Sustainable Horticulture

Monrovia Falters…Industry Feels the Tremors

Posted by sustainable_hort on February 2, 2011  |  No Comments

Monrovia’s recent sales woes may indicate that a new marketing message is needed to revive a shell-shocked consumer.

I now look back at my years working for the Oregon nursery industry and realize it may have been a Golden Age for wholesale plant growers. The state’s sales skyrocketed over several decades from few hundred million to nearly one billion. Then it all collapsed. As the housing market dropped, so did landscape plant sales. Then, almost all commercial work stopped abruptly. Architectural firms shrank over night. This ripple hit the plant industry, especially the growers, and we have seen numerous growers go under or move into other horticultural crops. Sales this spring will probably improve slightly, but not enough to save many growers.

Monrovia has represented the peak of nursery industry production and marketing. Yet, like any industrial designed production systems, the operating costs are substantial. The company created new plants, led the “branding” effort (a marketing strategy that I always thought was over-sold), and used the garden centers to provide an effective distribution/sales platform. Now, with sales down drastically again, the company has been forced (by the banks) start selling “non-branded” plants to Home Depot to force sales. This obviously undercuts a basic part of their marketing/branding strategy of selling only to the independent garden centers. It has also created some severe comments from their customers.

But, it is not all their fault. All the quality products and clever marketing cannot “create” markets if there is, in this case, very little building going on. Add to this the panicked consumer…a one-two punch that has not just Monrovia but an entire industry on the ropes.

There are a few bright spots. Some narrow niche producers are keeping their sales at least even. Greenhouse operations that concentrate on annuals and especially vegetables are surviving. There was actually shortage last year of organic vegetable starts. Food costs, food safety concerns and a desire for better taste/nutrition are all driving this home garden trend. (See the next post on the urban homesteading movement.) A complimentary trend uses permaculture techniques to add native plants and create more plant diversity to draw beneficial wildlife.

But, the more general ornamental plant growers will need another marketing hook to push up sales. I propose turning to the strength of plants to provide a better, less polluting environment and lower energy use. I like to call the many uses of plants to improve our water and air a new “plant technology.” Sell plants because they provide solutions, not because they “decorate” our world. It is an old idea really. There is adequate research and successful examples to get consumers to look at plants, not as a “discretionary” expense, but necessary to improve one’s home and life. This “message” will sell better in the new consumer economy, one that is moving away from the wild spending of the last two decades.

Show Me the Research – Glyphosate and GM Problems Expand

Posted by sustainable_hort on May 24, 2010  |  No Comments

Monsanto’s PR team must be up nights…since the good news just keeps coming up around GM technology and their popular herbicide product…Round-Up. We have discussed several resistance issues recently (see both earlier “Show Me the Research” posts), but the concerns and problems are expanding.

First, Round-Up’s affects on plant health.
Microbiologist Robert Kremer USDA-ARS (US Department of Agriculture- Agricultural Research Service) was interviewed recently in the online “The Organic & Non-GM Report,” where he explained his concerns with glyphosate’s (Round-Up) impact on plant health. He was quoted as saying the compound “This system is altering the whole soil biology.” He expanded the observations, noting that “glyphosate can have toxic effects on microorganisms and can stimulate them to germinate spores and colonize root systems. Other researchers are showing that glyphosate can immobilize manganese, an essential plant micronutrient.”

In this month’s issue, the editors interviewed retired Purdue University Emeritus Professor of Plant Pathology, Dr. Don Huber. He said that glyphosate can “significantly increase the severity of various plant diseases, impair plant defense to pathogens and diseases, and immobilize soil and plant nutrients rendering them unavailable for plant use.” And that glyphosate stimulates the growth of fungi and enhances the virulence of pathogens such as Fusarium and “can have serious consequences for sustainable production of a wide range of susceptible crops.”

This all builds on an important work I have written about before…”Healthy Crops, A New Agricultural Revolution” by Francis Chaboussou. In it, he looks at 75 years of similar research on not just glyphosate, but many pesticides, herbicides and nitrogen-heavy fertilizers, and their negative impacts on disease and pest problems. I felt he showed clearly that while the compounds might solve a problem, they usually created others. Others that then required spraying of toxic compounds, which have the same affect. And the circle goes ‘round and the grower pays. Less toxic approaches might actually reduce other input costs…it at least deserves a closer, open-minded look.

