Diffrences Between Organic and Inorganic Sytems

[420 HELI]

http://maximumyield.com/article_sh_db.php?...featureVar=true

 

Differences Between Organic and Inorganic Plant Growing Systems

by Dr. Carole Ann Rollins and Dr. Elaine Ingham

2009-07-01

There are some significant differences between an organic or biological system and the inorganic approach. Although the goal in both systems is the same - to grow healthy plants in the most cost effective way, the philosophical underpinnings of the two systems are very different.

 

First, the biological system requires adequate microbial food in the soil, with replenishment by plant exudates in their myriad forms. Food comes in the form of nutrients such as sugar (bacterial food), proteins (bacterial and fungi food), carbohydrates (bacterial and fungi food) and more recalcitrant materials like lignin and cellulose for fungi. All of these foods are different forms of carbon and must be processed by organisms. Once these nutrients are processed, then micro-organisms can use them.

 

Micro-organisms use nutrients to build soil structure; to make sure the soil stays aerobic (because of the structure built to let oxygen and water move freely in the soil); and to allow nutrients to cycle properly (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, beneficial nematodes and microarthropods must be present in proper ratios to release nutrients in the right form, in the right places and at the right times for plant health).

 

Pathogen Photos: Non-beneficial microbes, such as disease-causing pathogens, shown in the photo as they occur in a plant root. With training, these "bad guys" are easy to distinguish. These organisms come to life in low oxygen conditions where the aerobic competitors of disease cannot flourish. By killing a large percentage of ALL the organisms in soil, toxic chemicals used in inorganic growing systems select for disease-causing organisms. (Photo courtesy of Soil Foodweb Inc.)

 

Inorganic systems attempt to provide most, or all, of the nutrients in an inorganic form, in a large pulse all at once. The hope is that the plant can meter out what it needs through the entire growing season. But different environmental conditions are going to do different things to the plant’s needs for various nutrients at various times. Sometimes the applications do not fit the conditions and leaching or volatilization of nutrients into the water and air become serious problems for human health.

 

Inorganic systems basically take the point of view that nature does not know how to feed plants very well, and needs human help. It becomes necessary to artificially manage what biological natural systems have been performing successfully for billions of years. In an organic system, plants are in control of the growth of the organisms in its root zone. Plants work with the biology to deliver the right nutrients to the plant in the right forms at the appropriate times.

 

Beneficial organisms in soil or soilless media are very important for nutrient retention and prevention of leaching. Bacteria and fungi retain the greatest amount of nutrients in their biomass and on their surfaces as compared to any other set of organisms on the planet. The largest organisms on the planet are single individuals of fungi, which dwarf the largest mammals by four to five fold or more. A serious amount of nutrient and carbon is retained in bacterial and fungal biomass in soil. If these organisms are killed by the use of toxic pesticides or high levels of inorganic fertilizers, they are unable to retain nutrients, build structure in soil or soilless media or perform disease suppression functions. There is significant documentation in the scientific literature reporting that the correct set of organisms in soil can be highly disease suppressive. The challenge lies in ensuring that the beneficials are selected and maintained in all types of growing systems.

 

The inorganic chemical approach has become popular because it is perceived as easy and more convenient. There is nothing convenient about having to apply toxic materials more than 10 times a year. When in fact, if the correct sets of beneficial organisms were present, those organisms and the plant working together will do the work of feeding the plant, suppressing weeds and preventing disease organisms from growing. Once things are balanced, a single application of compost, or liquid compost (compost tea), once a year, will suffice. But this will only be the case if the beneficial organisms in the soil remain properly balanced for the desired environment for the specific plant being grown.

 

Any disturbance of the soil will cause damage to the life in the soil. Disturbances include, but are not limited to, tillage, applications of high concentrations of salts, driving across the soil when it is wet, flooding, severe drought, unusual freeze events and so forth. Fixing that damage requires assessing exactly what was damaged (if anything). Once damage is assessed then that damage must be repaired. Repairs can occur by adding back the same kind of beneficial organisms that were killed, or just by adding food to help the surviving beneficials recover and re-build their numbers.

 

so now u know

[Radic]

seen

gota love every word a dat

that is the reasoning of bio dynamic soil managment

it almost earth homeopathics

so easy, so simple

and thats the reason why most people dont believe it

the old

-->too good to be true<----

seen

course we are talking mostly outdoor style here

at least grown in the soil

soil in a pot indoor

seen

but not hydroponics

because hydroponics does not use any soil

hydroponics means soilless culture

seen

plants can not eat chemical fertilizers

they eat strictly nutrient salts

and thats the reason why you cant use hydro nutreint solution pon a soil grown plant

all salts destroy soil structure

if you have soil in the pot do not use hydroponic nutrient solution to fertilize them

cause it will inhibit microbial activity and destory soil structure

seen

ireyness

now chech dis

organic hydroponics still incorperates the microbes to feed the plant nutrient salts

check Aquaponics for a prime example

certain aspects of biodynamics can be added to the organic hydroponics management practices too

like planting and harvest by the moon

feeding with the tides

biodynamic insect pest control

 

my personal fav is Vermaponics

which is useing worm farms and microbial activety to recycle the plants own nutirents

pluss suplements to make up the short fall

 

irey guidance

[Pure]

