DIY Home Gardening, the organic and sustainable way.

There are several gardeners who grow their own plants and crops.  Many of us tend to go to the store to buy traditional advertised products for growing, maintaining, and reproducing. However, these products are filled with harsh chemicals that are toxic to you and to our garden. We as gardeners should advocate how to go chemical free and convert our gardens into a more organic, sustainable property.  The outcome of an organic garden will inhibit good soil to grow healthy plant roots that will survive through harsh conditions. There are 5 soil additives that we can add to our routine or gardening.

(1) Rotted Manure, a base that is rich in nutrient content, can build a strong structure of carbon compounds within the soil. It must be well rotted or it will burn your plants. The first step would be to add the rotted manure to the soil before plantation and top it as a dressing around the plants.

(2) Worm Castings, in other words, worm poop creates a strong structure to the root zone to hold moisture. A product that is organic certified is called Organic Mechanics, can be used for each hole for planting.

(3) Actino-Iron, an all natural OMRI certified additive that combines the Actinovate organic fungicide with organic iron humates to control root diseases and to keep the plants green. It is used to strengthen the roots of the plants and stays green through a drought. Iron builds the root zone and soil microbes to produce more root hairs to strengthen the base of each plant.

(4) Pure Elements Soil Success, a product that is good for soil growing to improve grass renewal, perennial beds, annual flower gardens, and vegetable gardening. The addition of humates in Pure Elements aids in the reduction of tomato bottom end rot. It also increases soil microbial activity and improves germination, shoot, and root growth.

(5) Homemade Compost, by the far the “#1 rule of healthy gardening” because not only is it free but it is sustainable to our environment. Grass clippings, kitchen scraps, dry leaves, coffee grounds, and other natural kitchen home remedy are all examples of homemade compost. It allows microbes to interact with root hairs to build stronger roots and smoother weeds around healthy plants.

Source: http://www.bhg.com/blogs/everydaygardeners/2013/07/23/top-5-secret-and-natural-soil-additives-for-a-healthy-garden/

Created by: Kim Carpio