Organic Pest Management Tips
Organic cultivation requires natural methods of dealing with pests. Organic pest management methods should take into account the preservation of soil microbiome and biodiversity in general regardless of the pest you may be dealing with. For my first tip, I'm going to lump 3 common but nasty leaf sucking pests into one management process. Thrips, spider mites and aphids. First of all, ensure all environmental practices such as watering and temperature are optimal for soil health and plant growth. Unhealthy plants send signals to pests to be eaten. Once you have determined your pest is one of the ones mentioned above, make a foliar spray consisting of an all natural neem oil product at the rate of 2-3ml/L and spray all leaf surfaces top and bottom at sundown every 3 days for at least 4 applications to break the breeding cycle. Then, order some cucumeris predatory mites from Bugs for Bugs at www.goodbugs.org.au and stop foliar spraying. These highly effective, all round predator mites will feed on the larval stages of thrips and mites. Additionally you can introduce californicus predatory mites if spider mites are a more severe problem, however after 4 foliar applications of neem oil there should only be a small pest population left. In a living organic, probiotic garden, introducing beneficial predatory insects is an excellent way to not only control pests but to increase the biodiversity of your garden which is what we should strive for with organic cultivation practices.
New Products: For re-amending no till gardens and recycling old soil.
No till, organic gardening is our passion and we are really excited to launch Southern No Till, a brand that is fully dedicated to all natural cultivation styles. Our product range will include organic, minimally processed raw soil amendments, high quality compost and worm castings and many more living organic soil building inputs.
Southern No Till’s focus is on the soil food web: the complex microbial community responsible for effective nutrient cycling and ultimate plant health in optimal soil. All of our organic gardening inputs are carefully considered for soil microbiome health and are mostly plant and rock mineral derived. We’ve chosen plant and mineral sources that bring maximum benefits to the table per square centimetre, hence why we’ve introduced the following 3, highly effect organic and no till gardening products for availability in our store.
Neem Meal and Kelp Meal provide a huge array of plant and microbe-promoting benefits beyond the NPK profile. Neem meal is an amazing botanical source of nutrients with a balanced macro and micro nutrient profile. Neem meal is created after the oil is pressed from the seed and is a true sustainable source of green manure. It contains pest-resisting limonoids which act as an anti-feedent and also disrupts breeding and laying of pest eggs. Our kelp meal is minimally processed. This preserves the many secondary metabolites present in kelp that stimulate plant health and growth. These beneficial secondary metabolites are destroyed during the processing of concentrated kelp extracts. Powerful growth promoting hormones naturally contained in kelp include cytokinins, gibberellins, auxins, indoles and many others. This whole kelp meal will provide a balanced spectrum of minerals and micro-nutrients. Kelp contains over 60 trace elements.
Recharge Nutrient and Mineral Blend is a great way to topdress, build new soil or recycle old soil from a single blend of carefully selected ingredients. It is a plant-based amendment and rock dust mineral blend which is perfect for re-amending soil beds and containers in between growing cycles, especially for people who don’t have the resources to get their soil tested as it contains a wide array of slow and quick release nutrients and minerals in organic form for microbial stimulation and long term soil fertility throughout the growing cycle. We’ve also added an Australian made mycorrhizal inoculant. I’ll save the massive benefits of adding mycorrhizal inoculants to containers and raised beds in living soils for another blog article!
Recharge contains:
Neem Meal: pest resistance, macro nutrients. Certified Organic
Kelp Meal: Growth hormones and micronutrients. Certified Organic
Malted Barley: Enzymes for faster microbial action
Paramagnetic Basalt Rock Dust: Raises soil fertility and provides slow release trace elements
Gypsum: Certified Organic. Provides sulfur and calcium and does not affect pH. If building your own soil, add appropriate amount of calcium carbonate if correcting acidic soil from the addition of sphagnum peat moss. We left out lime so your soil pH will not shift over time and become more alkaline.
Soft Rock Phosphate: Naturally sourced, un-processed rock phosphate high in trace elements, calcium and phosphorus as well as silica - a cell strengthening element.
Mycorrhizae: Contains 4 species of endomycorrhizal fungal spores. Made in Australia