Beginning Organic Gardening Mistakes
© Deborah Turton
1. Water - plants need water. But not too much water. Over watering and under watering are both bad for the plants. Over watering prevents the plants from creating deep root systems. Then they need to be watered frequently. Deep root systems can pick up more water. Water your plants deeply about once a week. Make sure the water goes deep and is not just a surface watering. Under watering dehydrates your plants. This stresses them and can lead to weekend and susceptible plants. Mulch can help with both of these problems. Water deeply, then mulch. When you do need to water, move the mulch aside and then water deeply. You don't need to water in between your annuals. No need to water the weeds. If it's been raining too much, mulch can help prevent too much water from reaching your plants roots. Too much water can suffocate your plants. They need oxygen and water soaked earth can't hold oxygen that the plant can access.
2. Using inorganic fertilizers. You'd think this would be harmless. Just a few green crystals and your bush will be so much happier. However, those crystals are heavy on the salts, discourage earthworms and soil microorganisms, and only provide major nutrients. They don't feed the soil either. The nutrients give your plant a short term boost, but the fast lush growth is a magnet for bugs. Then you end up spraying and using pesticides - organic or not. Excess nitrogen can decrease the number of flowers and fruits your plants produce. And excess nutrients in general pollute our waterways. There are ‘dead zones' in many regions where major rivers drum into the oceans. Finally, inorganic fertilizers can contain heavy metals and other dangerous ingredients. There is very little regulation of so called ‘inert' ingredients in pesticides and fertilizers.
Your much better off with natural slow release organic amendments and compost. These provide not only major nutrients, but trace nutrients in a natural setting your plants can use over extended periods of time. Plus, by using a balanced approach, your plant will not have that burst of growth that can lead to increased susceptibility to disease and insects. You should be feeding your soil and not your plants. Your plants know how much to feed themselves.
3. Using too much fertilizers - Even organic fertilizers can be overdone. More fertilizer is not better. Too much organic fertilizer can lead to excess plant growth. You should be working to create a balanced soil, so fertilizing isn't a major part of your summer. The rule of thumb is about 1" of compost should be enough to grow most annual vegetables and flowers. One inch is not very much compost. And if you put the compost on, you don't need another inch of some magic formula or rotted manure or alfalfa pellets, etc. Of course there are exceptions. Until you have your soil in balance and up to snuff, you may need to use more compost or some other organic fertilizer. Ont he other hand, many shrubs and bushes don't need fertilizer. I just put in some Laurel bushes and the directions specifically said not to fertilize the plant. It's a woodland plant and too much fertilizer can shock the plant. Many woodland plants are like this. Your trees get plenty of fertilizer from your lawn and most of it is absorbed in the upper part of the soil. Sticking fertilizer 20 feet deep isn't going to do much for your tree. Trees in their natural habitat are fed from the top. Nobody feeds trees in their natural setting by inserting nutrients deep into the ground.
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