Starting a Successful Organic Garden

Starting a Successful Organic Garden

By Clifford Woods

Organic gardening is preferred these days and works incredibly well. Organic gardening is dependent on getting rid of any artificial solutions, such as fertilizers and insect sprays. Usually, this kind of gardening gives you lots of products plus makes use of everything grown.

For example, feeding depleted soil with composted vegetation, or perhaps growing legumes which increases nitrogen for the plant and boosts nutrition. The bigger picture involves doing work in cooperation with the natural environment and watching a garden as a small portion of the natural ecosystem.

If you plan on starting an organic garden of your own, be sure to take a look at the tips below for some helpful suggestions that may be of use.


Soil
Test the Soil If you are planning for abundant products from your natural gardening, then examining your soil is the initial requirement. You can analyze the dirt through do-it-yourself examination kits available at all community stores. Make use of a number scale to identify the alkalinity and acidity of the soil.

For raising vegetables, the most efficient number is 6.5. When the soil is very alkaline or acidic, your plant life is not going to get the advantages of organic nutrition and will take longer to be ready to harvest. Make an effort to become familiar with the soil; this will enable you to modify the soil by means of balancing the amount of vitamins and minerals deficiency that may be present in the soil.

Area
Before you begin cultivating an area, take a look at your yard and choose where you want to start your organic garden. Location is an important thing to take into account, as you need to be aware of the movement of the sun throughout the day as well as surface rockiness, ground drainage ability, and the how far the water source is from the planned garden location.

If high quality land can be found in your yard and you have an ideal gardening spot, then you should make the most of it. Healthy and balanced soils have nearly six hundred fifty million microorganisms in a single gram of land. The creatures like worms as well as others are already present in the ground which is certainly important for your plant development.

This will enable your garden to prosper because they will have beneficial minerals and vitamins. You might want to pick up a probiotic garden solution to help add beneficial microbes to your garden for optimal growth.

If you do not have sufficient garden space then you can try indoor garden, container garden, or sign up for a local neighborhood garden.

Organic Seeds 
You can find great organic seeds at any nearby nursery, yard shops or Internet seed suppliers, along with seed catalogs to help you determine what seeds you need.

Make sure the seed business is certified as an organic provider and stay away from any kind of seed products that are genetically modified. If you would like to cut costs, try and grow seeds inside and transport seeds outside when they are sprouting.

Composting
Compost is a key factor in natural gardening since it boosts the soil health of your lawn. Compost must have a good supply of nitrogen, microbes, potassium, and phosphorus for excellent plant growth. This also helps in treating the ground dampness levels and pH balance in order to keep the soil cooler in the summer season.

Water
Water preservation, cropping, and recycling are the most effective approaches for natural vegetable farming. You can reuse rainfall which will help to conserve the ground water level. You may use a soaker hose to carry the water directly to plant roots while leaves stay dry which helps prevent sickness. Using water from home sinks, baths, and washers is not recommended in organic gardening.

You can find this Free eBook on Organic Gardening Here

Clifford Woods is the CEO of Effective Environmental Services
and Organic Environmental Technology

We brew Beneficial Microorganisms and offer Natural Organic Solutions

Hydroponics and Beneficial Microorganisms

Hydroponics and Beneficial Microorganisms

By Clifford Woods 

Hydroponics is a subtype of hydro-culture or growing plants in water with nutrient solutions. It is a soil-less way of planting. Hydroponics derived its name from the Greek word “hydro” or water and “ponos” meaning labor. William Frederick Gericke of the University of California at Berkeley was one of the first ones to cultivate plants on mineral nutrient solutions. Gericke coined the term hydroponics in 1937 (although he asserts that the term was suggested by W. A. Setchell, of the University of California). 

Through these types of studies, it was discovered that plants could thrive not only in soil, but also in water, since water contains the essential nutrients and beneficial microorganisms that are also present in the soil. 

Hydroponics turned out to be more advantageous than soil culture, because pests are easy to control in this type of system.  In natural conditions, soil acts as a mineral nutrient reservoir but the soil itself is not essential to plant growth. When the mineral nutrients in the soil dissolve in water, plant roots are able to absorb them. When the required mineral nutrients are introduced into a plant's water supply artificially, soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive. Almost any terrestrial plant will grow with hydroponics.

Since the water environment of the plant can be controlled, nutrient solutions can be incorporated into the water depending on the nutrient needs of the plant. Many hydroponics growers also incorporate beneficial microorganism as supplements to nutrients in the water. 

There is actually a full range of ways to benefit from beneficial microorganisms, which can be utilized in hydroponics. The secret is only to know when to apply and how much to apply. Here are some of the benefits of beneficial microorganisms.

