Amish Farmers Reinventing Organic Agriculture

[rainbowgardener]

Just came across this interesting article:

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi ... on/380825/

I liked it and want to read more, but here's some highlights:

The breakthrough came from the study of plant immune systems which, in healthy plants, produce an array of compounds that are toxic to intruders. “The immune response in plants is dependent on well-balanced nutrition,” Kempf concluded, “in much the same way as our own immune system.” Modern agriculture uses fertilizer specifically to increase yields, he added, with little awareness of the nutritional needs of other organic functions.

“Organic certification is a negative-process certification,” he explained, “You can do nothing to your field and become certified. In contrast, we focus on actively restoring the balance found in natural systems.”

Another thing I learned is that every time you spray with a fungicide or something, it’s actually suppressing the plant as well as the fungi.

Morin: The same way that antibiotics can weaken a person’s immune system?

Zook: Yes. It might kill the disease, but then because it has weakened the plant, a week later the plant is much more susceptible to that same disease again


Yes! This is the kind of gardening I aspire to do: gardening by strengthening the health of the soil, the plants, and of the whole system (beneficial insects, plant interactions, etc).

[imafan26]

Great article. Amazing, when you let the garden patrol do their work. Feed the soil not the bugs. It is interesting about micro nutrients. I have been using fertilizers that have micros in them. I know about too much nitrogen, I have been guilty of that, but I have cut back. I don't have so much problems with pests, I just get humongous leaves and not much roots.