro-organisms in the soil break the organic material down into an inorganic, water soluble soluble form which the plants can use. The addition of organic material improves soil structure or "workability" immensely. It also vastly improves the water-holding capacities of sandy soils, a distinct advantage in arid climates such as ours. Disadvantages - For the most part, organic fertilizer is not immediately available to the plants. As noted above, this "slow- release" feature can be an advantage. However, if there is an immediate need for nutrients, organic fertilizer cannot supply them in a hurry. Furthermore, information on the amount of nutrients and the exact elements in an organic fertilizer such as manure is not readily available to the home gardener. In contrast, when you apply manufactured inorganic ferilizer you know the kinds and amounts of the elements it contains, and this allows you to be more precise in meeting a plant's nutritional needs. The possibility of nitrogen depletion is another drawback of organic fertilizers. Because of complex bacterial action, the addition of a large amount of organic material can cause a temporary nitrogen depletion in the soil and therefore in the plants. Inorganic or Commercial Fertilizer. Advantages - The primary advantage of using packaged commercial fertilizer is that nutrients are immediately available to the plants. As well, the exact amounts of a given element can be calculated and given to plants. Disadvantages - Commercial fertilizer, especially nitrogen, is easily washed below the level of the plant's root system through the leaching of rain or irrigation. An application which is too heavy or too close to the roots of the plants may cause "burning" (actually a process of desiccation by the chemical salts in the fertilizer). As well, overly heavy applications of commercial fertilizers can build up toxic concentrations of salts in the soil, thus creating chemical imbalances. If organic materials are readily available and cheap, the expense of the commercial fertilizer should also be considered. Whether a gardener chooses to use organic, inorganic or a combination of both types of fertilizers, it's important to follow the guidelines regarding timing of application, placement of the fertilizer, and the proper amount of fertilizer to be used.

Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question: 8


Organic garden?

I posted an earlier thread about purchasing a juicer, and growing my own garden in the spring. Many people who responded, said that it would be best to grow organic fruits and veggies. I would love to do this, but I dont think I know how. I assumed that if I planted seeds in my yard, and took care of them properly, than they would grow into organic produce. I assume this because I wont use chemicals or pesticides. Am I right, or is there something special needed to grow organic foods?

Answer:
Yes! you are correct. Organically grown means no use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Natural fertilizers of course would be fine. Natural fertilizers are manures and compost. You can even produce the natural nutrients with a compost pile, worm bin (grow your own worms and use worm casings as mulch) or manure from any vegetarian fed pets, such as rabbits, chickens, cows, horses. Horse and cow manure must be composted before applying, but chicken and rabbit manure won't usually burn the plants even if applied to the ground fresh. If you make your own compost bin, add only non- animal products, such as fruit and veggie scraps, etc, (with no dressings or butter on them) lawn refuse, better if mulched , the finer the better, newspapers, and coffee grounds. You can also apply coffee grounds directly on the ground. If you don't drink coffee, there are coffee houses that will give you their used grounds at the end of the day if you ask ahead of time. The garden loves coffee grounds. There are many natural pest controls that can be used when gardening organically. Here are some organic gardening websites to help you get started http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/organic_gardening/70761 http://www.organicgardening.com/ I would also suggest joining some organic gardening groups on the web or in person. Good luck, and have a happy bountiful harvest.

Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question: 9


want to purify the tap water for my organic garden?

hi, i know there is a lot of chlorine in the tap water. i heard that if i leave some water in buckets under the sun for a day or two it helps to eliminate all the harmful chemicals. And the water is much better/pure to use in ones organic garden. short of spending money to buy filtered bottle water for my garden what to do? how to avoid having insects like mosquitoes attracted is there some natural repellent? thanx forgot to mention i'm vegan so animal products don't work for me....repelling insects from the garden,I also need to know but i was wondering specifically to the sitting water, how to keep mosquitoes away.

Answer:
As long as you don't let it stand for more than a couple of weeks you should be just fine. There are products you can get that are used in small ponds to kill the mosquito larva. They are also used by people who collect and store rain water for their gardens. I don't know what it is called, but it comes in table form and can be purchased a just about any garden center. As for purifying the water, letting it set for 24 hours is enough to lose the chlorine, but outside plants rarely suffer from chlorine like indoor plants because the soil filters out most of it. Good Luck

Organic Gardening Has Chemical Question: 10


pesticide use in golfing - more organic courses?

i would really like to go golfing at a course that doesnt use toxic chemicals to make the grass totally fake, i wish more people supported organic courses and stopped going to the courses that just spay herbicides and pesticides to cure the bug/weed problems.. in organic gardening you have to have more skill with how nature works and you'd have to have more educated greenskeepers but i think its worth it for the future kids of the world that we dont have all this crap on the surface where it eventually runs off into the same water we drink/bathe in - and all these problems for a game. but im sure dow doesnt mind.

Answer:
of course what you're saying is right but these chemicals keep the grass greener for a longer time with less damage to the grass - it's a cheaper alternative to organic gardening which would be a more time consuming and more expensive problem - but I do agree with you

Other Popular Posts in home gardening tips

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Tags: ···

0 responses so far ↓

  • There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.

Leave a Comment

Visits: Visited 535 Times