Using natural techniques makes
gardening easier and more enjoyable. Americans use more fertilizers and
chemicals on their yard than all the commerical growers us on their fields.
When you go organic, you don’t have to be afraid of letting kids or pets play
in the yard. Change and new ideas of any kind always seem harder and more
complicated, but the Natural Way really is better in every way, even from an
economic standpoint. Another important point is that it all gets easier and
better every year. And there is no having to replace worn-out beds ever. After
about two years you don’t have to much any thing except spray with compost tea
or use some organic fertilizer once or twice a year.
Increase the health of the soil
by using compost, earthworm castings, and organic fertilizers to increase the
organic matter. Mulch all plantings. Maintain an organic mulch layer on the
bare soil year-round. Avoid all synthetic fertilizers. These fake fertilizers not only don't build soil health, they decrease it
with every application. They compact the soil.
Balance the minerals in the
soil by applying rock powders or sands that provide the major nutrients and
trace minerals needed by plants to be healthy. Volcanic rock materials are
especially important because they provide much more than minerals. The best
choices include lava sand, Texas greensand, soft rock phosphate, granite sand,
zeolite, decomposed granite, and natural diatomaceous earth.
Healthy gardens need a mix of
plants and animals. Monocultures of plants are often very productive for a
while but later succumb to insects and diseases. Examples include the Irish
potato blight, Dutch elm disease, and more recently oak wilt here in Texas.
Monocultures lack the genetic diversity to respond to changing environmental
threats and become sitting ducks for parasites, predators, and pathogens. Stop
using all products that do damage to the life in the soil. Encourage life.
Plant a variety of trees shrubs and perennials. Plant native
when ever possible. Fast growing plants are usually not the best choice.
Plants that last need time to develop. Choosing the correct plants help the
enviroment and attract wild life to your yard. The more wild life in your yard
the less trouble you will have with insects.
Compact
the soil killing the beneficial living organic fungi in the soil. Compacted
soil is unable to maintain an even level of moisture. It is either to wet or
dry. Plants need soil that has air pockets and good drainage. Putting compost
on the top of your soils will go down into the soil and brake up the compacted
soil. It would be better to till it into the soil before planting but just
putting it on top greatly improves the soil. Weed & Feed is double trouble.
It compacts the soil and kill or damages trees, shrubs
and other plants. The fine print on the directions tells you not to use on the
roots systems of trees or shrubs.
Watering
Most people don’t water their plants deeply. This
usually means watering for at least an hour once a week in 20-minute increments.
After 20 minutes or less the water starts running off and not soaking in. It
should be move to a new section after 20 minutes. Let the first section wait at
least 30-40 minutes before watering again. Trees should be soaked for 2-4 hours
a week when first planted and any time it doesn’t rain for 3-4 weeks. Use a
soaker hose or a drip system. Plant plants with like water requirement
together. Plant the ones that need the most water closed to your house to make
it easier to give them extra water. Using compost tea decreases the amount of
water you will need to water. The compost tea makes a healthier plant so it
doesn’t loose water as quickly.
Insects and Diseases
98% of all
insects are beneficial. Get to know your good bugs. Spraying and dusting without
knowing the cause of the trouble will kill the good as well as the bad. By the
time you notice the damage the good bugs usually have taken care of the
problem. If you don’t see the insect and fresh damage don’t do anything. This
is called Integrated Pest Management. Visiting you garden once a week probably
will not be enough. If you can’t then you need to plant plants that are
resistant to disease and insects. Mildew and bad fungi have been a real problem
this spring due to the extra moisture, and cloudy cool days. There are organic
sprays to help with the problem. Sunshine is the best cure. Plant plants that
are more inclined to get mildew should be planted away from the house or fence
to give them more air circulation. Don’t spray water on the foliage of these
plants.
Molasses accelerates the decomposing of organic material and stimulates microbial activity in the
soil. You can use either it either dried
or spray the liquid. Sugar provides carbohydrates to feed the microbes in the
soil. Gardeners, who have used dry molasses, have found it is effective in
driving off fire ants. The chemicals in the molasses eat into the body of the
ant so ants avoid it.