GM Bt Cotton Causes Pest Explosion
And then, from China comes a report about a recent disaster that resulted from planting Bt cotton. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is one of best know “natural” insecticides, with the organism successfully controlling several pest outbreaks (various caterpillars). Then, it was inserted genetically into crops, including cotton, where it offered bollworm control. And that part of the equation worked, so growers could stop spraying toxic chemicals. Looked like a win-win.

But then, the fields became infested with another pest, the Mirid Bug, causing serious damage. Scientists determined that the June spraying for bollworms had also knocked back the entire insect community, including other pest species and their natural predators. With no controls, in this case, the Mirid Bug won the race, finding a vast, rich food source, and quickly expanding its populations. It has even moved into other crops such as apples, strawberries, pears, peaches and vegetables, where it had never been a problem. All this started following the switch to Bt crops in 1997, showing up first in cotton in 2000, and moving to other crops by 2005. It seems their only short-term answer is go back to spraying, after paying more the Bt-cotton.

So, again unintended consequences. The GM technology still holds promise to help with world nutrition. The idea and reality of foods that create extra vitamins (improved rice variety) with the help of added genetic information could save lives. But, first it is caution with this new “tool.” It needs more study, more testing in the complexity of an environmental system, to understand those consequences. From these latest reports, it seems to solve single problems only to create others. Not a sustainable system.

For more:
• “Scientist warns of dire consequences with widespread use of glyphosate”, The Organic & Non-GMO Report, May 2010, @ http://www.non-gmoreport.com/articles/may10/consequenceso_widespread_glyphosate_use.php

• “Scientist finding many negative impacts of Roundup Ready GM crops, USDA doesn’t want to publicize studies showing negative impact2, The Organic & Non-GMO Report, January 2010, @ http://www.non-gmoreport.com/articles/jan10/scientists_find_negative_impacts_of_GM_crops.php

Show Me the Research – Volcanoes & Monsanto

Posted by sustainable_hort on April 27, 2010  |  1 Comment

Dear Readers…Sorry about the long break between posts, but farming requires one to take advantage of weather breaks…we finally had a break from several weeks of rain, tilling and planting had to get done.

But, I am back at the desk and this is the first of several posts that will go up over the next few days. The first section here is not really research but I do want to point out actual, current phenomenon that relate to this theory of sustainability. These entries are clarifying examples of why we need, and may be forced, to do things differently when it comes growing and consuming food.

Gaia Gets Back or Free Fertilizer?
First, the Iceland volcano situation. I started college many decades ago in geology and it remains a reference point for me when I look at the environment, agriculture, soils and soil fertility. Volcanic action may be part of a natural cycle of nutrients.

In fact, this is a key aspect of the theory of “paramagnetism.” Work by Carey Reams, and covered in the book “Paramagnetism,” by Dr. Philip S. Callahan, discuss this idea. It reduces much of soil nutrition into physics, the transfer of electrical energy at the molecular level feeding growth. This is why we see glacial dust and worm castings being sold as soil amendments. Rocks feed the soil organisms that break them down so the plant roots can absorb them as nutrients, especially the many minor elements.

When Mt. Saint Helens exploded and dumped a layer of ash over central Washington, it was, at first, a huge nuisance. But, within a few years, growers in the rich, agricultural region noticed their crops were doing fine, in some cases, better, since the eruption. The mountain had brought up a rich mixture of raw nutrients, and broadcast them over a wide region. It turned out to be free fertilizer!

But I had not thought of volcanic activity being the problem it became. Not only can an extended eruption play havoc with the transportation, affect economies and public health, but it could lead drastic climate change. One European climate expert said it could lead to extended, colder winters and reduced crop production for several years. Luckily this specific event seems to be settling down, but I don’t want to think where it could send the fragile world economy if it continued.

Yet, it also seemed almost a practice run of what would take place, over several decades, if there does become an oil/natural gas shortage. I mentionedThe Long Emergency several posts ago and have continued to re-read it. James Kunstler’s chapter on banking, investing and our financial system was probably written in 2004. His predictions were dead-on for what finally happened in 2008. You tend to listen those whose predictions start ringing true, so again, this book deserves your time. Since it is older book, I am sure it is available in many libraries or used. Check with Powell’s Bookstore online at www.powells.com.

