Principals of Organic Horticulture Master Gardeners’ Training Course 2009 presented by Bill Garlette [email protected] nnmastergardeners.org Just Say No To Garden and Lawn Drugs Outline ¾ Overview ¾ Virginia Tech’s new interdisciplinary offering - Organic Horticulture and Landscape Systems ¾ Soil Biology ¾ Healthy Soil and the Ecology of Organics ¾ Composting and Compost Use ¾ Vermicomposting and Actively Aerated Compost Teas ¾ Disease and Insect Pest Management ¾ Weed Control Without Poison Let’s Start with Some Green Math In The Words of that Famous Law Enforcement Hero – Joe Friday: “Just The Facts Ma’am” ¾ USDA study: A block of soil 3 feet long, one foot wide and 6 inches deep weighs about 100 pounds. ¾ If that block has 1 percent or less humus or organic matter, it will only hold about an inch of rain or 35-40 pounds of water ¾ That same block with 4 to 5 percent can absorb 4- to 6- inches of rain in an hour or 165 to 195 pounds of water. In The Words of that Famous Law Enforcement Hero – Joe Friday: “Just The Facts Ma’am” “A recent NASA analysis of satellite imagery shows that nearly 50,000 square miles (the size of Greece) of turf are under cultivation in the United States, making grass the single largest irrigated crop in the country” - National Geographic, September 2008 It’s Alive!!! The Soil as a Living Thing presented by Bill Garlette [email protected] www.nnmastergardeners.org Under “Files for Gardeners” First, Let’s Put It Into Perspective In Perspective In Perspective In Perspective In Perspective So Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t profoundly important! Remember Soil is at the root of all your plant problems! And Feed the Soil and It’ll Feed the Plants! It’s Alive!!! Just like Plants and Animals; The Soil is Alive! We Have to Treat It the Same As Other Living Things – Be Biota Ranchers What We Dread ¾ Germs – Disease ¾ Bugs ¾ Weeds The Outcome If we win the war to control Nature, we WILL be on the losing side! Breaking The Dependency!! Just as some use a 4 Step Program to get us hooked – There is a Program to Cure us of our Lawn and Garden Drug Use Seven Organic Rules 1. Always use the best adapted varieties for each environment. 2. Plant in the preferred season. 3. Balance the mineral content of the soil. 4. Build and maintain the soil organic content – humus. 5. Do nothing to harm the beneficial soil life. 6. Consider troublesome insects and diseases as symptoms of one of the above rules having been violated. 7. Be patient. Mother Nature gives birth, but Father Time controls the cycles - from Lessons in Nature by Malcolm Beck Principals of Organic Horticulture ¾ We focus on pollution of the: ¾ Atmosphere - Air ¾ Hydrosphere - Water ¾ Biosphere – Flora & Fauna, Us ¾ But not the Lithosphere – The Soil Principals of Organic Horticulture AgriChemistry ¾ The foundation of agriculture chemistry was started by France's Jean Baptiste Boussingault in 1834 with the German scientist Justus von Liebig publishing his famous monograph on agriculture chemistry in 1840. ¾ Their belief was that because humus was insoluble in water, it was insignificant to plant nutrition. Additionally, their findings indicated that plants basically needed only N-P-K. Principals of Organic Horticulture ¾ What do we mean by Organic? ¾ No Chemicals ¾ No “–icides” ¾ No Genetically Manipulated/Engineered Organisms (GMO) = Franken-Fescue, BC Corn, Suicide Seeds (Terminator) Principals of Organic Horticulture Figure Out The Fertilizer What’s This Good For? 10-10-10 Principals of Organic Horticulture Figure Out The Fertilizer And This? 3-36-9 The Questions ¾ Can You Figure Out What Vitamins, Minerals, Nutrients You Should Take For A Week? ¾ Would You Want a Weeks Worth of Meals for Sunday Dinner? Here Are The Basic Plant Needs Carbon (C) Iron (Fe) Hydrogen (H) Boron (B) Oxygen (O) Zinc (Zn) Nitrogen (N) Copper (Cu) Phosphorus (P) Manganese (Mn) Potassium (K) Molybdenum (Mo) Magnesium (Mg) Chlorine (Cl) Calcium (Ca) Cobalt (Co) Sulfur (S) = 17 Basic needs Don’t Forget, Those Are Just The Elementals. Then You Have: ¾ Amino Acids ¾ Humic & Fulvic Acids ¾ Photosynthetic Sugars ¾ Mycorrhizal Fungi ¾ And Lots More Stuff In The Plant & Soil Food Web Principals of Organic Horticulture You May Be Familiar With This Chart • Importance of proper pH Principals of Organic Horticulture But This One Tells The Tale!! • Importance of Proper Mineral Balance – If One is Out of Balance, It Affects Others in a Detrimental Manner Principals of Organic Horticulture How did plants survive B.C. (Before Chemicals)? Principals of Organic Horticulture The Soil Food Web is comprised of microorganisms that provide nutrients and health to the plants as well as the soil. Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms ¾ Photosynthesizers - Plants, Algae & Bacteria = Capture energy, fix CO2. ¾ Decomposers – Bacteria & Fungi = Break down residue, retain nutrients in their biomass. Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms ¾ Mutualists - Bacteria & Fungi = Enhance plant growth, fix N2, deliver nutrients. Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms ¾Pathogens, Parasites & Root- feeders – Bacteria, Fungi, Nematodes, Microanthropods = Promote disease and consume plant roots. Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms ¾Bacterial-feeders – Protozoa & Nematodes = Graze – Release plant available nitrogen (NH4+). Control root-feeding and disease causing pests. Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms ¾Fungal-Feeders – Nematodes & Microanthropods=Graze – Release plant available nitrogen (NH4+). Control root- feeding and disease causing pests. Principals of Organic Horticulture Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms ¾Shredders – Earthworms & Microanthropods = Break down residue and enhance soil structure. Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms ¾Higher-Level Predators – Nematode feeding nematodes, larger arthropods, mice, birds, etc. = Control population of lower trophic-levels and improve the soil. Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms ¾Bacterially dominant soils: annuals, grasses and vegetables – creates a pH above 7 (alkaline). ¾Fungal dominant soils: perennials, trees, shrubs – creates a pH below 7 (acid). Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms Fill a Swimming Pool with Salt = Osmotic Shock Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms Just Say No To Garden and Lawn Drugs = Osmotic Shock Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms Soil Soil microbes Plants Herbivores Carnivores Omnivores Everybody Feeds the Soil Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of Soil Organisms If the microbes in the soil are disrupted and the nutrient cycle is out of balance then we have the recipe for Pest, Weeds and Pathogens. Principals of Organic Horticulture Caring For The Soil As A Living System ¾ Three Aspects of Soil Health & Fertility ¾ Physical ¾ Chemical – Organic Chemistry: cations – anions ¾ Biological ¾ Requirements of a Living System ¾ Food ¾ Air ¾ Water ¾ “Shelter” – Soil structure & Conservation ¾ Living Organism - Biota Principals of Organic Horticulture Caring For The Soil As A Living System The Organic Matter Cycle & The Soil Food Web Principals of Organic Horticulture Feeding the Soil a Balanced Diet ¾ Compost ¾ Cover Crops ¾ Organic Mulches ¾ Other Organic Residues ¾ Lime, Other Natural Minerals and Organic Nutrients Questions? Compost Happens Compost Happens Walt Whitman, This Compost “Behold this compost! Behold it well!...It gives such divine materials to men, and accepts such leavings from them at last.” Don’t Do This At Home! Do This, Instead Why Compost ¾ Healthier Soil & Plants ¾ More Soil Biology ¾ No Chemistry 501 ¾ Less –Icides (Pest, Herb, Fung) ¾ Less Chemical Fertilizers ¾ Less Chemical Stink ¾ Less $$$ Why Compost Bottom Line ¾Cheap ¾Simple ¾No Chemicals which Kill the Soil Organisms ¾Better Plant and Water Quality What is Composting? What Are The Types Of Composting? Yard Waste (Thermal), Worm, Biosolids & Compost Tea Worm Your Way Into Composting! Compost Can Be Used To: ¾Add Beneficial Organisms ¾Add Nutrients ¾Help Sandy Soil Hold Moisture ¾Loosen Heavy Clay Soils ¾Make Potting Soil ¾Mulch Excellent Compost Materials Excellent Compost Materials "BROWNIES“ “GREENIES“ (Carbon) (Nitrogen) Hay Coffee Grounds Leaves Cover Crops Straw Seaweed Nutshells Vegetable scraps Shredded paper Egg shells Pine needles Fruit Saw dust Weeds Garden stalks Grass clippings 60% 40% Other Excellent Sources Of Compost My Friend Flicka Elsie the Cow Bugs Bunny And all the Friends of the Colonel Don’t Use Rin Tin Tin’s Residue Sylvester’s Exhaust Or Little Johnny’s John Quests More Problem Stuff ¾ Disease & insect infested plants ¾ Noxious weeds ¾ Meat scraps ¾ Dairy products ¾ Cooking oils & grease Smaller compost materials increase compost maturity. Yard Waste Compost Bins More of the Same Piled Higher and Deeper Alternate Carbon and Nitrogen Materials Add Soil or Compost Add Water Repeat Layers Turning Speeds Compost Troubleshooting Problem-Solution ¾ Symptom The compost is damp and warm only in the middle. ¾ Problem Compost pile too small. ¾ Solution Collected more material and mix the old ingredients into the new pile. Problem-Solution ¾ Symptom The compost pile is damp and sweet smelling. ¾ Problem Lack of nitrogen