1.
Soap
Insecticidal
You can treat many
problems with a product like insecticidal soap. Many soft-bodied pests can fall
victim to a product such as this. Be forewarned, though, soap, if used
extensively, can cause phytotoxicity and growth retardation problems with your
plants. The trick to success with insecticidal soap is to apply it twice.
First, spray it on the aphids (it has to have contact with the bug to work)
late in the day -- usually right before sunset. Spraying late in the day
prevents leaf damage caused by the sun hitting the spray or heat reacting with
the spray. Then, two days later go out and spray any aphids that escaped your
first spray. You'll be amazed at how quickly they reproduce! If you miss one,
you'll quickly have hundreds in a matter of days. I think they're born pregnant.
2.
Orange
Oil
A cold-press
orange peel extract is one of the best oils for use in the preparation of
organic elixirs relating to plants and insects. It works on ants, fire ants,
roaches, fleas, silverfish, plant pests, and other insect pests. The active
ingredient d-Limonene (orange peel extract) destroys the wax coating of the
insect's respiratory system. When applied directly, the insect suffocates. It
acts as a repellent. It is a
versatile cleaner and can be used for many cleaning purposes.
3.
Granite
Decomposed
Decomposed
granite gravel comes in several sizes. Decomposed Granite is a wonderful
product for the garden. We use it in many of our soil and compost mixtures as
an amendment to help break up heavy clay soils and provide better drainage. The
Decomposed Granite is also a great source of slow-release minerals to help
produce studier, healthier plants. Another great use for the Decomposed Granite
is for walkways or patio areas. Decomposed Granite has been screened to be
1/4-inch and smaller. This allows the pieces to settle down into a nice, firm
walkway. The walkways at The Natural Gardener are Decomposed Granite.
4.
Greensand
Greensand is mined from ancient sea-beds,
it is a dry organic fertilizer. It is useful for its ability to slowly supply
to the soil a number of different micronutrients, as well as potassium. A
naturally occurring iron potassium silicate (also known as glauconite)
with the consistency of sand, but 10 times the moisture absorption. Its
mineralization improves soil life by increasing populations of certain bacteria
that slowly dissolve insoluble mineral nutrients. It is a natural source of
phosphorus, potash, and trace minerals. It contains about 19% iron and about 2%
magnesium. Use it on all plants for effective green-up. It loosens clay soils
and helps in the release of nutrients that are bound up in the soil structure.
Use 40-80 pounds per 1000 square feet. (7 cups =4 pounds)
5.
Diatomaceous
Earth
Diatomaceous
earth is a mineral product mined from the fossilized silica shell remains of
unicellular or colonial algae from the class Bacillariaphyccae,
better known as diatoms. It can be applied in a variety of ways. Use food
grade. To use for flea and tick control, apply a light dusting over the lawn,
in dog runs, around pet bedding or favorite resting spots and sprinkle a little
on your pet between baths of a mild herbal soap. Another use is in animal
production units for the control of external parasites and flies. In houses it
can be used effectively to prevent the entry of certain insects such as
earwigs, ants, and cockroaches, and to control these and others that are
present in cupboards containing food, carpets, basements, attics, window
ledges, pet areas (for fleas), etc. Made into a paste it can be painted on
surfaces. In all of these examples it is important to place a small amount of
the powder in corners, cracks, crevices. and other
areas where insects might hide. Whereas with a contact pesticide the insect
dies quite quickly, with DE control may take several days. The more important
difference is that the effect of the protection provided by the chemical is
short-lived. Where as DE will control the pests as long as the powder remains.
In this respect DE is an ideal pesticide; it is residual but nontoxic. The only
health precautions that need to be taken are that if large areas are being
treated with a power duster, the applicator should wear a mask to prevent
inhalation. This is achieved by dusting the animals and the litter or bedding
area. It has also been included in the diet (two per cent in the grain ration)
to control certain internal parasites, and this
practice is said to result in lower fly populations in the resulting manure.
