GMO - Organic & what the hell!!!

[tbow388]

So I had a lady ask me this today. "Mr Tim sir...are you going to be doing any non-GMO organic produce?"

I am not really up to school on the whole GMO thing and think since I grow it in dirt it is Organic enough for me.

She asked if I sprayed my garden for bugs and I told her I did when needed with Malathion.

Okay so here is my short take on it. I grow in dirt at my home. I spray when needed using the quantity suggested on the instructions. I fertilize when needed using triple 13 and miracle grow. It would have to be better than store bought commercial for the masses food, right?

I don't know. The whole organic thing just throws me for a loop. I really don't know how to answer people when they ask about organic and non GMO stuff. To be honest at this point in my life I don't really care to much about researching it. As far as I know, now days everything gives you cancer, nothing is good for you and you most certainly will die some day.

What do you guys think about the GMO and Organic Veggies?

 

[4x4American]

I dont know anything about it but surely its for wimps

 

[A10egress]

I prefer Organic and non GMO when possible. I just dont like to consume more pesticides than I need to or to have my corn perfected in a laboratory. I'm not saying I only eat that kind but i will buy it when possible. I prefer my eggs to be from free roaming chickens... i prefer grass fed beef, pretty much like things as natural as possible.

 

[farmer steve]

Tbow, start doin some google searches on it. you will find all the pro's and con's. i di see a report on organic and they said there was no nutritional diff between organic and non organic.i will say it's pretty much up to the grower and how he/she feels.

 

[A10egress]

i di see a report on organic and they said there was no nutritional diff between organic and non organic..

"nutritional difference", maybe not, but Id be curious to see if the same tests recorded the chemical from spraying, ect. Not picking a fight, just saying, I feel the big lure to organic, non GMO is the fact is closer to the way it was intended to be from nature.

 

[farmer steve]

"nutritional difference", maybe not, but Id be curious to see if the same tests recorded the chemical from spraying, ect. Not picking a fight, just saying, I feel the big lure to organic, non GMO is the fact is closer to the way it was intended to be from nature.

i should have been a little clearer.they were talking about the cost of organic vs.conventional because people thought they were getting a better product all other factors aside.

 

[A10egress]

but people should know the differences all around.

 

[farmer steve]

but people should know the differences all around.

Should is the key word. they read it on the internet and believe it's the gospel. what co. is willow grove? A10's aren't they whats called tank killers?

 

[A10egress]

Should is the key word. they read it on the internet and believe it's the gospel. what co. is willow grove? A10's aren't they whats called tank killers?

We DID have A-10s here at Willow Grove but the last round of base closures took them away in 2010 We're here in Bucks Co, too close to Philly.

 

[tbow388]

Thanks guys. I have never been really interested in "All organic" gardening.

I don't faithfully spray my garden once a week. I just spray when needed. I use triple 13 and miracle grow. I don't know how un-organic it is but that is what I use.

Most of what I grow is for my own personal use but I do sell my extras to the public. I made a couple hundred dollars last year.
Some people won't even buy eggs from me because I feed them things from the garden that I sprayed back in the summer.

I guess I will have to do a little research.

 

[farmer steve]

tbow, look at the #### monsanto thread.'nough stuff there on GMO's to make your head spin.

 

[NCTREE]

Organic isn't just about pesticides and GMO, it's also about fertilzer. Personally I would never use synthetic fert on my garden, their is so many other ways to fert your gargen without using chemicals. Try using liquid fish emulsion, it works wonders for your plants and is safer for consumption. Composting is the best way to organic fert your garden, take care of the soil and it will take care of you. Tbow look up Permaculture Gardening I think you will find it interesting.

 

[McGoo]

From a plants perspective, there is no difference between nitrogen from fossil fuel based urea, and nitrogen from cow poo. Same goes for other minerals, the plant can only detect whether the required mineral is present or not. Having a layer of compost is a great idea as it will help reduce evaporation, prevent competitive growth from other plants, moderate soil temperatures, and encourage microbe activity. There is no reason, however, as to why the right fertiliser will be detrimental to a compost layer.

 

[NCTREE]

Organic fertilizer uses low amounts of buffer nutrients, everything can be used by the plant. The filler uses trace amounts of minerals which translates to better stimulation of biological activity in the soil. Organic fertilizer improves the soil and synthetic does not, it actually can lock up certain mineral and nutrients making unavailable to the plant. Synthetic fertilizer uses too much nitrogen which cause weak watery cell growth in plants which in turn can attract insects and diseases. It also works too fast and is water soluble which in turn washes into our streams(not good for fish). Synthetic fert uses triple super Phosphate(phosphoric acid) which locks on to magnesium and other mineral binding them up and making them unavailable to the plant.

