Here at PGS we really try to balance our product lines with an abundance of organic and sustainable products, from organic nutrients to sustainably harvested coco and soil products. The art and science of Permaculture has always inspired us and we pay tribute however we can. On this rainy and windy Wednesday we thought it would be nice to share some background on Permaculture with you. Thanks to wikipedia for providing the following information.

Mollison and Holmgren

In the mid 1970s, Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren started to develop ideas about stable agricultural systems. This was a result of rapid growth of destructive industrial-agricultural methods. They saw that these methods were poisoning the land and water, reducing biodiversity, and removing billions of tons of topsoil from previously fertile landscapes. They announced their permaculture” approach with the publication of Permaculture One in 1978.

The term permaculture initially meant “permanent agriculture” but was quickly expanded to also stand for “permanent culture” as it was seen that social aspects were integral to a truly sustainable system.

Observation develops design—Termite mounds inspire biomimicry for passive climate control in modern housing

After Permaculture One, Mollison and Holmgren further refined and developed their ideas by designing hundreds of permaculture sites and organizing this information into more detailed books. Mollison lectured in over 80 countries and taught his two-week Design Course to many hundreds of students. By the early 1980s, the concept had broadened from agricultural systems design towards complete, sustainable human habitats.

By the mid 1980s, many of the students had become successful practitioners and had themselves begun teaching the techniques they had learned. In a short period of time permaculture groups, projects, associations, and institutes were established in over one hundred countries. In 1991 a four-part Television documentary by ABC productions called “The Global Gardener” showed permaculture applied to a range of worldwide situations, bringing the concept to a much broader public. Excerpts are available online through YouTube.

Further developments

Permaculture has developed from its Australian origins into an international movement. English permaculture teacher Patrick Whitefield, author of The Earth Care Manual and Permaculture in a Nutshell, suggests that there are now two strands of permaculture: Original and Design permaculture.

Original permaculture attempts to closely replicate nature by developing edible ecosystems which closely resemble their wild counterparts.

Design permaculture takes the working connections at use in an ecosystem and uses them as its basis. The end result may not look as natural as a forest garden, but still respects ecological principles. Through close observation of natural energies and flow patterns efficient design systems can be developed. This has become known as Natural Systems Design. (Dr. M Millington and A Sampson-Kelly)

Elements of design

Mature species on a keyline irrigation channel, ‘Orana’ Farm Temperate Victoria, Australia

Permaculture principles draw heavily on the practical application of ecological theory to analyze the characteristics and potential relationships between design elements.

Each element of a design is carefully analyzed in terms of its needs, outputs, and properties. For example chickens need water, moderated microclimate and food, producing meat, eggs, feathers and manure and can help break up soil hardpan.

Design elements are then assembled in relation to one another so that the products of one element feed the needs of adjacent elements. Synergy between design elements is achieved while minimizing waste and the demand for human labor or energy. Exemplary permaculture designs evolve over time, and can become extremely complex mosaics of conventional and inventive cultural systems that produce a high density of food and materials with minimal input.

While techniques and cultural systems are freely borrowed from organic agriculture, sustainable forestry, horticulture, agroforestry, and the land management systems of indigenous peoples, permaculture’s fundamental contribution to the field of ecological design is the development of a concise set of broadly applicable organizing principles that can be transferred through a brief intensive training.

Modern permaculture

Modern permaculture is a system design tool. It is a way of:

1. looking at a whole system or problem;
2. observing how the parts relate;
3. planning to mend sick systems by applying ideas learned from long-term sustainable working systems;
4. seeing connections between key parts.

In permaculture, practitioners learn from the working systems of nature to plan to fix the damaged landscapes of human agricultural and city systems. This thinking applies to the design of a kitchen tool as easily to the re-design of a farm.

Permaculture practitioners apply it to everything deemed necessary to build a sustainable future. Commonly, “Initiatives … tend to evolve from strategies that focus on efficiency (for example, more accurate and controlled uses of inputs and minimization of waste) to substitution (for example, from more to less disruptive interventions, such as from biocides to more specific biological controls and other more benign alternatives) to redesign (fundamental changes in the design and management of the operation) (Hill & MacRae 1995, Hill et al. 1999).” “Permaculture is about helping people make redesign choices: setting new goals and a shift in thinking that affects not only their home but their actions in the workplace, borrowings and investments” (A Sampson-Kelly and Michel Fanton 1991). Examples include the design and employment of complex transport solutions, optimum use of natural resources such as sunlight, and “radical design of information-rich, multi-storey polyculture systems” (Mollison & Slay 1991).

