Organic Farming and the Significance of Foliar Feeding

Pesticides and insecticides like Chlordane, Diazanon and Sevin may seem to work well on plants but in reality are extremely harmful. One of the ideal alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides is organic farming. For the most part, it is the art and science of gardening keeping in mind the health of the soil, its structure and texture.  The main objective of organic gardening is to grow plants without the use of chemicals and synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides.

Types of Organic Farming

Organic farming is easy to manage and isn’t expensive as well. Many of the raw materials like plant waste, foliage, vegetable waste and compost heaps are easily accessible. There are several types of organic farming. Pure organic farming includes the use of organic manures and bio-pesticides while integrated farming involves integrated nutrient management and pest management. The natural farming method is based on building soil with regular surface applications of organic matter that is allowed to slowly decompose on the surface.

Foliar Feeding for Healthy Plant Growth

Foliar feeding is one of the popular methods of feeding pants and is widely used technique in organic farming to supply plants with their nutritional needs. It involves spraying nutrients directly on the leaves to correct any deficiencies in the soil. In foliar nutrition, effective concentrations of the deficient nutrients are sprayed, which are absorbed directly by the plant tissue. It helps overcome soil fertilization limitations like leaching, antagonism between certain nutrients and absorption reactions. The technique has proved to be the fastest way of curing nutrient deficiencies and boosting plant performance.

The Importance of Soil Analysis and Testing

Prior to using any technique such as foliar feeding it is essential to conduct a soil analysis. This is especially true in the case of glasshouse management where rapid changes occur in the amount of salt and nutrients. The soil must have a proper pH value and contain the right composition of mineral nutrients, which includes macronutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, and micronutrients such as iron, chloride and zinc.

Restore Nature’s Balance with Products from Agrilibrium

Farmers and gardeners have a choice of options when it comes to plant nutrition. This includes organic fertilizers, foliar applied mineral nutrients and amino acid chelate products that contain fluvic acid extracts.  When it comes to organic farming South Africa, Agrilibrium is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of high quality organic products that include soil ameliorants, biological soil micro-organisms and foliar plant nutrients for the local and export market. 

Advantages of 1:2 Water Extract Analysis

The use of 1:2 water extract analysis has been proven to be an effective method compared to the conventional 1:5 weight extract. The latter presents some difficulty in determining conductivity to evaluate the salt status, particularly for soils that contain a good volume of gypsum. Using the 1:2 extract method, which entails adding moist soil to two parts of water, the results were very accurate for chloride, phosphate, nitrogen, magnesium, potassium and conductivity when compared to the saturation extract. Perhaps one of the drawbacks using the 1:2 method is it's quite laborious. It's important to note, however, that the ratio of water will depend on the content of organic matter in your soil.

Is Knowing Your Soil Enough?

Essential soil analysis will give you a good idea of the mineral and nutrient content of your farm. The idea of course is that you can program an accurate crop nutrient cycle using the information you get from the results of the tests. But knowing the amount of salinity or alkalinity in your soil, for example, wouldn't be sufficient without knowing plant physiology. Just because your soil is rich in potassium and magnesium doesn't mean that the plant is going to absorb most of these minerals for its need. The water extract analysis allows you to determine the nutrients that are water soluble and what can be absorbed by the plant.

Benefits of Water Extract Analysis

Through the water extraction method, you will identity the types and amount of nutrients in the soil and the amount available for the plant. It will also give you an idea of how to program your inputs and fertilizer or amount of liquid sulphur for a healthier crop. Water extract is also the more cost-saving approach because you apply less nutrients after determining exactly how much portion of each of the minerals and nutrients is absorbed by the plant. It's also ecologically friendly because you can identify the imbalances in the soil and make the necessary actions to rectify the imbalance.

Chelation for Improved Nutrient Absorption

While in the subject of being environmentally conscious, the introduction of organic amino acid chelate fertilizer will help minerals and nutrients penetrate even the tippest point of the plant's leaf instead of staying at the roots. Technical description aside, think of the process of chelation as coating a mineral with a clear film which allows it to travel anywhere in the plant without dissolving or leaching.