As I mentioned, the eruption actually, in the long run of a few years, had a positive effect by providing a fresh, dusting of rock that used in the complex soil microbiology as food. So, let’s not hate volcanoes.

Monsanto Products Questioned
This week two articles appeared concerning Monsanto’s products, one an herbicide, the other a transgenic crop.

First, here in Oregon, we are following a regional alfalfa grower who has forced the company all the way to the Supreme Court today (April 27). His claim is that Monsanto’s transgenic alfalfa crossed with his crop, which then limited where his alfalfa can be sold. The article in the Oregonian points out the existing rules for approving this crop for general release were not even followed.

Then, another report on recent research showed that the “Round-Up resistance” is spreading to other plants, many which are common weeds. Won’t that eventually defeat the strategy and require another new herbicide to be developed? I guess Monsanto wins either way, but weed control can be simpler and weed growth greatly reduced just by having healthy soil. Believe it or not, weeds tend to grow in poorer soils and can be indicative of specific nutritional problems. More on that in a later post.

A related research story from AgCanada.com reported that scientists at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Crop Protection Lab confirmed herbicide carry-over in ag soils. It was at levels that damaged the following sensitive crop. This is another reason for planting fields with certain cover crops that remove the negative compounds so other following crops are not harmed. And another reason to revisit how we control weeds, again looking at healthier soils.

And then, the other night, I stumbled across a 2008 documentary on Monsanto, called “Monsanto,” on the Sundance Channel. I knew much of the history, having followed the company for years and having read many well-researched commentaries. It was clear that the company focuses on stockholder demands. This drives it to take what are interesting technologies, combine them with rigid market agreements, and twist it into a rather arrogant sales strategy. Much of genetic engineering may be fine, but let’s just take one step back and study it more.

But, actually, my main concern is Monsanto’s deliberate, and brilliant, plan to corner the “seed” market. I am not just talking about Round-Up Ready soybeans, but a much, much wider net the company has thrown over the entire seed industry. The company has bought dozens of smaller seed companies over the past decade. Once they “own” all the genetic material that creates the annual food cornucopia, they can slowly (or not so slowly) ratchet up prices and demand the growers not save seed from “their” crops. The documentary includes several instances of just how far Monsanto will go to harass growers that don’t use their seed.

Seeds are literally the transference of life. Groups like Seed Savers have formed networks so there will be a genetic base of common vegetables and other food plants readily available to gardeners. It is an effort worth supporting. It is an effort that is part of making sure we can feed ourselves.

Enough for now…see you soon.

Show Me the Research

Posted by sustainable_hort on April 4, 2010  |  No Comments

It seems that for decades the conventional agricultural community responded to organic claims with “ show me the scientific research.” That, in fact, was what led me back to Oregon State University many decades ago. I was growing food organically but did not feel I had my science in order. But, their response was valid in a sense. There was not recent research that could back it up. But, if one ventured back to before World War II, there was a body of work (see the earlier post titled Soil Health and Organic Fertilizers for a short list of key sources) that seemed to support organic agriculture strategies.

Time limits me to maybe one long article a week on this blog. But, as I do research for my writing, I come across many interesting and pertinent stories, articles, studies, and books. It is information I sense has a place on this blog. So, at least a few times a month, I will post “Show Me the Research” notes. As a visitor, this will help you identify the more in-depth pieces, from simpler informational pieces. Again, I want to thank everyone for their positive comments.
So, for the first “Show Me the Research.”

First, some more book recommendations. The first is the The Long Emergency, written by James Howard Kunstler. Though is was first published five years ago, its content and message remain topical, maybe even more so today. I first read it years ago, but recently found a used copy, bought it, and have been re-reading parts of it. It is not a diatribe against global warming, though it includes the topic as part of an overall discussion of our economy’s dangerous reliance on petroleum for much of our lifestyle, energy, food and industry. Kunstler clearly shows that petroleum is at the base of many products, and as the world economy moves to duplicate US and European models, it will become a limiting factor. His best-case scenario seems to be that everything will cost more, much more. The alternatives are less comfortable to imagine. Many other books cover some of the same ground, but none are as complete or so soundly based on solid research.