Development of Seeds and Clones
Beneficial microorganism is not just used on the hydroponics systems itself, but also for propagating seeds and also on developing the cuttings. This stage of crucial development in plant life and beneficial bacteria will help boost the growth and development of these plants and cuttings. During this time, beneficial microorganism incorporation should be three times the normal use. 

Elimination of Pathogens in the System
Harmful microorganisms that cause diseases increase even in the hydroponic systems during root development. These harmful microorganisms, which are also called pathogens, result to plant diseases or plant death. There are certain types of beneficial microorganism that kill these pathogens. 

It is important to know what type of pathogen is attacking the system to know what type of beneficial microorganism to incorporate in the hydroponics system. Moreover, these also strengthen plants defenses against harmful pathogens in a way like the immune system is boosted by supplements. 

Boosts Nutrient Uptake of Hydroponics Plants
Most beneficial microorganism types boost the nutrient uptake of plants in the hydroponics system by keeping the roots healthy by strengthening roots and increasing root size, since it is the one responsible for absorption. When spraying leaves with foliar fertilizer, these microorganisms may also be incorporated in the solution to enable the stomata of the leaves to absorb better.

Makes the Environment Suitable for Plant Growth
Beneficial microorganisms control the environment such as correcting the atmospheric nitrogen and producing nitrogen for plants, since plants cannot produce their own. Some fungi types also help in assimilating phosphorous when incorporated in the hydroponics system.

Hydroponics is a new way in cultivating plants where the environment can be controlled to eliminate any usual problems experienced from soil gardening. The strategy is to provide an environment that plants can thrive on and this is through providing the correct amount of nutrients supplemented with incorporating beneficial microorganisms. 

Clifford Woods is the CEO of Effective Environmental Services
and Organic Environmental Technology.
We brew Beneficial Microorganisms that eat toxins in the environment and offer Environmentally Friendly products.

What Does The "Environment" Consist of?

By Clifford Woods

The word environment can be defined as conditions that sustain life or an ecosystem. Different environments sustain both living and non-living organisms.

What does the Environment Consist Of? The composition of the environment is quite interesting and we can classify it into two main categories, which are:


Natural Universal Resources: These are resources that are not man-made and this includes water, climate, air, electric charge, magnetism, radiation as well as physical phenomena, such as the lack of boundaries on land.

Ecological Units: These are natural systems that occur within the boundaries of natural phenomena and this includes rock formations, soil, vegetation, the atmosphere and microorganisms.

Factors Affecting the Environment Various things affect the composition of the environment and these include the following processes:

1. Biotic processes: These involves living organisms and they affect the environment through excretion, breathing, absorption of sunlight, consumption of plants and animals, planting as well as decomposition. Different living organisms affect the environment in different ways, and a good example of these differences is roots hold the soil together while burrowing animals loosen it.
2. Hydrologic processes: Water also affects the environment in many ways. Water sustains life and plants and animals depend on its availability to develop and gain food. It also affects soil and can be detrimental through erosion. Water exists in various forms and can be present in liquid form, ice and vapors.
3. Geomorphic processes: These are factors that affect land and include processes such as deposition, weathering, transportation and erosion. To put this in order of occurrence, we will start with weathering that occurs when rock formations break either due to chemical, biotic or mechanical means. They then erode, thanks to wind and water that leads to transportation of the rocks and soil before being deposited to another location.
4. Atmospheric processes: The final factor affecting the composition of the environment is atmospheric processes. This includes climate, the wind and changing weather patterns. The weather we experience is as a result of atmospheric processes and these affect the environment by regulating availability of water for living organisms.

As you can see, there are physical and biological characteristics of the environment. The biological characteristics include plants, animals and other living matter, such as bacteria, while physical characteristics are made of land, water, the atmosphere and climate.

Types of Environment

• There are different environments and these include:
• Tropical rainforests
• Polar environments
• Deserts
• Wetlands
• Grasslands
• Water bodies
• Urban environments

Urban environments are largely man-made and they too, contain the resources just like any other environment.

Our environments are ever changing and while some changes are subtle, such as the receding water levels at a beach, others are massive and may cause major changes. Our short life spans prevent us from fully realizing the drastic environmental changes and what many don’t know is that the environment as we know it today is not as it was a hundred or a thousand years ago.

 The next time you get out of the house, think about where your environment meets the next change and how it will look like in the next century or decade.