“This progression generally involves a shift in the nature of one’s dependence — from relying primarily on universal, purchased, imported, technology-based interventions to more specific locally available knowledge and skill-based ones. This usually eventually also involves fundamental shifts in world-views, senses of meaning, and associated lifestyles (Hill 1991).” “My experience is that although efficiency and substitution initiatives can make significant contributions to sustainability over the short term, much greater longer-term improvements can only be achieved by redesign strategies; and, furthermore, that steps need to be taken at the outset to ensure that efficiency and substitution strategies can serve as stepping stones and not barriers to redesign…” (Hill 2000)

Core values

Permaculture on an organic farm on the Swabian Mountains in Germany.

Permaculture is a broad-based and holistic approach that has many applications to all aspects of life. At the heart of permaculture design and practice is a fundamental set of ‘core values’ or ethics which remain constant whatever a person’s situation, whether they are creating systems for town planning or trade; whether the land they care for is only a windowbox or an entire forest. These ‘ethics’ are often summarized as;

• Earthcare – recognising that Earth is the source of all life (and is possibly itself a living entity — see Gaia theory), that Earth is our valuable home, and that we are a part of Earth, not apart from it.
• Peoplecare – supporting and helping each other to change to ways of living that do not harm ourselves or the planet, and to develop healthy societies.
• Fairshare (or placing limits on consumption) – ensuring that Earth’s limited resources are used in ways that are equitable and wise.

Modern thought about permaculture began with the issue of sustainable food production. It started with the belief that for people to feed themselves sustainably, they need to move away from reliance on industrialized agriculture. Where industrial farms use technology powered by fossil fuels (such as gasoline, diesel and natural gas), and each farm specializes in producing high yields of a single crop, permaculture stresses the value of low inputs and diverse crops. The model for this was an abundance of small-scale market and home gardens for food production, and a main issue was food miles.

Design innovation

The core of permaculture has always been in supplying a design toolkit for human habitation. This toolkit helps the designer to model a final design based on an observation of how ecosystems interact. A simple example of this is how the Sun interacts with a plant by providing it with energy to grow. This plant may then be pollinated by bees or eaten by deer. These may disperse seed to allow other plants to grow into tall trees and provide shelter to these creatures from the wind. The bees may provide food for birds and the trees provide roosting for them. The tree’s leaves fall and rot, providing food for small insects and fungus. Such a web of intricate connections allows a diverse population of plant life and animals to survive by giving them food and shelter. One of the innovations of permaculture design was to appreciate the efficiency and productivity of natural ecosystems, to use natural energies (wind, gravity, solar, fire, wave and more) and seek to apply this to the way human needs for food and shelter are met. One of the most notable proponents of this design system has been David Holmgren, who based much of his permaculture innovation on zone analysis.

OBREDIM design methodology

OBREDIM is an acronym for observation, boundaries, resources, evaluation, design, implementation and maintenance.

• Observation allows you first to see how the site functions within itself, to gain an understanding of its initial relationships. Some recommend a year-long observation of a site before anything is planted. During this period all factors, such as lay of the land, natural flora and so forth, can be brought into the design. A year allows the site to be observed through all seasons, although it must be realized that, particularly in temperate climates, there can be substantial variations between years.
• Boundaries refer to physical ones as well as to those neighbors might place, for example.
• Resources include the people involved, funding, as well as what can be grown or produced in the future.
• Evaluation of the first three will then allow one to prepare for the next three. This is a careful phase of taking stock of what is at hand to work with.
• Design is a creative and intensive process, and must stretch the ability to see possible future synergetic relationships.
• Implementation is literally the ground-breaking part of the process when digging and shaping of the site occurs.
• Maintenance is then required to keep the site at a healthy optimum, making minor adjustments as necessary. Good design will preclude the need for any major adjustment.

Hey guys, as most of you know, PGS has a sister company called Local Harvest. Local Harvest produces organic plant food that out performs most synthetic, chemical/ salt based hydroponic nutrients. We recently have perfected the feeding schedule for Local Harvest and it’s based on our own experience with our own product. Feel free to give us a call anytime with any questions you might have. We want you guys to have some of the success we have had with Local Harvest!

New Local Harvest Feed Chart

We recently got a comment concerning an old post I made about seed balls. This concept is so fantastic it deserved a 2nd post! Imagine taking your outdoor, or indoor for that matter, to this level. I this is an amazing way for us to preserve some valuable genetics and possibly increase yields.

Seed balls (土団子,土だんご, Tsuchi Dango Earth Dumpling) consist of mixing one measure of seeds for next season’s crop with 3 measures of compost and 5 measures of red clay, and sometimes manure then formed into small balls. Much less seed is used than in conventional growing, resulting in fewer plants which are smaller but stronger with a higher yield. The technique is useful for seeding thin and compacted soils, and avoiding seed eaters.

It is an ancient technique that was re-introduced by Masanobu Fukuoka, an advocate of “natural farming”.

Soil Chemistry

As plant material dies and decays it adds organic matter in the form of humus to the soil. Humus improves soil moisture retention while affecting soil chemistry. Cations such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium are attracted and held to humus. These cations are rather weakly held to the humus and can be replaced by metallic ions like iron and aluminum, releasing them into the soil for plants to use. Soils with the ability to absorb and retain exchangeable cations have a high cation-exchange capacity. Soils with a high cation-exchange capacity are more fertile than those with a low exchange capacity.