The other work is much newer. The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler, MD, jumps into the current discussion on diet with a slightly different approach. Kessler looks at how and why we eat, clearly showing how food manufacturers manipulate “sugar, fat and salt” to over stimulate our appetites. These “manipulations” work surprisingly well, leading us to both overeat and consume foods that are not as healthy. The dozens of books published on diet topics generally tell us what to eat, but don’t explain why it so difficult to control our eating. A fascinating work by the former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration who successfully fought the tobacco industry. Now, with this book, takes a lead role in giving us tools to change what Michael Pollen describes as “the catastrophe that is the modern American diet.” Read it and then eat.

• Herbicide Resistance Identified…The Nebraska Rural Radio Association reported that “Kansas State University (KSU) scientists have completed long-term evaluations of a limited number of independent kochia (Kochia scoparia) populations on privately-owned land in western Kansas that are now confirmed to be glyphosate (Round-Up)-resistant.”

In the western U.S. and Canada, Kochia, or “fireweed,” is often found in arid and semi-arid croplands, rangelands, pastures, and non-agricultural sites. Very adaptable, Kochia even grows on saline and alkaline soils. It a serious “weed” and control will now be more complex and expensive. This resistance developed naturally, possibly due to growers using lower rates that left a few tougher plants, not through genetic modification. But, it points to why there is concern about this happening as “Round-Up resistant” crops are planted. I am not saying that genetic modification is all bad, but this type of natural resistance seems to require science to study this closely. This type of manipulation could actually lead to faster development of resistance in the environment.

• Since I also co-own an organic produce farm, I like to see people eat more vegetables. Now more proof fresh, nutritional produce is important…worth more of your food dollar.

1) Carolyn Lister, research leader at the New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research told www.newkerala.com that while fruit has tended to attract the greatest attention and the ‘super food’ label, there is a body of clinical research underlining the significant health benefits of vegetables in both raw and cooked form, with broccoli along with the other brassicas, tomatoes, onions and other alliums proving to be the vegetables with the strongest scientific evidence behind them.

“This evidence varies from in vitro studies through to human feeding studies,” she claims. “Although there is considerable variation in the results of different studies…looking at the summation of results, there is quite strong evidence for benefits to human health of a number of vegetables.”

Lister is a key scientists with the Vital Vegetables program, working to develop vegetables with increased health benefits, using traditional breeding techniques.

This is similar to a new study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has released a study indicating that anti-oxidants – plant-based substances in foods such as broccoli, berries, tomatoes, spinach, carrots, grapes and garlic, are a key in preventing the flu.

“The recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza and the rapid spread of this strain across the world highlights the need to better understand how this virus damages the lungs and to find new treatments. Additionally, our research shows that anti-oxidants may prove beneficial in the treatment of flu,” said study co-author Sadis Matalon.

2) Other work shows “flavonols” might reduce women’s stroke risk. This has been reported by Dutch researchers in the Journal of Nutrition.

“We showed for the first time, to our knowledge, that flavonol intake was inversely associated with stroke incidence,” wrote the researchers. “We conclude that evidence is accumulating that flavonol intake is inversely related to different cardiovascular disease outcomes,” they added.

Despite reporting a potential risk reducing effect of compounds from tea, onions, apples, and broccoli the results should be “interpreted with caution.” The study followed over 110,000 people, noting higher consumption of flavonols, mostly tea in the Dutch population; and from tea, onions, apples, and broccoli in US studies, accounted for the reduction in stroke risk.

Flavonols are “flavonoids,” which also include anthocyanins (berries), isoflavones (soy), flavones (parsley and thyme), flavanones (citrus), flavonols (tea) and proanthocyanidins (berries, wine and chocolate.) Boy I like those last two! An editorial in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (July 2008, Vol. 88, pp. 12-13), echoed that statement, saying the “contribution of flavonones to a person’s antioxidant capacity was significant.”

• Finally, good news for those of us guys who are night people and require multiple cups of coffee to survive the morning.

A recent US study indicates that coffee may boost prostate health. It said “increased intake of coffee may reduce the risk of lethal and advanced prostate cancers by 60 per cent.” The study followed almost 50,000 men for over four years and found that males with the highest intake of coffee had significantly lower risks of aggressive prostrate cancer. The study is said to be the first study of its kind to look at both overall risk of prostate cancer and risk of localized, advanced and lethal disease.

