going organic

just curious,whats the pros & cons of going all organic.A friend tilled my garden last year,then reamed me out when I told him I was using miracle grow.I can understand him being a stickler about it,he does it for a living,& doesn't want to risk his certification.Me on the on the other hand,I'm just trying to help feed my family & hook the neighbors up if we get some surplus.So what's the difference?

 

The difference is big on the long run. Going organic means a healthier soil and a less pollute water. You can take advance of some growing techniques that will make your plants stronger, like natural predators for parasites or grow vegetables that repulse parasites for other vegetables (like onions for carrots).
Benefits affects not only your plants, but your entire garden.

 

ok,this might sound like a stupid question,but I am serious here.Is using sevin dust for insect control organic,or no?

 

you aren't supposed to eat stuff grown with miracle grow. unless they make one specifically for plants you are going to eat. i wouldn't want tomatoes or marijuana for that matter grown with miracle grow

not using that stuff is the benefit to growing your own!

 

And sevindust is not organic. Go do a bit of research into Habitats for Praying Mantis, I had a ton of them come around while I was Gardening in S. Missouri as well as Lady Bug's, very beneficial for getting rid of pest insects in the garden.

And *&^% Miracle Grow, if where you're at is anything like where I was (Down by Licking / Houston area) just go harvest up a mess of the forest litter thats good and decomposed, like what builds up in rocky grottos or under old logs or that bottom inch or so of soil under all the leaves from last year. I was growing Tobacco in that stuff and a mess of other crops as well. I used the mulch and mixed it with about an equal portion of charcoal from the fire pit and about 10-20% more in volume of sand as a sort of ghetto version of home made terra-preta. And if you have very clay ridden soil, do some research into terra preta and making bio char, really good stuff for gardening as it locks in your ferts as opposed to letting the rain wash it all away.

 

For pest control you can use equisetum, tobacco, pine oil, etc. One of the best insect control are ladybugs. Sulfur and copper are also used as organic fungicide and pesticide in some countries (here in Italy I think that sulfur is no longer considered an organic pesticide).

 

I've grown both ways, and personally, I think total organic is overrated. I use a good soil, compost, mulch and generic miracle gro. I use sevin as needed, although, last year I didn't need it; when I do, it's only once or twice a year. I use lots of little tricks I've learned over the years. The biggest factor is how you set up your garden.



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Golly, that's purty. *_*

We usually stick with the marigolds to keep away bugs. And rotating our plants every year. I also found a 3 in one pesticide, miticide, and fungicide that supposedly contained only Neem oil (and I found it at Walmart!) and it pulled me through the nasty wet fungusy just generally hellish last season we had...

 

organic is best....you cant say that fertilizer that comes from chemicals can be good for you...besides its been scientifically proven that organic plants can resist pests better than fertilezd plants..and every generation their natural immunity builds....organic is less work ultimately....of course its easier in the short term to chuck down fertilizer and spray peticides but i wouldnt want to EAT that

 

Those tomato plants of mine (below) reached about 14 feet long and gave some of the best tomatoes you can get; from a combination of organic and miracle grow.

I wouldn't want to eat some of the organic fertilizer and pest control stuff either. That's why you wash your food before you eat it.

The reason fertilizers and insecticides were developed was organic methods were not working good enough to produce the amount of food the world needs.


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that is a matter of opinion and a choice of individual consciuosness

...I suggest you read THE OMNIVORES DILEMMA by Michael Pollan [Penguin Press] ISBN 978-0-7475-8683-8 it was a New York Times bestseller.. happened to be the final nail in the inorganic farming method for me... essentially quantity means nothing if it is empty food...it is better to have a smaller quantity of quality nutritious food....

the system indoctrinates effectively... each to his own after all.. I have chosen my way [i did not mean to imply you should choose my way] eat what you want

 

And I stated it as such.

As do consumer groups.


If fertilizers and insecticides are so unhealthy, why has human life expectancy been getting longer during the same period of time as their development and use?