Very nice read thanx for sharing

 

My thoughts reading through where similar to radics in the way they seemed to mainly focus on soil based grows as apose to hydroponics , but the theory is certainly transferable from one to the other in the end what it boils down to is the form of food the plant is getting it's food from and the way that it feeds

 

 

I try and use organic based foods in hydro where ever possible though am still on that never ending hunt for a nice stable organic base, at this point I mix up my topup res with a very low dose of inorganic 2 part then I add my organic products beneficial bacteria etc to the recycling brain section. Have been looking more into Aquaponics in the last few years but have lost fish do to moving and a lack of knowledge for fish care . I am not sure if I will ever be happy with true aquaponics for cannabis as the only food source but I think to replace that inorganic base in the top up tank it could be the solution for me. for now though I plan to practice the fishcare side with a more traditional aquaponic herb system ( stay tuned )

 

 

As for which is better , i think it's all about preference and what you like if you flush properly and avoid certain products like pgr's most people wouldn't have a clue what food source it had when they are smoking it

[420 HELI]

Funny you replied Radic... you came to mind when i read this doozy about "subtle energies" that exist in our grow rooms.

 

http://maximumyield.com/article_sh_db.php?...p;issueVar=June

 

[nitram]

Top uptodate research It's put in very readable form ............. great find 420 HELI

 

The day I actually embarked on my "Organic Quest". TNT delivered 'Natures Own' Guano Super Bloom........my first truly organic in a bottle. I may have started with the end product (buds) in mind, but now i have to get any others I need.

 

Thanks for sharing HELI

Nitty.

[nitram]

Top uptodate research It's put in very readable form ............. great find 420 HELI

 

The day I actually embarked on my "Organic Quest". TNT delivered 'Natures Own' Guano Super Bloom........my first truly organic in a bottle. I may have started with the end product (buds) in mind, but now i have to get any others I need.

 

Thanks for sharing HELI

Nitty.

[Radic]

How sane is this

Subtle Energies in Grow Rooms by Evan Folds

We live in a time on earth that rewards short sightedness, where human wishes supersede the necessities of the natural whole and we unconsciously destroy the very way of life that we are attempting to foster. This is not a knock, but an honest and objective assessment of our behavior. Most collective, modern, human activities are depructive, meaning the activity may accomplish the goal that has been tasked, but it ultimately contributes to the erosion of the human condition. Take driving your car, it gets you from A to B, but it pollutes the environment that sustains us. Eating fast food fills you up calorically, but it does not nourish your body and is built upon wastelands of cow pastures in poor countries that were formerly virgin rainforests. Drought conditions create limitations on how long we can water our gardens in the backyard, yet California uses 70 per cent of its available water for agriculture, with 70 per cent of that being used to grow alfalfa for livestock. In short, if looked at objectively, a lot of what we do does not make any sense.

seen

nuff raspect Evan Folds

thanx and praize for the irey link Heli

my only critisisim is

reallythe heading should be

Subtle Energies missing in Grow Rooms

seen

i love this

and do incorperate vortexially rifled tubing

sprials and water falls to charge water

Water is certainly very curious and entirely misunderstood. The materialistic abuse and industrialization of water is one of the most egregious activities in the modern world. Water is more than wet! Viktor Schauberger, known as the Water Wizard, provided insights into our collective disrespect of water and has inspired many ways of working with its subtle nature, including the vortex brewer, egg-shaped containers for drinking water, stir wands and much more. We can use these insights to enhance our gardens by constructing new types of hydroponic systems, vortexially rifled tubing or reservoirs that encourage the movement of water through their shape. The possibilities are literally endless once we have refocused our attention.

sonic bloom

yes i love this

i sing to my plants

i even wrote some special chants

i believe my plants respond

i have been involved in experiments with different styles of music and plant growth

Sonic Bloom is another well established way of working with the harmonies of nature indoors…literally. Sonic Bloom was formulated by Dan Carlson and works by using specific sound frequencies that benefit plant growth. His insights came from considering the audible influences on plants in nature, such as birds singing and bees buzzing. Carlson discovered the frequencies almost 20 years ago, but it took 15 years of painstaking development to create a nutrient to complete the system. The problem was that a huge increase in absorption tended to magnify any imbalances and elements could become locked up as a result. So the sound and the balanced nutrient are inseparable. Sonic Bloom has been chronicled in the book Secrets of the Soil and is available for experimentation from industry distributors.

Secrets of the Soil is on me wish list

 

irey guidance

[mull]

Good link Heli

 

Any disturbance of the soil will cause damage to the life in the soil. Disturbances include, but are not limited to, tillage

 

Definitely noticed the difference when I gave up rotary hoe-ing everything and changed to fork.

Takes longer, sore back, yep, but much more productive garden in all seasons.