Hydrogen ion concentration in the soil is measured in terms of the pH scale.  Soil pH ranges from 3 to 10. Pure water has a pH of 7 which is considered neutral, pH values greater than seven are considered basic or alkaline, below seven acidic. Most good agricultural soils have a pH between 5 and 7. Though acidic soils pose a problem for agriculture due to their lack of nutrients, alkaline soils can pose a problem as well. Alkaline soils may contain appreciable amounts of sodium that exceed the tolerances of plants, contribute to high bulk density and poor soil structure. Alkaline soils are common in semiarid regions.

Soil is an essential natural resource, formed spontaneously from rock over an extensive period of time, and made up of soil solids (mineral particles and organic matter) and pore spaces filled with water and air.

Soil profile

Soil is made up of several distinct layers or horizons. These layers form what is known as the soil profile.

The top layer of soil or topsoil is the richest, having the most amount of humus (partially decomposed organic soil material). This phenomenon is largely due to the presence of decomposers (predominantly bacteria, fungi, and earthworms) that recycle dead organic matter (plants and animals) into humus. The subsoil is below the topsoil and is low in humus. However, this is where most soil nutrients are found. Below the subsoil is weathered parent material, which is full of rock particles and minerals with no humus. Parent material is the initial state of soil and can be bedrock, organic material or deposits from water, glaciers, volcanoes, or wind. Physical weathering over millions of years has broken down these materials into fine particles, and soil inherits physical and chemical properties from this parent material. Bedrock sits underneath the weathered parent material and is made up of solid rock. This solid rock will stay hidden and undisturbed until an earthquake or erosion expose it to the surface where some of it will be weathered to make way for the next batch of parent material, which starts the soil forming process all over again. However, soil is not the end product of weathering rock, it is simply a stage in the mineral cycle, and the process by which nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, and calcium cycle between living things, and the atmosphere and soils.

What is soil structure?

The form that the soil takes based on its physical and chemical properties is termed soil structure. Mineral particles that make up soil ranges in size from fine to coarse and are categorised accordingly as clay, silt, and sand. The amount of clay and organic matter in a soil plays an important role in determining soil structure. Clays carry a negative electric charge and can attract positively charged cations and water molecules, forming small aggregates. Sand and silt do not have any charge, but are combined into these aggregates when their surfaces become coated with clay or organic matter. These small aggregates can then form larger aggregates with the help of fungal hyphae. The structure of the soil depends on the size, shape and arrangement of these aggregates, and on the pores between these aggregates.

Why is structure important in your garden?

A ‘well structured’ soil will hold large amounts of water and dissolved nutrients. The aggregates will withstand cultivation and will not ‘puddle’ when wet or become dusty or set hard when dry. The network of pores will ensure adequate drainage and aeration, which are essential for the health of plant roots. Additionally, good structure will provide an excellent medium from which seedlings can emerge and through which roots can explore for moisture and nutrients.

Grading soil structure in your garden

How to improve soil structure?

The most preferred soil structure for growing crops contains a ratio of 2:2:1 of sand, silt and clay, and is referred to as loam or balanced soil. However, a good soil structure can be obtained by adding organic matter to the soil.

Clay and hardpan type soils can be improved by adding gypsum to the soil. Gypsum tends to improve soil structure by loosening the soil, improving drainage and aeration and reducing crusting. However, you still must add organic material to the soil to add nutrients and assist good soil structure.

Note: Gypsum use on sandy soils can aggressively leach out nutrients.

Functions of organic matter

• Serves as a source of plant nutrients (especially nitrogen and phosphorus)

• Helps the formation of soil aggregates with the help of microorganisms (especially fungi), improving soil structure, aeration and water infiltration and resisting erosion
• Increases buffering of soils
• Provides sources of energy that affect the activities of both macro and microfaunal organisms
• Improves nutrient holding capacity (cation exchange capacity)
• Improves soil colour

From: www.uvm.edu

Organic growing indoors is quite different from organic agriculture outside. The Soil Association will not certify our indoor tomatoes because they are not produced purely ecologically. But who cares what they think? The Soil Association have just certified farmed salmon that is obviously not ecologically sound. What most of us want is the tastiest, non-poisonous harvest possible with enough quantity to justify the outlay in money and time. We can provide most of the necessary aspects of the natural environment for a nature-identical product.

Organic is not just doing without chemicals, you have to provide the plant with everything it needs. In organic growing you are adding much more than with the pure chemicals, substances that the plant benefits from even if it can live without them. Several companies now produce ranges of organic nutrients, soils and pest controls that enable the indoor grower to get yields that are very worthwhile. They will not produce quite as much as plants forced to their limit in a hydroponic system but the smell and taste should be noticeably better. They will also be far more resistant to problems while growing than their chemical-fed cousins. The essentials are:

1. Pest control that does not pollute the plant or the environment.
2. Natural soil components.
3. Natural nutrients.
4. No post-harvest chemical treatment.