“Coffee has effects on insulin and glucose metabolism as well as sex hormone levels, all of which play a role in prostate cancer. It was plausible that there may be an association between coffee and prostate cancer,” said Kathryn Wilson, PhD, from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. The researchers presented their findings at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference late last year.

Well…that’s enough for one reading. See you next week with the second “Show Me the Research.”

What Is Sustainable Horticulture?

Posted by sustainable_hort on March 24, 2010  |  No Comments

This is a quick thank you to all that have checked this blog and made so many positive comments. And more…a short view of where we are headed.

This blog was started to document, explain, revise, suggest and predict where the wide world of horticulture can honestly to create systems to grow plants that do not depend on petroleum based inputs (which at some point become scarce or at least much more expensive), but finds closed systems to supply those inputs. No one is saying it is easy, it still needs work and research, but natural systems are being identified. We just need to rethink some obvious biology, especially relating to soil, and how it has worked “sustainably” for millions of years.

Definitions are tricky…and “sustainability” is seems to be the rule in this case. There are many definitions, the majority of which tend to be bent to service those defining it. But, after reading numerous definitions, it seems to boil down creating ways to grow plants that will without harming workers or future generations later. Many include the definition of “environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity.” This must mean “we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” So, “stewardship” requires “maintaining or enhancing this vital resource base (soils, water and closed inputs) forever.”

Certain food and ornamental products have identified with this “sustainable” vision. More than identified, they have built businesses, created organic fertilizers and pesticides, established networks and distribution systems that are a first stage in creating a more sustainable horticulture. It might even lead to a more sustainable agriculture…a different conversation.

Even Miracle Grow, not the most organic product in the world, is now selling two soil amendment products. These miracle products, which the company promotes as containing “organic” components, promise healthy soils that “grow plants twice as large.” The company has recognized the concept, along with much of agriculture, that healthy soil is the literal and environmental foundation of sustainable horticulture, whether in farms or landscapes.

So, this blog first focuses on ornamental plant production. I am working with a wholesale grower in the wonderful Willamette Valley, Oregon, where plants like to grow. It is one of the main reasons I live here today. We are seeing if a grower of shrubs and trees can work towards a sustainable sustainability…one that works economically long term. A key phrase in this sentence is “long term.” And it may mean growing not the largest plant, but the healthiest plant. This is not just speculation, but has a background, starting with the works of Sir Alfred Howard and William Albrecht, and continuing today with the Rodale organization, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and ATTRA. I suggest reading New Opportunities in Sustainable Landscapes and Can Nurseries be Sustainable? on this blog, and investigating the references. Let’s keep the discussion going.

At the same time, this site will point to new uses of plants from green roofs and walls, to storm water control with green streets, to growing food on empty rooftops and in our neighborhoods. We find cities planting more trees, urban agriculture sneaking into backyards and along cities edges, plants being used to clean water and air, and cool our heat islands. This is all positive and needs to be recognized as an important environmental strategy, one that can also create jobs. Obviously, without plants, there is no food or air, there is no “us.” So, it becomes important to recognize and utilize plants at every level we can.

Finally, this discussion site will lead to the introduction and testing of organic input products here in the Northwest (with application nationally), and we will be providing some of those products through this site and with advertising support. This all works toward my focus, helping horticultural growers (both food and ornamental) move, step by step, to a sustainable future while still providing the planet with plants.

And, a main test site will be our organic produce operation, 19th Street Farms. Since the links on this template are not working right, just type in “www.19thstreetfarms.com/blog/” to get to the site. I will use this blog for other content, but the site will busy in summer. It is also our CAS/Farmers Market site where we are continually talking with our customers. So look under specific categories for your favorite topic.

MORE COMING SOON…

Make Sure Your Fresh Vegetables are Fresh

Posted by sustainable_hort on March 17, 2010  |  2 Comments

When we buy vegetables, we hope they are providing important nutrients for our health. Numerous research studies have confirmed that eating a diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruit can help deter certain diseases and other health problems.

