Acrobat X Files

Home > Hobbies > Gardening

ORGANIC GARDENING Soil Fertility

Sort Desciption:

ORGANIC GARDENING. Soil Fertility. Dr. John M. Gerber. Vegetable Specialist. Many gardeners have chosen not to use pesticides and ...

Content Inside:

ORGANIC GARDENING Soil FertilityPage 1GARDENERS FACTSHEET NO. 18SEPTEMBER 1979ORGANIC GARDENINGSoil FertilityDr. John M. GerberVegetable SpecialistMany gardeners have chosen not to use pesticides andfertilizers manufactured in laboratories and factories but theywould prefer to use those produced by nature. Among thereasons cited for gardening organically are energy conservationfear of poisons the high cost of chemicals environmentalconcerns or simply the idea natural is better. Regardless of thereason all gardeners have the right to choose the method theyprefer. This factsheet is written to help those people who havechosen the organic way.Most practices and principles of organic gardeners are thesame as nonorganic gardeners. Both are involved with choosingvarieties seeding transplanting weeding staking and harvesting.The few differences that do exist usually involve the controversialtopic of concentrated chemicals in the environment. Most organicgardeners prefer to substitute fertilizers such as compost andmanure for concentrated fertilizer such as 101010. Although it ispossible to supply plants with adequate nutrition without usingconcentrated fertilizers a good understanding of soil fertility anda lot of hard work is required.SOURCES OF NUTRIENTSMost of the nutrients required by green plants are availablein abundant quantity from the air water and soil. A good gardensoil that receives periodic additions of organic matter will containall of the trace elements and most of the major elements requiredfor growth. (See Gardeners Factsheet No. 16 for a discussion ofessential elements.)The elements of greatest concern are nitrogen phosphorusand potassium. These elements can be supplied naturally by soilorganic matter and soil minerals. However after several years ofcropping even virgin soils will be depleted of these nutrients. Soilorganic matter and soil minerals release nutrients slowly over timehowever not in great enough quantity to supply rapidly growingvegetables.It ...

Source: rps.uvi.edu

 

Related Files

ORGANIC GARDENING BASICS

Filed under: Hobbies and Gardening
organic methods. The learning process in gardening and organic methods can be a ... gardeners on various techniques in organic gardening the information ...

Organic Farming and Gardening

Filed under: Hobbies and Gardening
At Organic Gardening we are more committed than ever. to J.I. Rodales vision.We are dedicated to helping people grow the besttasting and most healthful ...

Organic Gardening

Filed under: Hobbies and Gardening
Organic Gardening. by Nicola Rankin. Organic gardening is just as easy as ... organic gardening. You can buy. compost or make it yourself ...

Organic Gardening Technology

Filed under: Hobbies and Gardening
USA (wide listing of organic gardening resources; mainly ... Organic gardening is an art that had been almost lost in an era of. industryled farming. ...

Tips for the Home Gardener

Filed under: Hobbies and Gardening
Tips for the Home Gardener ECO-GARDENING Ecological gardening (eco-gardening) emphasizes using environmentally-sound gardening techniques for a positive ecological impact.