There are many products on the market now that offer good control of pests. The most important first step is to make sure you have proper conditions in the growroom. Too much heat or cold, not enough airflow, irregular watering or inappropriate nutrient strength, bad pH, rotting dead plant material – anything that stresses the plants can invite disease and pests to take control. The organically approved pesticides include many that smother the pest. Insects and mites breathe through holes in their shell and these are easily blocked. Others act by stripping off the waterproof coating of the insect or mite so it dries out rapidly. These are very good products but have one drawback – they have to be sprayed onto the pest directly. If some are hiding you don’t kill them. Predators will help to get the last cunning bastards. Depending on the pest you have these can be mites (with the same huge appetite for other mites that the spider mite has for plants), nematode worms, parasitic wasps or ladybirds. They have evolved to seek and destroy. These predators have to be bought fresh and used as soon as possible as they get hungry and die very quickly. There are now some bacteria available that kill sciarid fly (fungus gnat), the bane of many indoor soil grows.

Normal, healthy soil contains massive amounts of living fungi and bacteria. About one billion bacteria in one gram of soil. Fungi can range from microscopic single cells like yeast to massive networks of underground threads of the same fungus covering up to 10 square kilometres. There are now a range of cultures of fungal spores and bacteria available to buy that are made to help our plants. These are very important in producing healthy organic plants. The fungi will defend our plants from disease-causing organisms like root-rots caused by Pythium and Phytophthora, actually producing a physical barrier in the form of a sheath around the root tip. As well as defending against enemy organisms the fungi take some sugars from the plant in return for pumping other nutrients into the roots. The fungal threads cover a much larger volume of soil than the plant roots. Symbiotic (from the Greek for “living together”) fungi particularly help the uptake of phosphorus (the P in NPK). Fungi will help against many forms of plant stress but they need an acidic pH and won’t tolerate large swings to high pH (alkaline) conditions. Bacteria help by killing pathogenic organisms and turning nutrients into usable forms.

In the last few years several companies have perfected their organically-certified nutrients for indoor use. Nothing could be simpler, just dilute and use. Most should be used immediately as they are so rich and bacteria-friendly they will go off quickly when diluted. Many organic gardeners like their own soil mix recipes but that is not really necessary now as the soils available have improved so much. The various additives are very confusing, as with all additives for indoor growing. We will be trying to sort out what is hot and what is rot in future issues.

Avoiding post harvest treatment is, of course, easy in home production.  Most of us cannot understand why commercial producers need to spray chemicals on consumables before offering them to us. After all, it is only going to be on the shelves for a few days isn’t it? It seems you can’t trust anything you buy nowadays without researching it fully and having a laboratory on hand to detect contamination. This is why so many people are turning to producing their own fruit, veg and herbs at home. Worry is bad for the digestion. If we need to store our produce we can dry it quickly at a low temperature with plenty of airflow. Once dry it should be crisp to the touch and will then keep almost forever in a sealed glass jar in a dark place.

Organic indoors means using the most recent scientific advances to grow plants indoors in the way they have been grown for thousands of years under the sun. I recommend it, You will never have tasted anything so good.

Author: Alfred Nussbaum  – Original Article Here – Thanks To UrbanGardenMagazine

Mycorrhizae play an important role in plant nutrition. Because they are unseen, they are often disregarded when it comes to deciding upon a cause for decline in a particular planting. Just what are mycorrhizae and why are they so important in plant production?

The word “mycorrhiza” means fugal root. To be more specific, mycorrhizae are fungi that have a symbiotic rela­tionship with the roots of many plants. The fungi which commonly form mycorrhizal relationships with plants are ubiquitous in the soil. Many mycorrhizal fungi are obligately symbiotic and therefore are unable to survive in nature for extended periods of time without their host. Because the relationship between the fungus and the plant is symbiotic, both members of the relationship obtain a benefit from each other. Neither the host plant nor the fungus suffer any ill effects as a result of the relationship. The fungus, because it does not photosynthesize, cannot fix its own carbon. Consequently, it receives all of its necessary carbohydrates from the host plant. In return, the mycorrhiza absorbs nutrients from the soil which are passed along to the plant.

In most situations, the roots of a plant occupy only 0.5% of the topsoil volume and even less of the subsoil. Because the hyphae of the mycorrhizal fungus is thinner than the plant’s roots, it is able to come into contact with more soil on a per-volume basis. The mycorrhizal fungi are made up of a root-like structure and posses a network of mycelium external to the tree roots that extends into the soil. This mycelium absorbs nutrients and translocates them back to the host plant. As a result, there is an increase in the absorption surface area of the roots.

