February Meeting: Garden Route Organics
WHEN: 5TH FEBRUARY 2016
TIME: 10.00am
WHERE: Home of Stella Sohn, Narnia Guest House, Estuary Heights, Knysna
SPEAKER: Charles from Garden Route Organics
TOPIC: Plant nutrition: why you have to improve the soil in your garden
Visitors welcome, please bring a sun hat, folding chair and a cup for tea/coffee. Visitors fee: R20.00
For more information: Call Denise Voysey 044 3841896
Many organic materials serve as both fertilizers and soil conditioners as they feed both soils and plants. This is one of the most important differences between a chemical approach and an organic approach toward soil care and fertilizing. Soluble chemical fertilizers contain mineral salts that plant roots can absorb quickly. However, these salts do not provide a food source for soil microorganisms and earthworms, and will even repel earthworms because they acidify the soil.
Over time, soils treated only with synthetic chemical fertilizers lose organic matter and the all-important living organisms that help to build a quality soil. As soil structure declines and water-holding capacity diminishes, more and more of the chemical fertilizer applied will leach through the soil. In turn, it will take ever-increasing amounts of chemicals to stimulate plant growth. Organic fertilizers contain additional elements that can help make your soil more healthy. Because they release their nutrients slowly, it is difficult to over-fertilize with them.
In the days when most families kept a milk cow or small chicken flock, manure was a standard garden fertilizer. But with the advent of chemical fertilizers, many gardeners stopped using manure. Organic gardeners have rediscovered the benefits of manure as a soil conditioner and compost ingredient.
Chicken Litter
When it comes to manures, there is none more desired for the vegetable garden than chicken litter.
Dairy Cow Manure (Kraalmis)
In addition to all the other benefits, studies show that dairy compost actually has a broader range of nutrients than many commercial fertilizers. As an added bonus, because of the heat of the pelletizing process, weed seeds and pathogens are killed long before you receive the product. This translates into less work for you and added health for your plants.
Soil Rehabilitation Mix (Rehab)
A mix of composted Chicken Litter, Dairy Cow and Compost. This is a all purpose soil treatment.
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Pelleted Lawn Booster
Organic matter drawn from the clean water treatment process and then composted and sterilized. Not tested for crops. Free from harmful pathogens, Bio-solids compost-enriched soil conserves water, reduces soil erosion, alleviates soil compaction, improves soil texture and reintroduces important nutrients back into depleted soils so that lawn, plants and trees can thrive in a nutrient-rich environment.
Mulch
This is a great product to use for your high impact annual and perennial beds. The long lasting natural dark brown color, consistent texture and benefits for the plants are unique to composted pine bark. Composted pine bark decays very slowly due to the lack of wood content, natural preservative in pine bark, and due to the portion which decays easily is already gone. This product is very easy to spread between existing delicate plants. Another great benefit of using composted pine in your planting beds is its long term effect on the soil quality. Over time as the material degrades and becomes incorporated into the soil it will improve the soils ability to provide moisture and nutrients to plants. As the fine pine bark works its way into the soil it will increase the organic content of the soil.
Over time as the material degrades and becomes incorporated into the soil it will improve the soils ability to provide moisture and nutrients to plants. As the fine pine bark works its way into the soil it will increase the organic content of the soil. Bedding soil which includes composted pine bark is very effective at capturing and delivering nutrients to nearby plants, while providing improved drainage and moisture handling characteristics.
The small particles and resulting dense nature of this product allow you to use a thinner layer reducing amount needed per application. The one disadvantage with the composted pine bark is the chips or flakes are somewhat prone to blowing and not recommended for use in sloped areas.
It’s a little known opportunity for the local plant enthusiasts to have this sort of product available for purchase in bags and in bulk. Composted pine bark was used in over 6 million new container plants grown in Renewed Earth soil blends during 2011. This is a very unique and high performance mulch and soil component.
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