Making The Organic Transition

Proper nutrition is the very foundation of organic growing and pest control. Just as a human body that isn't properly fed is wide open to attack from one illness or another, so it is with plants. Chemical fertilizers are not complete foods. They lack almost all of the important trace minerals. There are over 70 trace minerals that plants and humans need, and chemical fertilizers provide only a few of them. If plants do not get the trace minerals they need, as well as a variety of enzymes and bacteria, they will become stressed and will be attacked by disease, or pests.
Ants, like most predatory insects, attack plants that are sick or stressed. This is a natural law, like the wolf who only attacks sick sheep. I do not recommend the use of chemical fertilizers. If you presently are using these fertilizers and want to stop, be forewarned that you must proceed slowly and carefully as you make the transition from chemical fertilizers to exclusively pure organics. As an addict depends on drugs, plants depend on chemical fertilizers for their `hits' and won't accept organic food at first. Time is needed to allow the plants natural systems to begin to work again. Give yourself and your plants at least a year to go from chemicals to organics. It may take several years of growing organically for the soil to return to life and for the organic materials to kick in. Use the following schedule in making the organic transition.

First Month

Keep using the same amount of chemical fertilizer but also spray a liquid seaweed blend (such as Superseaweed, or Nitron or Agri-Gro ) as a foliar feeder. Make sure the soil is in good condition by applying lots of rich live compost. Stop using any chemical pesticides. Start using the many methods mentioned in this book.

Second Month

Reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer by one third, while continuing to spray the leaves of your plants with the liquid seaweed according to the instructions (Superseaweed is five drops per gallon). Replace the chemical fertilizer with a good compost such as Organa. Apply more compost around plants, turn over soil when possible. Mulch well.

Third Month

By now you should have reduced the amount of chemical fertilizer to one half the original amount you were using before and increased the amount of organic fertilizer to replace the chemical fertilizer. In other words, you are now using one part organic and one part chemical. You will find that during these months your plants will be under a great deal of stress and may be attacked by various predatory bugs. Use only organic methods to get rid of them. Keep spraying the leaves with a good liquid seaweed weekly or monthly.

Fourth to Eighth month

Stay on the 50/50 basis. This is a good time to see how the plants are responding to their new organic regime. Some plants will not like it at all and may even die, but the majority of plants will do very well. Keep spraying the leaves as often as recommended (as above).

Ninth month

Reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by half again, and increase your organic fertilizer/compost. Follow with a monthly spraying of liquid seaweed.

Tenth month-Twelfth month

Repeat the process. By now you should be using one-quarter of your chemical fertilizer with three quarters organic fertilizer. This is the level you want to stay at for the next two months. By the end of the first year you should have reduced your chemical usage by 80 percent. You should also have increased your organic usage by 80 percent. During the next few years you should work on reducing the chemicals used by « then, eventually not using any chemicals at all. Then you'll be 100% Organic!

Any problems your plants may have can be treated with the appropriate organic controls.

Andy Lopez

Invisible Gardener

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See also Using Raised Beds for Natural Pest and Disease Control