There are some plant nutrients that move slowly in the soil and may appear to be unavailable to the plant. The result of this sluggish movement is a deficiency symptom in the plant. This is particularly important in the case of phosphorus. Most of the phosphorus in the soil is in an insoluble form. Insoluble phosphorus is unavailable to plant roots that do not have mycorrhizal associations. These same mycorrhizal roots also form associations with litter­decomposing organisms and thus are able to obtain nutrients from an otherwise unavailable source.

There are two main classes of mycorrhizae: ectomycorrhizae and endomycorrhizae. The ectomycorrhizae are also know as sheathing mycorhizae. They are found on many evergreen trees and shrubs. Deciduous trees are also colonized and include plants in the genera Fagus, Betula, Quercus, Tilia, Populus, Salix and Castanea. The fungus covers the ends of young roots and only penetrates the cell wall of the cortex; no further cellular penetration occurs. The ectomycorrhizal fungi belong to the class of fungi called Basidiomycetes. Basidiomycetes are fungi that commonly produce mushrooms as their fruiting structures. This explains the occurrence of mushrooms in the root zone beneath the dripline of a tree. Ectomycorrhizae not only absorb phosphate from the soil but they also are important in ammonium and zinc uptake as well. The fungi that form a symbiotic relationship with the plant are relatively host-specific. However, some fungal species may be more generalized and will colonize several species of plants. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are dispersed either by airborne spores or through the transfer of infected plant tissue.

Endomycorrhiza, on the other hand, invade the plant’s roots and develop entirely within the plant. Vesicular­arbuscular endomycorrhiza (V-A type) are the type commonly found on deciduous trees as well as annual agronomic crops and other herbaceous plants. Unlike the ectomycorrhiza, the mycelium of the endomycorrhiza penetrates the root’s cortical cells. The hyphae grow inter­ and intracellularly within the root. In woody ornamentals, only the short roots are affected. V -A endomycorrhiza belong to the class of fungi called the Phycomycetes, or water molds. Other common fungi belonging to this class include Phytophthora, responsible for root and crown rot; and Pythium, which causes damping-off in seedlings. The fungus forms specialized absorptive organs called haustoria which are responsible for the uptake of zinc and phosphate. The spores of the fungus germinate in the rhizosphere – the area of soil directly adjacent to the root’s surface – and are dispersed through infected plant material in the soil. They are generally non­specific as to the host required and therefore will infect any suitable plant species.

In addition to increasing the uptake of nutrients, mycorrhizae often provide some protection against soil-borne diseases. They may also increase a plant’s tolerance to adverse conditions. Drought, high temperatures, salinity, and acidity, or a build-up of toxic elements in the soil are some of the effects on host plants that mycorrhizae reduce. This aspect may be important to a tree’s survival in landscape plantings.

With all of the benefits afforded woody ornamentals by mycorrhizal relationships, one should consider the interaction of soil management practices with these beneficial fungi. Mycorrhizal deficiency may occur in soils that have been fumigated, areas where large amounts of topsoil have been removed, or in areas where trees have not been previously grown. The latter is particularly the case with evergreens and ectomycorrhiza which are more host-specific. Additions of nitrogen, phosphorus, or complete fertilizers will reduce the presence and activity of mycorrhiza. This effect is variable with the strain of fungus involved.

Mycorrhiza can play an important role in plant health. Although they are unseen, their effects can be remarkable, particularly in the case of their absence. The next time you are baffled by the results of a soil test which indicates adequate fertility in an area that clearly shows symptoms of deficiency, question whether the symbiotic relationship between these beneficial fungi and your plants might be out of balance.

– Karen Delahaut, University of Wisconsin – Madison

Photos from the Mycorrhiza Information Exchange Website’s Image Gallery.

Original Page Here

Compost teas are seriously popular these days, and for good reason, they work! However, many people come into our stores unsure as to how to brew and use compost teas. The Bountea compost tea brew kit is an awesome and easy way to start making your own tea and reaping the benefits of micro organisms and Alaskan Humisoil.

A Complete Premium Organic Compost Tea System * Winner of 9 World Records for Giant Vegetables * Grow stronger, healthier plants * Increase resistance to pests and diseases * Reduce the need for fertilizers, compost and watering Each Bountea Compost Tea Brew Kit contains: Living Alaska Humisoil to provide a rich compost starter filled with beneficial microorganisms — Bountea Bioactivator, to help those microorganisms flourish — Marine Mineral Magic M3 to supply plant nutrients, minerals and trace elements — Root Web, special species of mycorrhizae fungi to help transport nutrients to plant roots. The Bountea Compost Tea System greatly promotes healthy and sustainable soil ecology. This in turn allows plants to use all the nutrients available in the soil and grow stronger and healthier. Care for the soil — Care for the Earth

Organic nutrient manufacturers are very secretive about their recipes. This makes it very difficult to write about them except where I have seen the results. Some commercial organic nutrients have been certified by independent organic bodies. There are some products that are claimed to be organic but have not been certified. This may be simply because the manufacturer wants to keep the ingredients secret. In the cases where the nutrient is not certified you have to decide whether you trust the manufacturer. There have been cases where the producer just uses the word organic to mean that there is some part of the nutrient made from organic products with a base of chemicals.

