The essence of organic gardening and farming is explained in this excellent paper: http://www.humates.com/pdf/ORGANICMATTERPettit.pdf

 

 

Less to do with practical gardening than with students doing their PhD. Organic matter feeds the soil, enabling plants to absorb available nutrients better is about as far as most of us need to go.

I did all this stuff at horticultural college and it proved pretty useless in every day gardening.

Cooked: I fully appreciate your comment about keeping it simple and practical. The fact that you acknowledge the importance of organic matter in soil and plant health is a sign of your experience and intelligence in practical matters, much more than many growers who depend on shortcuts and detrimental environmental “conventional” or “chemical” methods and materials.

This paper that I posted has some content that is ‘over my head’ also, but I shared it because I hoped that it would be of value to some as a clear explanation of the science behind the practical issues of soil OM and humic substances. I am not a PhD or candidate, but I find value in a paper like this that is written by an experienced PhD professor of soil science, in a manner that is understandable to the lay practitioner like myself.

I am a full time hands-on plant health care specialist, I inspect properties, assess and treat problems, advise on maintenance for trees, landscapes, small farms and orchards all day every day. My practical experience has continually taught me to respect and apply the principles of organic soil and plant management as much as possible.

Building and protecting soil biology, green manure cover cropping, compost, humate ore, liquid humic and fulvic acid products have become core components in my own home garden management, and for my customers. I know it works, along with soil test based mineralization, to build pest and disease resistance in plants, because of practical experience and the results that I see. Now because of this paper, I know a little more about why. And it has raised my confidence level in the path of soil improvement and management I have been led to practice.