Organics

Organics and “green” have become hot topics as of late in the media. What does this mean? Why would I be interested? Well, the organic movement has been around on a large scale for the last half of the 20th century. This is, most basically, a movement away from the use of man-made chemicals for purposes of fertilizing plants, fighting pest attacks, cleaning, producing clothing – the list goes on!

But why would we move away from man-made chemicals which appear to be doing the trick? Most people who use artificial lawn services have very nice, green lawns, for example. Well, in the instance of lawn care, we find that the synthetic materials used discourage and reduce soil microorganisms, leaving the soil dead and the grass growing in an inert environment. At the time the synthetic treatment stops, the lawn will quickly die as the artificial fertilizers are acting as a crutch to the detriment of the lawn ecosystem. What does this mean? Well, if your soil is dead there is nothing there to feed the earthworms, without earthworms, there is nothing to feed the birds, and so on and so forth. If we allow this cycle of life to continue in our gardens – compost to fertilize, use fertilizers which contain organic nutrients, use good bugs to fight bad bugs – we find something else out too: the garden becomes more independently sustainable. In truth, our landscapes don’t fare well as clean, sterile environments. Most of the chemical fertilizers and pesticides don’t work well over any long-term application. For example according to the USDA crop loss due to insect damage has doubled since WWII from 7% to 14%. Insecticide use is up over ten times in that same period . So, we are using more pesticide and are getting fewer results from it – other than pesticide residue in humans, water, food, etc. How do you know if the products you are using are organic? Well, first, look at the label. If the label claims that the fertilizer or pesticide is suited for organic use and has the OMRI® seal on it, it has passed a series of tests to confirm that it does not contain any of the disallowed ingredients as put forth by the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). If it does not meet these standards but still contains organic materials, it may list itself as “natural” or “organic-based”. OMRI® is the Organic Materials Review Institute and works to compile a list of organic products which are used to grow foods, fibers, and feeds. Their list is available online at www.omri.org.

Hydroponics Garden is committed to making organic products available for your use on your lawn, outdoor garden, or indoor garden. We make it a point to having the most effective, safest pesticides on hand. For example, Azamax, a pesticide extracted the Neem seed, has become one of our top sellers. This OMRI® listed product provides great results and will not harm you or your family and, as a bonus, it has no known insecticide resistance mechanisms. We also carry many, many nutrients for your plants including General Organics, Roots, Humboldt Nutrients, Organa, BioBizz, etc., which are made from organic materials and will produce great results for your plants! Plants love organic products and have very few problems with over-fertilization or “burning” when given the types of food they were meant to have. We also have a selection of indoor and outdoor composter bins – so give it a go and go green!

© 2009 Hydroponics Gardens - Hydroponic Supply Store

Website design by Solid Cactus.