6.
Lava
Sand
It is a high-energy soil amendment; it increases the water-holding
capacity of the soil and plants, and increases the Para magnetism. Paramagnetic
materials bring atmospheric energy into the plant and soil. The result is
increased vigor and production of any crop Lava sand makes soil nutrients more
available to plant root. It provides aeration and porosity to the soil. It
helps retain the right amount of moisture in the soil, is durable and resists
degradation. Use 40-80 pounds per 1000 square feet.
7.
Rock
Phosphate
This is a mineral source of phosphorus and breaks down very slowly
in the soil. It contains phosphorus as well as calcium and 18 other essential
trace minerals. I always add this deep into the soil when preparing a garden
bed. It does not move rapidly in the soil so it is useful to dig it in deeply
when you have the chance. The phosphorus is released very slowly, over many
years. It really helps plants to have bigger, more abundant flowers and
stronger stems. Consult the phosphorus level listed in your soil test (L, M, H) and add the needed amount of rock phosphate according to
the amounts listed on the bag. Builds phosphate fertility where levels are low
to increase rooting activity in transplants and sprouting seeds. Also
mineralizes the soil and improves quality of crops and soil structure. Its slow
release allows plants to use it before it is fixed. Apply 1-2 lbs per plant for
tree or shrub transplants. To correct soil deficiencies, apply from 500-4,000
lbs per acre depending on severity of deficiency.
8.
Shale
Expanded
A form of expanded shale is now available to gardeners that will
be useful in loosening tight clay soils and making them more workable. Using expanded shale with
containerized plants calls for putting one-third of the material in the bottom,
then mixing the expanded shale with potting soil 50-50 for the rest of the pot.
For flower beds with sticky or gumbo-type soil, put down 3 inches of expanded
shale on top of the area, and tilling it in six to eight inches deep. Also add
3 inches of finished, plant-based compost as well, which results in a 6-inch
raised bed. Crown the bed to further improve water drainage. Expanded shale
will open up and aerate heavy, sticky clay soils faster than any material that
I have ever used.
9.
Zeolite
Zeolites are mined alumino-silicate
materials, containing only insignificant levels of plant nutrients. Their use
in crop production stems primarily from high nutrient-exchange capacities,
which allow them to absorb and release plant nutrients and moisture without any
change in the nature of the zeolite. This action
results from the mineral's porous-but-stable chemical structure. Zeolites enhance the performance of fertilizers by making
them resistant to leaching, immobilization, and gaseous losses.
10.
Volcanite
Use 40-80 pounds per 1000 square feet; it is a high-energy soil
amendment; it increases the water-holding capacity of the soil and plants, and increases the Para magnetism.
Paramagnetic materials bring atmospheric energy into the plant and soil. The
result is increased vigor and production of any crop Lava sand makes soil
nutrients more available to plant root. It provides aeration and porosity to
the soil. It helps retain the right amount of moisture in the soil, is durable
and resists degradation.
11.
Vinegar
Its potential use as an herbicide is
exciting. Vinegar can be produced naturally by decomposing plant products under
anaerobic conditions. Acetic acid readily degrades in water (so I wouldn't
spray right before an expected rainstorm) and doesn't bio-accumulate. Vinegar
will decrease the pH of the soil somewhat, but within 48 hours the pH balance
is back to its original state. It is also a biodegradable product. The research
conducted so far using vinegar shows that vinegar can kill several weed species
at different growth stages. Using 10, 15 or 20% acetic acid concentrations,
field researchers had an 80-100% kill rate of selected weeds. Re-growth from
the roots, however, continued. Spray very small plants with 2-6 leaves.
Continue spraying at two-week intervals. He's found that the maximum stage for
the best kill-rate is the 4-leaf stage. Spot spraying with 20% concentration
killed 80-100% of weeds without harming the corn.