I'm not trying to make a case that organic growing should not be utilized, only that it is not practical in many instances, particularly in commercial growing. I rather like using as little chemicals as I can without reducing my yields. My opinion is that the effects and benefits of total organics are exaggerated, but not without merit. When I'm faced with the choice between Sevin and no tomatoes, I'll get out the Sevin. We have some very aggressive insects here, some can wipe out an entire crop in a few days.


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I firmly believe this, or at least selections from the literature that inspired this, should be required reading for anyone going into a food business of any kind. I might go so far as to say it should be required for kids to read in health class.

 

If i look at the choices the majority or consumer groups make and then look at the world and how out of synch and 'bad' we have made it I tend to want to chose another choice..

its a scientific fact that if plants are grown in soil with inorganic additives their natural resistance to pests and disease is compromised..[not to mention the toxic waste these chemicals ctreate when they are manufactured and the damage they do to the soil ecosystems]

ever wonder why there is more cancer around in these modern times ? Its what we choose to put into our bodies that defines us.

[Open yourself ,read the book and then we can chat]

our pests and diseases here are rather tough aswell ....

 

If i look at the choices the majority or consumer groups make and then look at the world and how out of synch and 'bad' we have made it I tend to want to chose another choice..

its a scientific fact that if plants are grown in soil with inorganic additives their natural resistance to pests and disease is compromised..[not to mention the toxic waste these chemicals ctreate when they are manufactured and the damage they do to the soil ecosystems]

ever wonder why there is more cancer around in these modern times ? Its what we choose to put into our bodies that defines us.

[Open yourself ,read the book and then we can chat]

our pests and diseases here are rather tough aswell ....

 

My use of the term "consumer groups" was a poor choice. What I meant was advocacy groups indoctrinate effectively, also. I've always been a middle of the road kinda guy on most things.

Not really, that question has been answered. Smoking, air pollution, poor eating habits, chemicals, and yes, some are insecticides. But aside from specific types of cancers, it's not really agreed upon as to whether or not incidents of cancer are increasing much when longevity and diagnostic techniques are factored in.

If you know of some studies that miracle grow or Sevin are responsible for cancer I'd like to see them. Besides, when I read the ingredients in miracle grow, It appears to be the same things in the soil that my plants need to feed on.

I think it's great if total organic growing suits you. It just isn't practical for me. For several years I used many of Jerry Baker's techniques and found some quite useful. Over the years I've developed my own techniques and most of the time I do quite well.

After several years of bad health I'm having to rebuild my gardens. I Like raised beds with a permanent support system for the plants that need it. I use an irrigation system that takes water and nutrients to each individual plant, or group, with a system of valves. I'm looking forward to getting older and I need a system that requires the least amount of attention possible.

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cool...i just see how damaging our lifestyles choices are for us often with the disease only being linked to cause much later...i do beleive the less we modify our enviroment with chemicals the healthier we will become....... i am not perfect ....i am slowly changing my habits and ways to be more natural ...and i feel better for it.....keep smiling

 

I agree with you pretty much, but the chemicals used today are not nearly as damaging as some that were used several decades ago. Governments are listening, laws are changing and corporations are responding.

The problem today is the advocacy/political groups that are spreading propaganda about genetically modified foods. These modifications are primarily to increase drought resistance and insect resistance, and increase the nutritional value of food crops. These new plants would decrease the need for chemicals while improving the overall health of the worlds population.

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Genetic modification is something that terrifys me. SuperPlants will create SuperDiseases and Pests. Already there is a Super Weed that is herbicide immune due to genetics jumping from altered plants. the only way to be rid of it is to manually pull it. The more you mess with nature the more it will mess with you

 

YOU NEED TO STOP EATING IMMEDIATELY !!! Everything you've been eating for your entire life has been genetically modified. Read this:

http://dels.nas.edu/plant_genome/booklet_part_2.shtml?gclid=CPya5pKy56ACFV1-5QodtlaxJQ

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