It is a common myth that you cannot provide enough nitrogen with organic nutrients. With modern organic nutrients it is quite possible to over-fertilise with nitrogen, so always use the nutrients as recommended on the labels. Don’t assume stronger solutions are better. Too much, even of organic nitrogen, will result in weak growth that is more vulnerable to pest attack. This can provoke the production of too many leaves, few flowers and tasteless harvests.

Bio Sevia is one of the latest organic nutrients and will give excellent results surprising to those who may have tried older attempts at organic nutrients made by less technically-minded producers. I know some people who have managed to use the new Bio Sevia range in hydroponics but the technique is so intricate that it would require an article on its own. I would recommend only using organics in soil unless you want to learn degree-level hydroponics. The use of their Trichoderma fungus additive is very much recommended to drive the best results from your plant. Bio Sevia is certified organic by Qualité France.

Canna have recently revised and improved the formulae of their Bio Vega or Bio Flores. They should now give even better results than before. Simple to use they are another one part organic nutrient for use with soil. The ingredients are all plant extracts but only hops are specified on the labels. Hop waste is a very rich organic nutrient mostly obtained from the beer brewing industry. For the those who don’t know the hop, the hop vine is a massive, fast-growing plant that reaches 8 metres tall from ground level every year. The hop vine drags huge amounts of minerals through its large root system. One of the problems of growing hops is feeding them fast enough to keep up with their growth. The hop flowers contain lots of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus as well as most of the minor minerals that were present in the soil in which it was grown. Canna Bio Flores and Vega are certified organic by the official organic certification body for the Netherlands.

Another Dutch certified organic nutrient with as many satisfied growers as Canna is Bio Bizz. Although they do not reveal the ingredients they are all plant- and mineral-derived. As they a little cheaper than the Canna products they are used by the majority of organic growers whom I know. Perhaps that says more about my friends than the relative quality of the two nutrients.

An old favourite that is still used by many organically-minded gardeners is Earth Juice. The manufacturers give the ingredients on the label. So, if you want to add your own favourite additives you will know whether they are already in the mix. Because of the high content of bird and bat guano it can smell quite objectionably bad to some people. Earth Juice contains molasses so you will not need to add any carbohydrate additives like Carbo Load. Both the bloom and grow formulae contain phosphates and potash so you may not need to add them to your soil.

Most one part organic nutrients will be short of phosphorus and/or calcium as they are one part nutrients (not A & B). It is quite difficult to make calcium and phosphate soluble at the concentrations needed in a one part nutrient. This is quite easy to allow for by adding rock phosphate or bonemeal to your soil mixture. The fungi in your soil will make these available to the plant.

Local Harvest is another great organic liquid Organic nutrient that performs just like a salt/chemical based fertilizer would. Based out of Sebastopol Ca. They have a Grow and Bloom and a Calcium supplement. I have heard great things about this product.

Another way to feed your plants organically is to make your own “compost tea”. Though some of these are made from well-rotted garden compost dissolved in water there are simpler, faster methods. Garden manure will contain a large range of organisms, not just those that help your plants. It is not possible to reproduce the entire ecosystem indoors so you must select those that help. These live teas can be made from fresh plants and manures. Traditional recipes involved comfrey, nettles and other herbs rotted in water for two weeks. This produced a very stinky liquid that was very good for the plants.

Modern compost teas are made with fungal or bacterial starters Some contain both bacteria and fungi. An air pump is essential to ensure that the mixture stays oxygenated. Keeping high levels of oxygen in the tea reduces the smell to tolerable levels but it is still best to put your composting bucket in a relatively unused room. High oxygenation also benefits the better types of bacteria and fungi. Compost tea made without oxygenation could produce very high levels of the most dangerous fungi and bacteria, for you and your plants. Using Liquid Oxygen or other hydrogen peroxide solutions is not possible with compost teas as the useful organisms will die immediately they are added.

Bacteria-dominated teas should contain plenty of protein rich plant matter such as vegetable waste, especially from beans and leafy vegetables. The bacteria-dominated teas can be diluted and used as foliar sprays when plants are young.

Fungi-dominated compost teas should be given small amounts of molasses or other sugary foods to feed the fungi. Too much sugar can be detrimental producing an overgrowth of common yeast, it is best to add a little every day. Phosphates can be added by the action of the fungi or bacteria on rock phosphate or bat guano.