Essential Plant Nutrients for a Healthy Crop

Plants need a number of nutrients that promotes healthy growth. There are as many as 16 essential plant nutrients that include the nine major elements; hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and sulfur. Other elements include micronutrients like copper, boron, manganese, iron, zinc, chlorine, and molybdenum.  Hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon combine to result in the process of photosynthesis.

The Importance of Testing

A soil analysis is essential to determine how much of the nutrients are present in the soil. Samples can be lab tested especially if you want to know more other than the soil’s alkalinity and salinity. However, there are several DIY kits to test the pH and identify the basic nutrients of the soil. These kits do not offer recommended the input of specific nutrients in case of any deficiency so that the correct pH balance can be maintained. This type of an analysis is a valuable tool in determining the inputs required for cost effective and efficient plant production. A proper soil test ensures the precise application of fertilizer to meet the requirements of the crop while taking advantage of nutrients already present in the soil. However, it is important to use the correct soil sampling technique for accurate results.

The Role of Nutrients

There are many reasons why soil could be low in nutrients. This could occur naturally while the removal of crops without replenishment may lead to a nutrient deficiency. Some high yielding crops also have higher nutrient requirements. It is important to understand the two main types of nutrients. Macronutrients are those like nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and potassium that are required by the plant in large quantities.  On the other hand, micronutrients are required in very small amounts but are essential for healthy plant growth. They must be added to the soil in small amounts whenever there is a deficiency.  This includes iron, cobalt, chromium, copper, iodine, manganese, selenium, zinc and molybdenum, and also includes vitamins.

Role of Individual Nutrients

Nitrogen is what drives plant growth. It is involved in all the major processes of plant development. On the other hand, phosphorus plays a key role in photosynthesis and the transfer of energy. It is also responsible for the development of the tissues that result in healthy growth. Many natural and agricultural soils are deficient in phosphorus. Potassium is responsible for activating more than 60 enzymes that induce protein synthesis and improves a plant’s capacity to hold water, thereby increasing its tolerance to drought, salinity, and frost. Another essential nutrient is sulphur, a constituent of protein that is involved in the formation of cholorphyll along with magnesium. Calcium promotes healthy root growth and is also a constituent for cell wall materials. It helps reduce soil acidity.

The Benefits of Fulvic Acid

Science and medicine have both discovered fulvic acid benefits for plants as well as humans. It occurs naturally in organic plants and soil, and is considered a crucial ingredient to a healthy and productive farm or garden. Fulvic acid can be purchased commercially along with amino acid chelate products, and is most useful in foliar feeding. The nutrients are directly absorbed to restore the plant’s natural balance. It is a great detoxifier and helps boost drought tolerance in plants.

Essential Plant Nutrients That is Necessary for Seedlings to Grow and Thrive

Plants nutrients are essential for those who are looking to plant their garden. They are necessary for those who like to harvest their own organic produce and see their dinner table full of flowers which are grown in their own backyard or indoor garden. In this blog we are going to discuss some very essential plant nutrients which are helpful for every gardener and horticulturist.

According to the prominent agriculturist plants need 17 different kinds of but very essential elements. Together all these elements help in the plant’s healthy growth. Of these elements, plants derive the oxygen and carbon from the atmosphere and air. A major part of the rest of them is derived from the soil and is directly absorbed by the plant’s roots. However, there are still many elements which have to be directly provided to the plants to make sure that they grow in a healthy and proper manner.

Most plant essential nutrients are divided into two different groups. The first group is macronutrients and the second one is the micronutrients. Of these the macronutrients are essential in boosting the plant’s growth rate. Some of the most essential macronutrients are Nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium, Sulfur and Magnesium. However, these are not in appropriate quantity in the soil. It is for this reason, it is necessary to deliver these nutrients to the plants by adding them as a supplement.

The micronutrients are needed by plants in a very small amount. Some of the most prominent micronutrients include Boron, Iron, Zinc and many such other elements. All these nutrients are not required by plants in a large quantity. However, a small amount of them is necessary to maintain their health and make them survive.

Different soil requires different elements for maintaining their healthy state. However, to make sure the correct quantity of these elements which should be mixed with the soil, it is necessary to undertake the soil analysis. This will help in determining the characteristic of the soil and make sure that they are able to meet their requirements in a proper manner.

