Doing organic right

As more growers are exploring alternative and sustainable methods of producing crops, their first inclination is to source the least expensive options available. Many bagged, organic soils on the market today rely on one source of fertilizer for the nutrient charge. Some list poultry litter, steer manure, or worm castings or composts derived from them as the main ingredient. These inexpensive bulky fillers give an initial quick release of ammonium nitrogen, resulting in a flush of growth that needs to be checked with plant growth regulators if quality is to be maintained in the commercial greenhouse. This lush growth is soon checked when, after a few weeks of production, the manure in these mixes causes a nitrogen draw to occur. The sawdust or straw in the manure begins to be broken down by the bacteria that were introduced into the mix by the manure. Without heavy inputs of fertilizer, the plants growing in these mixes start a steady state of decline due to nitrogen starvation. When a contest ensues for nitrogen between the plant and the millions of bacteria in the pot, the million bacteria always win. The shelf life of these plants is measured in days when they receive daily applications of clear water in the retail setting.

The grower is faced with having to change the liquid feed program for month-old plants while having another weaker feed for newly transplanted material. These confused growers either over-fertilize everything and produce an extremely overgrown crop, or the usual case is that the plants are grossly underfed and get shipped looking more sickly and malnourished with each passing day. More precise growing practices are needed because by the time vegetable crops show signs of nutrient deficiency, loss of productivity has already taken place.

Most growers from the largest to the smallest rely on purchasing their potting soil from large suppliers in bulk because they lack the knowledge and or facilities to create their own mixes.

Most organically grown vegetable starts are grown in inert mixes consisting of peat moss, perlite or pumice, and limestone as a buffering agent to counteract the high acidity of the peat moss. The mix is easily reproduced and certified organic by the different governing bodies. These inert mixes, if described from an ecological perspective, would be classified as biologically impoverished and nutritionally bankrupt. These mixes present three new problems, one for the grower, one for the retail garden center and one for the garden customer.

Growers using these mixes are faced with the difficult task of supplying the entire nutritional requirements of hungry vegetables with soluble fertilizers by way of the liquid feed program, otherwise known as fertigation. Soluble organic nutrients, like those found in compost teas, have very low levels of nutrition, resulting in crops with inferior quality that are somewhat smaller and hungrier looking than crops grown in soilless container mixes with higher rates of fertility.

The retailer is faced with having to continue some kind of liquid feed program in order to keep these plants looking healthy and saleable. This seldom happens with any regularity when plants reach the retail market; the general practice is to use clear water to irrigate everything, after all, retailers are not growers. Soon, the plants’ level of quality is diminished even further as they sit on the retail bench and slowly starve to death. Ten days after delivery, valuable retail bench space is taken up by sick looking and slow moving, certified organic vegetable starts that give organics in general a bad name. I have often said that if plants were pets, there would not be enough jails for the offenders.

Unfortunately many organic growers are giving organics a bad name by forcing gardeners to purchase inferior products because the growers lack the knowledge to do the job right. It entails some research and expense that many companies are not willing to accept in the name of profit. They jump on the bandwagon in a big way when they see the higher profit margins for organic vegetable starts without regard for the consumer. They pass on to the retailer and the end consumer the difficult and unenviable task of feeding the one class of plants that must receive high levels of nutrients on a constant basis in order to be a healthy, nutritious and productive mature vegetable plant.

Scott Titus is founder of Windy Meadow Nursery and The Center for Holistic Advanced Organic Studies Ltd. Reach him at scott_titus@comcast.net.