Compost teas must always be made with chlorine-free water. Chlorine is added to the water-supply because it kills a wide range of bacteria, fungi and other disease-causing organisms, having the same action as bleach. It will also kill your beneficial organisms. You can get rid of low levels of chlorine by leaving the water to stand overnight but to be absolutely sure use a charcoal-based water filter or Reverse Osmosis filter.

If you don’t like the idea of all this bother for your plant food, you can get the same benefits by using any of the liquid organic nutrients as a short cut. Make up the solutions in your reservoir as directed on the bottles. Add a bacterial or fungal starter. Keep the mixture heavily oxygenated by an air pump driving air through airstones. Clean the airstones regularly so they do not become blocked. Use the liquid to feed your plants whenever they need it. After a week make another batch of nutrient. If your mixture smells sweet and yummy you can keep a little of your old nutrient tea in the bottom of the reservoir to start the new batch. However, after some time you will lose some of the organisms you need and should add the starters occasionally. You do not have to wash your reservoir thoroughly, the beneficial organisms should be keeping the nasty ones in check

Thanks Urban Garden Magazine for the Article – Original Page Here

You don’t need chemicals to supercharge your garden.  Mother Nature has more than her fair share of tricks up her sleeve at your disposal!

For this post I am going to mention just a few of the many powders that are approved to use in organic cultivation. I am not going to give recipes and quantities to use because there so many different types of soil mixes available, many already having some of these additives already included. I also won’t refer to specific brands – again because there are so many!  All of these supplements are easily available from PGS where you can ask for further advice regarding your soil mixture. Many people are surprised that these rocks from mining can be used in organic gardening but they are essential in indoor soil mixes as there is no subsoil under the plant to provide these minerals.

Bat Guano is a euphemism for bat shit. This is usually mined from bat caves in tropical and sub-tropical countries. Bird guano has been used but bat guano has a legendary reputation among indoor growers. The results on heavy-feeding plants such as fast-growing vegetables can be amazing. It is quite smelly, though there are aged versions that do not smell so offensive. Of course, the contents vary according to the diet of the bats that dropped it. Bats have a very nutrient-rich diet. As they must be as light as possible to fly they do not keep food in their guts for very long. This means that the manure they produce is still full of nutrients, many forming complex chemicals similar to very rich organic soil. Some cave-dwelling salamanders that are normally meat-eaters live happily on a diet of bat guano. Most bats eat insects and insect shells contain large amounts of chitin, the same as the cell walls of fungi. Chitin is like a starch with added nitrogen. For this reason the bacteria and fungi in your soil can use it efficiently, it is a food they recognise. As well as nitrogen it contains high levels of phosphorus and potassium and many micronutrients. All this adds up to a very powerful fertiliser and you must be careful not to overfeed your plants, especially when the soil has already got fertiliser in it. You can do more damage to a plant by adding too much rather than too little nutrition, burning the delicate feeding hairs on the roots.

Quantity: Suggestions range up to a maximum of 4 to 5% of the total soil though this is only recommended for very heavy-feeding plants.

Clay powder is, like diatomite, a method of adding natural silica minerals to your soil mix. Not to be confused with clay pebbles which have been baked into a ceramic which hardly interacts chemically with the soil. These are much more complex minerals, with lots of essential micronutrients. Do not dig up some clay from your local riverbank, it may contain high levels of toxic heavy metals, even if it appears to be from an unpolluted area. I am afraid to say it is sensible to buy the relatively cheap branded powders from your local hydroponics shop. Their ability to absorb toxic chemicals and resist changes in pH can help a soil mix stay “sweet” and healthy for longer. The silicates in some clays are easily transferred to the plant. The advantages of this are harder, happier, pest-resistant plants that produce higher yields. The silica is used by many plants to strengthen their cell walls. Like microscopic shards of glass these “phytoliths” (from the Greek for plant stones) blunt insect teeth and preventing parasitic fungal entry into the plant. They do not harm human health when using the plant.

Quantity: The only reason for not having a soil made entirely of clay is the resulting lack of airspaces. The dense structure of the soil mix makes it hard for the roots to breathe and penetrate new volumes of soil as they grow. Generally only a little clay powder is used as a supplement.

Diatomite is a soft, crumbly rock that is pH neutral and will not affect the pH of the soil. It has many industrial uses including stabilising dynamite. Often used as a hydroponic substrate due to its chemical stability, though more expensive than clay pebbles. It is formed from the fossilised remains of silica-shelled microscopic algae. The carapaces of these diatoms are sometimes spectacular in their beautiful intricacy. The tiny spikes on these circular are deadly to many insects. They cut open the hard, water resistant shell of the insect which then dies of dehydration. It is also used against slugs and snails in the garden but must form a physical barrier around the plant. As long as you do not inhale the dust it will not harm humans. Some of the important mineral silica can be absorbed by the roots. By adding diatomite throughout your soil you can also provide a different habitat/refuge for fungi and bacteria that helps the biodiversity in your soil.

