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Organic gardening – General Notes on organic horticulture Organic gardening systems

Organic horticulture employs the crucial principles of organic agriculture for the successful herbs, fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants growing. These principles concern the management of pests in the garden, soil composition and conservation, etc.

General Notes

Mulches, Double Digging, compost, Vermicompost, cover crops, mineral supplements and manures are the main constituents of the soil mixture in this kind of gardening in contrast to the commercial farming. Organic horticulture expects to minimize the risk of insects, fungi, and diseases development with the help of maintaining the high quality of the soil. Nonetheless, sometimes it is still necessary to use insecticidal soaps and sprays, pheromone traps, or other pest-control means, created especially for organic farmers.

Experts define five fields of horticulture:

-           olericulture, which stands for the production and marketing of vegetables;

-           pomology that means the production and marketing of fruits;

-           floriculture, which is the production and marketing of floral crops;

-           landscape horticulture that includes the production, marketing, and      maintenance of landscape plants;

-           and finally, post harvest physiology that studies and practices the preservation and maintaining of the quality of horticultural crops

All these areas can utilize the key principles of organic gardening.

Organic horticulture employs the methods and uses data, which have been collected for thousands of years. Generally speaking, this type of gardening is based on the natural, long-term processes and eco-friendly, global approaches, in contrast to horticulture, based on the use of chemicals that speed up the processes and aim at the separate results and reductionist strategies.

Organic gardening systems

There exist various formal organic gardening systems that utilize peculiar methods. They are listed among the general organic standards, but are more specific than them. For example, Rudolf Steiner developed the so-called biodynamic farming. Masanobu Fukuoka, the Japanese writer and farmer, practiced Natural Farming, based on the so-called no-till system for the small-scale production of grain. Finally, intensive and biointensive techniques and SPIN Farming (Small Plot INtensive), developed in France, also belong to the small-scale gardening methods.

A garden in a container or growing box provides healthy, organic, and highly nutritional food. Moreover, it is also the means to share one’s experience, to improve local economy, and to offer better and more sustainable way of living. A small raised bed garden of 32 square feet is capable of supplying tasty, healthy, and organic greens to a family, requiring, at the same time, less water and fewer nutrients if it is based on the postulates of bio-intensive planting and square foot gardening. 

In addition, the existing garden can be improved with the help of composting or vermicomposting. These methods allow getting the best organic fertilizers by reusing organic matter, which provides necessary nutrients to the organic garden. Besides, compost and vermicompost are always an easy way to improve the results.

Hydroponic nutrients Gardening Guide – Hydroponic nutrient solutions composition

Nitrogen (N)

The most essential of all nutrients for leaf and stem development. Nitrogen consumption depends on a plants growth cycle and in a vegetative growth phase of plant nitrogen consumption is greatest. Hydroponic nutrients solutions labeled as “grow” or “flower” contains more concentrations of nitrogen. Nitrogen deficiency is the leading cause of plant growth in indoor hydroponic garden systems. Yellowish, soft and weak plants and leaves are tell-tale signs of nitrogen deficiency.

Half-strength nitrogen solutions are ideal for plants between growing phases. This will prevent plant stretch while it’s switching its energy over to flower development. Normal feeding is resumed once the plant reaches the flowering stage.

Phosphorous (P)

Phosphorous plays a major part in root and flower development. Phosphorous deficiency signs are slow and stunted plant growth. Phosphorous is crucial to a plants flowering stage. “Bloom” type formulas contain a 0-50-30 concentration, containing no nitrogen and high levels of phosphorous and potassium.

Potassium (K)

Different in action from the previous two nutrients, it doesn’t feed the plant directly in any specific stage of growth. It merely facilitates plant intake of other primary and secondary plant nutrients. Potassium deficiency cause irregular plant growth and susceptibility to pests and disease. Potassium inhibits fruit production and should be lessened during this stage.

Secondary Hydroponic Nutrients

Calcium (Ca)

Facilitating and filtering the absorption of other nutrients Calcium is one essential nutrient. It is also a natural base that increases the pH level is needed. Commonly used in the vegetative phase of plant growth, calcium consumption is decreased during the flowering stage.

Magnesium (Mg)

Mainly for chlorophyll production in photosynthesis, deficiency causes yellow leaves.

Sulfur (S)

Yellow leaves are a sign of sulfur deficiency and are only used in small amounts.

Iron (Fe)

Used in small amounts, iron deficiency is similar to sulfur deficiency. Yellow leaves are the general signs of deficiency. High pH causes iron absorption problems so constant monitoring is advised.

Molybdenum (Mb)

Mainly for nitrogen absorption and converts nitrates to ammonium

Boron (B)

Facilitates carbohydrate transport in the phloem, it is not essential and maybe disregarded. Boron overdose causes plant kill, it is not found in regular soils and only supplemented.

Hydroponics gardening guide – preparing hydroponic nutrient solution, transplant seedlings and taking cutting for clones

How to preparing hydroponic Nutrient Solution

Nutrient solution is made of water with dissolved fertilizer. It is preferable to have good quality water to be mixed with the fertilizer, the amount of which is always indicated by the manufacturer. It is very important to check and adjust if necessary pH level of nutrient solution with liquid pH adjusters. Usually, pH level of the nutrient solution depends on the plant; however, most often it is between 6.0 and 6.5 for the majority of the starter cubes, with the exception being Rockwool, which needs pH level of 5.5 to 5.8. Fertilizing young plants, a gardener should use a nutrient solution as weak as ¼ to ½ of the full strength suggested by the manufacturer. Only plants older than two weeks can be fertilized by the full strength nutrient solutions. It is recommended to keep the growing medium moist, but not too wet or soaked with the hydroponics nutrient solution.      

How to Transplant Seedlings

The seedlings should be transplanted when the roots have grown out of the starter cubes. It is just necessary to place the seedling along with the starter cube on top or into the permanent growing medium, which can be any hydroponic growing medium or just soil. 

Notes in taking cutting for clones

Cutting, as a method of plants propagation, works well only if every step of the procedure is done correctly. Otherwise, experiments may result in devastating consequences. Though, when done properly, up to 95-100% of all cuttings grow successfully, it is still may be a good idea to take twice as many cuttings as needed, if you are making first steps in growing cuttings. 

One of the hints to increase chances in successful outcome is to use distilled water, while growing cuttings. Generally speaking, this is one of the most reliable and proven methods of plants propagation, suitable for most of the plants. Other examples of propagation techniques are dividing, air layering, and tissue culture. It is even possible to root cuttings without the use of any growing media in specific hydroponic systems. After forming the first roots, such cuttings are usually transplanted into any type of preferred growing media.