 

[farmer steve]

Organic fertilizer uses low amounts of buffer nutrients, everything can be used by the plant. The filler uses trace amounts of minerals which translates to better stimulation of biological activity in the soil. Organic fertilizer improves the soil and synthetic does not, it actually can lock up certain mineral and nutrients making unavailable to the plant. Synthetic fertilizer uses too much nitrogen which cause weak watery cell growth in plants which in turn can attract insects and diseases. It also works too fast and is water soluble which in turn washes into our streams(not good for fish). Synthetic fert uses triple super Phosphate(phosphoric acid) which locks on to magnesium and other mineral binding them up and making them unavailable to the plant.

synthetic or organic the need for a soil test is imperative.using crop specific fertilizer to meet the crops needs cuts down on over use thus not having excessive runoff. to much N-P-K is just a waste of money.

 

[NCTREE]

synthetic or organic the need for a soil test is imperative.using crop specific fertilizer to meet the crops needs cuts down on over use thus not having excessive runoff. to much N-P-K is just a waste of money.

Crop specific fertilizer? that"s new to to me. All plants require the same nutrients, it's the availability of the nutrients in the soil that determines how the plant will do. Organic fertilizer builds soil structure and retains water better, it also breaks up compacted soil. If you are using organic fertilizer there is know need for a soil test because everything the soil needs is there to grow healthy plants. Synthetic fertilizer is just a temporary fix to the problem which in turn creates more problems over time.

 

[farmer steve]

sorry, should have said crop specific blend.
after you get your soil test back and say you are growing tomatatoes and your soil test says you need a 5-10-20 to supply the tomatoes the nutrients they need to produce a crop thats what you buy. it would be a waste of money to buy say 20-20-20 when the plants don't need the excess.with all the pollution control in place some tests now tell you to add sulpher to your fert. it's only a minor nutrient but still needed by some crops. if i use my sheep manure (organic) to grow some thing i need to know the nutrient breakdown of it.if it doesn't have the needed say nitrogen to grow my sweet corn i need to add it from some other source. not slamming organic fertilizers, i love manure, but when you need to get a good yield you must use other sources.

 

[NCTREE]

When I say organic fertilizer i'm more so talking about composting, composting is not just manure it is a mixture of manure and plant waste. Composting is actually a delicate process that need to be monitor and controlled in order to get the right finished product with all beneficial biological material. I'm no expert on composting by any mean but it makes sense to give the soil what naturally occurs when it is undisturbed my humans. There is so many benefits to composting that synthetic ferilizer can't create, sure if your tomatoes need a quick dose of nitrogen then a good organic fertilizer will do the trick such as compost tea or liquid fish emulsion. These fertilizers will do the same thing in a timely fashion as say miracle grow and won't pollute the environment or cause more soil damage.

 

[jollygreengiant]

Organic fertilizer uses low amounts of buffer nutrients, everything can be used by the plant. The filler uses trace amounts of minerals which translates to better stimulation of biological activity in the soil. Organic fertilizer improves the soil and synthetic does not, it actually can lock up certain mineral and nutrients making unavailable to the plant. Synthetic fertilizer uses too much nitrogen which cause weak watery cell growth in plants which in turn can attract insects and diseases. It also works too fast and is water soluble which in turn washes into our streams(not good for fish). Synthetic fert uses triple super Phosphate(phosphoric acid) which locks on to magnesium and other mineral binding them up and making them unavailable to the plant.

Synthetic fertilizer doesn't improve the soil directly. But you can argue that it does indirectly by increasing crop yields.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say synthetic fertilizer can "lock up" other nutrients?

Not all synthetic fertilizers have a high nitrogen content. Fertilizers such as potash, mono ammonium phosphate, etc have low concentrations of nitrogen.

Nitrogen fertilizers do not affect plant cell turgor ( the rigidity of the plant cell). Nitrogen is a key factor in chlorophyll production, amino acid, enzyme, and protein synthesis and it is also used for energy transfer. Plant cell turgor is mainly affected by water, as drought stressed plants do not have enough water to properly fill the cells. Hence why drought stressed plants often droop. Potassium is the main nutrient that affects plant cell turgor. It is also the main nutrient that is responsible for the plants ability to resist diseases and other pests.

Synthetic fertilizer is water soluble so that it can be taken up by the plant. All nutrient sources must be soluble in water in order to be taken up by the roots, organic fertilizer included. Phosphoric acid does not tie up magnesium. Phosphorous fixation only happens with soil particles or with organic matter. Magnesium is fixed and held in the soil by exchange sites on the Soil particles. These exchange sites are not impacted by phosphorous.

 

[jollygreengiant]

Crop specific fertilizer? that"s new to to me. All plants require the same nutrients, it's the availability of the nutrients in the soil that determines how the plant will do. Organic fertilizer builds soil structure and retains water better, it also breaks up compacted soil. If you are using organic fertilizer there is know need for a soil test because everything the soil needs is there to grow healthy plants. Synthetic fertilizer is just a temporary fix to the problem which in turn creates more problems over time.

If you use an organic fertilizer source, it is still important to get a soil test regularity. Organic fertilizer does not contain all of the essential plant nutrients in a balanced form. Most are quite high in potassium or phosphorous, but are low in nitrogen or sulphur.