Quantity: Up to 100% of your medium can be made from diatomite as, like the clay powder, it affects the pH and saltiness of soil water very little.

Dolomite is a type of rock named for its discoverer, Déodat de Dolomieu. He found the rock in a mountain range that is a part of the eastern Italian Alps now known as the Dolomites. Diatomite is easy to confuse with dolomite as it is also a white rock. The mineral is sometimes called dolostone, dolomitic limestone and magnesian limestone. This last name tells us the difference from normal limestone, it contains magnesium as well as calcium. The mineral comes out of saturated solutions in salty lakes or the sea, so is also quite solidly crystalline compared to ordinary limestone. The big difference that this makes is the higher resistance to attack by acids. Ordinary limestone will, if added in excessive quantities quickly make the soil alkaline, with a pH higher than 7. Most plants will be very unhappy at this. Dolomite only changes the pH slowly and in response to very acidic conditions. As it adds both magnesium and calcium when it dissolves it is the ideal pH adjuster for soil in indoor gardens. The actual quantity you add does not matter too much as excess will do little except sit there.

Quantity: Add this around the sentence as is – Quantity: The actual quantity you add does not matter too much as excess will do little except sit there. A heaped tablespoonful for every four litres should be sufficient to “sweeten” a “sour” (acidic and usually nasty-smelling) compost mix.

Rock phosphate is another calcium-based mineral, though there should be lower amounts of other minerals as well, depending on the source from which it was mined. It will not change the pH at all and will hardly dissolve. “What good is that?” you ask. If you maintain a friendly fungal colony in your soil those fungi will form bundles of threads of hypha around each grain of rock phosphate and passing the nutrients along to the roots of their symbiotic ally, your plant. Phosphates are one of the most difficult nutrients to get into the plant as most metals found in nutrients form insoluble phosphates. By adding the phosphate as a solid you can get higher levels of minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc in your liquid nutrient. Again, excess should not matter as the fungi will only mine what they need. Remember to keep your fungi as happy as possible for the fastest growth responses from your plants.

Quantity: About 5% rock phosphate is ideal, though more may be necessary if the rock phosphate powder is very lumpy or solid rather than a fine powder or crumbly mass.

Thanks to Urban Garden Magazine for the article, Photos added by Pete – Original Page Here

One last note from us here at PGS, when ever you amend your grow medium with any supplements, always keep it simple and go light on the dose…1-866-PGS-GROW

Happy ALOHA FRIDAY gang. We want everyone to know that it’s not all about selling products for us, we love to share our experiences and give grow tips that we know are going to work and make your plants happy! Compost teas continue to be one of the most important developments in horticulture. An ancient technology, compost teas are seeing a huge renaissance of interest. Modern gardeners are evoloving the teas to an even more beneficial level, through the use of refractometers (brix), microscopes that measure plate levels of micro organisms, and the advancement of organic nutrients that feed the micro organisms created when we brew teas. Modern science meets old school technology and all of us prosper from it.

Today we have a great video on how to make your very own Compost Tea brewer with ingredients you can buy from just about any hardware store. I have personally tried this recipe and it’s terrific!

We really appreciate the enormous response everyone has given to our new site! All your comments and compliments are seriously appreciated! Have a great weekend, and brew some compost tea for me. ALOHA

Hey guys, it’s pretty cool to see how much this blog has grown. One of our very first posts to the blog here was for our own PGS nutrient line called, LOCAL HARVEST.  So many people have been asking about a formula chart, so we have it up for you here today. If you have been wondering about organics and wanted to try it, or if you are a long time organic gardener, we are positive you will love what LOCAL HARVEST does for your plants!

They finally did it! SunGRO has created an organic SunShine mix. All the great benefits of their other sunshine mixes but now they offer an organic version. This stuff is fantastic. I grabed a bail and tried it last week. To my surprise I actually noticed a visible improvement in the health of my plants. After years of using Sunshine mix #4, I am really excited about this new organic mix. The extra care and quality that this organic version totes is worth the extra cost. If you are an organic gardener, I very strongly suggest that you give this mix a try.

Sunshine® Natural & Organic Mix #4

Sunshine Natural & Organic Mix #4 is recommended where high air capacity and fast drainage are needed: during winter months, with water or salt sensitive crops, or where frequent leaching is required.

Available Sizes

Available in 3.8 cu ft compressed bales, as well as 2.8 cu ft loose fill bags. Loose fill is also available in 60 cu ft from our Western and Central regions, and 80/60/45 cu ft from our Eastern region. This product is available in our 110 cu ft SunTower bale in the Eastern region.

Ingredients

Formulated with Canadian Sphagnum peat moss, coarse grade perlite, gypsum, Dolomitic lime, and an organic wetting agent.

Applications

This mix is highly recommended for nursery stock, perennials, cutting propagation, hanging baskets and interiorscape.

We have tons of this stuff in stock…. Come on in or give us a call 1-866-PGS-GROW.