Clifford Woods is the CEO of Effective Environmental Services and Organic Environmental Technology Find out more about our Natural Products We brew Beneficial Microorganisms that eat toxins and offer Environmentally Friendly products

Gardens, Soil and Beneficial Microorganisms

By Clifford Woods

Microorganisms, microbes or bacteria make nutrients available in the soil for plants in a form that the plants then can use. Microbes create some of those nutrients, Mother Nature creates hers and we add the rest.
Some microbes consume nutrients and some microbes eat the microbes that have consumed the nutrients. This in turn breaks the nutrients down into a smaller form so they can be absorbed much more efficiently by the plant.

Microbes perform different jobs. Some defend against non-beneficial microbes and this helps keep the plant’s natural defence system at it's best. Some microbes can also convert nitrogen gas in the air into a form that the plants can use.

Microorganisms release different types of proteins, acids, enzymes and other essential elements. These elements help to break down trace minerals, micro and macro-nutrients and make it available as food for the plant. What happens is an extreme increase in root mass, which in turn increases the nutrient intake that creates bigger yields. Enzymes and anti-microbial substances are particularly crucial in plants.

Beneficial microorganisms can also help condition and aerate soil, and create a better drainage system. Some beneficial microorganisms also have the ability to break down toxins in the soil or soil-less mix and turn it into plant food, air and water. They also covert calcium and phosphate into something that plants can actually use.

A good rule of thumb as to which microorganism is beneficial and which is not is the harmful or pathogenic microorganisms cause putrefaction and beneficial microorganisms cause fermentation.

Types of Beneficial Microorganisms:

• Lactic acid: make lactic acid from sugars or other carbohydrates. This is an important by-product because it can act as a strong fertilizer. It will control or push down non-beneficial or harmful microbes as well as cause rapid decomposition of organic matter and ferments organic matter without the smell and other harmful outcomes.
• Photosynthetic: these take harmful products like hydrogen sulfide and make them into useful substances. With the help of sunlight, secretions from organic matter can also be made into amino acids, nucleic acids, and bio-active substances. These aid tremendously in the growth of a plant and it’s development. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins. Synthesis of new protein is what Nucleic acids are responsible for and this allows the characteristics of an organism to transfer from one generation to another. Bio-active substances are important in the regulation of the function of both plants and animals, which include hormones, enzymes, and neurotransmitters, among others.
• Fermenting fungi: these groups of microorganisms suppress bad odors and prevent plant infestation by harmful insects and maggots. They also decompose organic matter rapidly to produce alcohol, esters and anti-microbial substances.
• Yeasts: these create a better root system and helps with the absorption of more water and nutrients from the soil. This will in turn speed up plant growth, producing more and wider leaves so the plant will produce starch. Plants use glucose as energy; but starch can be stored more efficiently and for longer periods of time.Plants use the sun for energy so at night the plants convert the stored starch back to glucose to provide the basic energy needed to maintain basic cellular functions.

If you want to keep the populations of beneficial microorganisms healthy here is what you don't do.

1. Do not use chemical fertilizers: fertilizers are made up of salts, and salts suck the water out of the microbes, which will either kill them or cause them to go into a dormant state.
2. Do not use hydrogen peroxide (H2O2): this adds oxygen to water, lowers algae levels and can help suppress diseases within plants. It helps sterilize water and the growing medium to kill harmful microorganisms, but it will also kill the beneficial microorganisms. Not good.
3. Do not use chemical pesticides: these get sprayed onto leaves to kill harmful insects, but they also kill the beneficial microbes that are present on the leaves. The pesticides then drip off the leaves and into the soil and again, kill any beneficial microbes present in that soil or soil-less mix.
4. Don't walk on the soil or compact it: over-tilling and compaction can kill some beneficial microbe populations since some microbes need air to survive. Worms can do the work of turning it in for you.

Do add at least an inch of organic compost a year: this will replenish the nutrients that the plants have used that season and always handle pests with natural and organic remedies.

Beneficial microorganisms bring back the lost properties of the soil and are commonly used in natural farming and organic gardens.

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Clifford Woods is the CEO of Effective Environmental Services and Organic Environmental Technology.
We brew Beneficial Microorganisms that eat toxins and offer Environmentally Friendly Products.

Organic Solutions for Garden & Plant Pests

By Clifford Woods

There is a balance in nature that can be tapped into if you want to keep your garden and plants at their best. And when you want to cultivate and maintain an organic garden and naturally healthy plants it is much easier to work with Mother Nature than against her.

Many organic solutions for garden and plant pests are available. Simple, easy to make remedies you can try making yourself and try them out.

Here is a list of some combination and single mixtures to help in the fight against pests.