Apart from these elements, there are many other acid and alkaline which when added to the soil helps in its proper and healthy upbringing. There are many fulvic acid benefits which make it necessary to add them in the soil. These Foliar nutrition effective concentrations have the necessary nutrients and elements which are necessary for the proper upbringing of the plants and makes sure that they support the necessary developments.

Use Liquid Sulphur and Amino Acid Chelate Products for Root Growth

Recent studies in the South Africa have shown that roots play a more important role than first thought. The roots do not only ensure a healthy plant but it also acts as a communication system alerting the plant of the presence of toxic chemicals or harmful pests. Did you know that for every 10 problems encountered by plants, eight are related to unhealthy root? But why aren’t they given much attention than they deserve? That’s probably because they are buried underground and not seen as much. Liquid sulphur can help promote a healthy root which in turn results in a healthy plant.

The Danger of Human Intervention

Throughout evolutionary history, nature has been happily trudging along. Then the humans arrived. Modern practices in agriculture introduced by human beings have damaged in just a few decades what took nature millions of years to create. Human intervention such as toxic synthetic chemicals, mono-crop agriculture and GMOs all destroyed biodiversity.

This is why it’s important to go back to the basics. It’s amazing how some farmers use extensively chemical inputs and then they wonder why their plants are not growing as much as they should. It’s better than you don’t go against what nature has intended and instead maximize the potentials of the soil. The soil test analysis will offer a better picture of what you need to introduce into the soil to achieve equilibrium.

1:2 Water Extract Method

The 1:2 water extract analysis, or one part air dry soil and two parts water, is a bit of departure from the typical 1:5 water extract. The latter method poses some disadvantages particularly by determining accurately the amount of phosphate in the soil as well as the amount of salt especially in soils where there’s high ratio of gypsum.  The 1:2 water extraction method, meanwhile, was developed by Japanese workers and used soil in field-moist conditions instead of the air dry soil. This method shows a much more accurate correlation of nutrients and minerals existing in the soil.

Binding Minerals

Amino acid chelate products help in improving the structure of the root and its ability to pierce dense or brackish soils. Most commercially available products are soluble by water which makes it very easy to apply (you can even introduce it through your sprinkler system). It’s best combined with the use of agricultural sulphur to lower the pH level of alkaline soils and encourage plant growth.

Key Differences between the Conventional and Organic Farming in South Africa

Even if neophyte farmers need to know the differences between conventional and organic farming in South Africa, however, you really can't achieve organic purity without encountering some challenges economically. Securing certification for pure organic farming is even challenging based on the ability of the farmer to document the process to prevent cross-pollination and testing. This is particularly difficult if your market is overseas where standards on organic produce are strictly followed.

Argument for Organic

Organic farming advocates will tell you that it's the way toward a more sustainable food security. More importantly, it's a way to help the environment as too much synthetic chemicals injected into the soil can't be good for the ecology. What most people probably don't know is that when referring to organic agriculture, it's not the absence of pesticides. It's using organic-based pesticides and natural inputs such as liquid sulphur, for instance, unlike conventional agriculture which uses synthetic fertilizers. It's also supposedly cheaper. Resourced-challenged communities, for example, can derive many benefits of buying various amino acids nutrient products for improving the soil rehabilitation and soil structure.

The market for organic products is also growing as more and more people are now conscious about the type of nutrients and chemicals in the food that they put into their own bodies.

Argument for Conventional Farming

Advocates of conventional farming will tell you that their method will result to a greater yield, which is ultimately the main purpose, right? First world countries know full well the benefits of genetically modified products and synthetic chemicals. In fact, a significant number of farmers claims that the use of GM reduced their dependence on chemical pesticides. On the flip side, developing countries like some parts of Africa found success in organic farming methods as well. One element of success when you look at successful models of organic farming is their closer attention to soil analysis. While it's best reserved for another topic, it's important that you research for innovative tips to know more about soil test analysis.

Maintaining Balance

Whether you go by conventional or organic method, however, there are benefits to buying various amino acid chelates and nutrient products for improve the soil rehabilitation and soil structure. You need to restore the balance of the soil through the judicious use of mineral inputs and other biological sources (plant nutrients). Here, the importance of soil analysis could not be underscored enough. It's the only way to know what is lacking in your soil to come up with a plan on how to rehabilitate it for optimal plant growth.