1. Diatomaceous Earth and Chile pepper: Grind up two handfuls of dry chilies into a very fine powder then mix this with 1 cup of Diatomaceous earth. Add to 2 liters of water and let set overnight. Shake well before using.
2. Chrysanthemum Flower Tea: These flowers hold a powerful plant chemical component called Pyrethrum. This substance invades the nervous system of insects rendering them immobile. You can make your own spray by boiling 100 grams of dried flowers into 1 liter of water. Boil the dried flowers in water for twenty minutes. Strain, cool and place in a spray bottle. This mixture can be stored for up to two months.
3. Tobacco: Take one cup of organic tobacco (preferably a tobacco that is natural) and mix it in one gallon of water. Leave overnight and after 24-hours it should have a light brown color. Add more water if it too dark. You can use this on most plants, except those belonging to the nightshade family of plants such potato, tomato, eggplant etc.
4. Salt Spray: This is used on plants that have spider mites. You can mix 2 tablespoons of Himalayan Crystal Salt into one gallon of warm water and spray on infected areas.
5. Orange Citrus Oil, Water and Soap: Mix together 3 tablespoons of liquid Organic Castile soap with 1 ounce of Orange oil to one gallon of water. Shake well. This is an especially efficient treatment against slugs and can be sprayed directly on ants and roaches also.
6. Eucalyptus oil: A natural pesticide for flies, bees and wasps. Simply sprinkle a few drops of eucalyptus oil where the insects are found.
7. Cayenne Pepper Mix or Citrus Oil: This is another excellent organic pesticide that controls ants. Mix 10 drops of citrus essential oil with one tsp. of cayenne pepper and 1 cup of warm water. Shake well and spray.
8. Mineral oil: This organic pesticide works well for dehydrating insects and their eggs. Mix 10-30 ml of high-grade oil with one liter of water. Stir and add to spray bottle.
9. Onion and Garlic Spray: Mince one organic clove of garlic and one medium sized organic onion. Add to 1 quart of water. Wait one hour and then add one teaspoon of cayenne pepper and one tablespoon of liquid soap to the mix. This organic spray will hold its potency for one week if stored in the refrigerator.
10. Neem: A very powerful & natural pesticide and you can make your own Neem oil spray. Simply add 1/2 an ounce of organic Neem oil and ½ teaspoon of a mild organic liquid soap to 2 quarts of warm water. Slowly stir it up and then pour it into a spray bottle and use right away.
11. Garlic Tea: Make your own garlic spray by boiling a pint of water, throw in roughly chopped garlic cloves and steep until the water is cool. Remove any garlic bits with cheesecloth and then pour into a spray bottle and use.
12. Basil Tea: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add 1-cup fresh basil. Remove from heat, cover and let cool. Then mix in 1 tsp. of liquid dish detergent. Pour into a spray bottle and use. Basil Tea is good for combating aphids.

Simple-Simple - for both garden and house plants: Mix 1 cup Sunlight dish soap and 1 tbs. of vegetable oil together and then store the liquid in a plastic air tight container. When you need to use it, take 2 teaspoons of this liquid and mix it with 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray top and under the plants leaves and any new shoots and buds. When it is hot, repeat every third day - 3 applications over 7 days. In the cooler weather you only need to use it once a week for 3 weeks.

Employing organic solutions for garden and plant pest control would go hand in hand with the soil being organic as well. If you have been using store bought chemical fertilizers and are trying to transition out of this method, be patient. Soil goes through both many changes with the transition from a chemical to organic fertilizer is made. It can take the soil quite a while to adjust. Plants can often go through a few stages of poor yields before producing at peak performance.

An easy transition and sure fire method is adding some Beneficial Microorganisms as they are naturally already in the soil. It is just a matter of populating the soil with these beneficial
microbes – they will do the rest.

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Clifford Woods is the CEO of Effective Environmental Services and Organic Environmental Technology.
We brew Beneficial Microorganisms that eat toxins and offer Environmentally Friendly Products.

Gardening Organically

Gardening Organically – Your Best Gift to the Environment

By Clifford Woods

Organic gardening, unlike what majority of people perceive, is quite simple. What it means is not introducing chemicals or synthetic products like fertilizers and pesticides into your garden. 

Yes, that's it, it is that simple. Most people who have pets and kids perhaps already garden this way to keep their family safe.

If you are ready to have your own organic garden or are new to gardening organically, you will be amazed to see how some really simple techniques can help you raise a bright and colorful garden that will be lively and beautiful all year long.

The best way that you can start even before you till the soil in your garden is by generating your own organic compost. You may buy a composting container for that purpose, especially if you live in a place with limited space or if you are worried about the smells that might come from the heap. Organic compost can be considered as one of the prime requisites of organic gardening.

Some of the best things that you can feed your compost with are things like grass clippings straight from your lawn and dried leaves from trees around your neighborhood or in your own yard. You can also use kitchen scraps, but stay away from meat, milk, and yogurt, because they will give off an awful stink and also could attract animals if you live in an area that is known for garbage eating animals.

Once you have your own organic garden thought out and have your compost all ready and waiting, you can get started. You might not realize, but the environment gains a lot with these organic gardens. You can till the soil in your garden and mix your compost into the dirt, which will give you a fantastic base in which to start growing your organic garden. This can be any kind of a garden that you want it to be, populated with flowers, bright plants, trees or even vegetables for your family.

Some people might be concerned about how to get rid of pests that come to the garden without using chemicals, but it's really simple if you know what you are doing. You can get organic pesticides, but if you really want to keep it even simpler, without any extra sprays, then the first thing is to keep your plants as healthy as you can.

Pests are usually only interested in sick and decaying plants and not the healthy fresh plants. Therefore, if you really want to keep the bugs away then keep your plants as healthy as you can get them. You can also introduce things like ladybugs into your organic gardens, as they do minimal damage on their own and they love to eat specific types of pests off your plants.

If you are careful about gardening organically and really pay attention to what is going on in your garden, then you can really stave off the pets and sickness that might plague your garden.

Don't become discouraged if you do get sick plants or bugs in your garden; there is always help out there. You just need to know where to look; a search on the Internet is a great place to start.

You will be able to keep a wonderful organic garden that not only appeases your aesthetic sense, but it is your best gift to the environment.

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Author: Clifford Woods is the CEO of Effective Environmental Services and Organic Environmental Technology
They Brew Beneficial Microorganisms that Eat Toxins and Offer Environmentally Friendly Products

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TAKING A QUICK LOOK AT COMPOSTING

Taking A Quick Look At Composting And Effective Microorganisms Or EM

by Clifford Woods

Traditional procedures for making compost takes anywhere from 1 to 2 months. However, these days there is something widely available that can help reduce this process into just 3 weeks.

Thanks to composting and Effective Microorganisms (EM), improved soil condition and ultimately agricultural productivity need not take a very long time to be enjoyed.

Reasons why the use of compost is highly beneficial vary. Primarily, its addition helps enhance the health and fertility of the soil. It contributes to the improvement of the types and amount of microbes present in the soil, valuable in more ways than one. Ecological risks are also reduced as the use of synthetic fertilizers hazardous to the environment is eliminated.

Because it enriches the soil and enhances its quality, agricultural productivity is improved. It is said that EM is being utilized by organic farmers in over 150 countries worldwide, and its effectiveness is backed up by a lot of scientific investigations. This approach actually relies on a liquid culture of certain microbes that are known to be "facultative anaerobic organisms".

In layman's terms, these are life forms that can live in conditions not only with normal oxygen levels present in the air, but also when there are low levels of the gas available. These organisms present in EM are also known as "fermenting microbes". The name alone reveals that they are also responsible for fermentation process, necessary for making bread, cheese, yogurt, salami, beer and many others. The liquid culture needs to have the right blend of microorganisms to work.

Yeast, lactic acid and photosynthetic bacteria are the main groups of microscopic life forms that are major role players. There are also some other wild ones added into the liquid culture. With the right facilities and raw materials, the creation of this popular organic fertilizer is not impossible. However, it can easily be purchased from various manufacturers.

The fact is Effective Microorganisms is a trademark of the EM Research Organization, Inc; In the US as well as in other countries. However, there are many other similar products readily available to organic farmers. While for sure there are numerous excellent ones out there, it's also not unlikely for rip-offs to be around that may yield less satisfactory results.

Scientific researches have found that the use of EM can provide many other results than just improving the soil's quality and health. It has been found out that this organic compost is valuable in helping crops beat diseases such as botrytis. Protection against weevils and other commonly encountered stressors by farmers also help ensure the well-being of plants.

Bokashi is made up of Effective Microorganisms.

The Composter allows you to compost indoors without all the mess and odors.

It's easy to see why composting and Effective Microorganisms can be beneficial to one's agricultural productivity. There are also many other wonderful EM uses around. They may be used for cleaning polluted water and cleaning sewers. Organisms present are helpful in sanitizing medical facilities and dealing with oil spills. As mentioned earlier, it is used for fermenting purposes, allowing for the production of many fermented
food products. EM is also known to be highly effective in controlling insects, as well addressing odor and preventing certain diseases in animals.
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Clifford Woods is the CEO of Effective Environmental Services and Organic Environmental Technology
Find out more about The Magic Bokashi Composter

We brew Beneficial Microorganisms that eat toxins and offer Environmentally Friendly products