A recent research report from England showed that “freshness” is a relative term and that some frozen vegetables can actually be more nutritious that grocery store “fresh” vegetables. This is not really a new fact since there has been other research indicating the same thing.

But, more interesting to me, as an organic produce grower, were the statistics on how “old” many vegetables are by the time they appear in your local grocery store.

The report stated, “80% of shoppers believe the fresh vegetables sold in supermarket are less than four days old.” Yet, the study found that “they can be up to nine days old when they arrive, and remain on the shelf for a further four days.” Then, unless they are used immediately, they can by stored and not eaten until they might be more than two weeks old.

So, how does this affect the nutritional value? The study showed green beans could lose up to 45% of their nutrients, while broccoli and cauliflower lose 25%. Some of the key nutrients lost include vitamin C and glucosinates, thought to block the development of cancer.

It quoted nutritionist Dr. Sarah Schenker who said, “‘the nutritional content of fresh vegetables begins to deteriorate from the minute they are picked.”

But, the process of freezing, storing, handling and transporting of a frozen product in energy intensive. And, freezing changes the vegetables textures and taste, not in a positive way.

So, how can the consumer overcome this situation?…By buying truly “fresh” vegetables through subscription (CSA) agriculture and visiting local farmers markets. Growers selling through these two avenues harvest their crops the day they are delivered or brought to market. Consumers can cut literally weeks off the holding time, making them much nutritional when they are eaten. Add to this the greater variety of produce available through these systems, the support of a safe, local food shed, and helping the local economy…it becomes a win-win-win for everyone involved.

[To readers...If these food and food production topics are of interest to you, please visit my other blog at www.19thstreetfarms.com. This is our farm site that also follows the seasonal progress on our organic farm. I will still occasionally post here, but most of my posts on these topics will appear on the other site.]

Worm Culture…Helping Save the Planet

Posted by sustainable_hort on March 9, 2010  |  No Comments

OK…I admit the headline is a bit overblown…but I have been encouraged by recent increased activity around using worms to recycle bio-materials, mainly food waste.

I have personally followed the vermiculture movement for decades, since these hard working organisms both help create healthier soils and are indicative of them. My static compost bins have long since turned into worm bins, and more than handle all our food waste. I have even been testing commercial worm castings in a container plant production system as part of an organic mix.

Equally important is the idea that vermiculture might be an answer to one of our concerns…getting rid of food waste. Most of it now travels to a landfill site to be buried with all the other “garbage.” But, is it really “garbage” or “waste?” Current vermiculture systems can take the mountains of food waste and turn them into worm castings (poop), a rich and biologically active soil amendment.

While many authors have praised worm castings as improving soil health, there has been limited research into how they affect plant growth. But, a recent study at North Carolina showed that adding “vermicompost” to the container mix for Hibiscus plants showed dramatically improved growth with a 20% compost mixture. For more information, contact Michelle McGinnis at michelle_mcginnis@ncse.edu.

I have seen similar results in my testing.

If you don’t believe there is a food waste issue, read the book “Waste” by Tristram Stuart. This covers the food waste issue world wide, with many depressing statistics on how much food gets thrown out. In fact, studies show that “around half of all food in the US is wasted!” And, this is a trend that has tended to increase over the past few decades. So, the raw material is there…we just need systems to collect, process and distribute this potential soil builder. It would solve several problems at once.

In fact, here in Portland, there is a neighborhood activist, Randy White, who is trying to organize neighborhoods into worm composting centers. (He can be contacted through his website “Bright Neighborhood” at www.brightneighbor.com.) Those in the specific area would invest $250 and contribute all their food waste to their local worm farm. The wastes would turn into soil food and given to those that supplied the raw materials…recycling within the neighborhood

If you don’t know much about this, a good place to start is with the website www.vermiculturemanual.com/en/index.html. It lists links to courses, and contains lots of basic information. Or, you can get much of what you need free with the “Manual of On-Farm Vermicomposting and Vermiculture” by Glenn Munroe (Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada). This PDF publication is available online at www.agbio.ca/DOCs/Vermiculture_FarmersManual_gm.pdf.

Other books include “In Their Own Words: Interviews With Vermiculture Experts” edited by Peter Bogdanov; and “Beyond Compost: Converting Organic Waste Beyond Compost Using Worms” by Tom Wilkinson. They are available through online sites…just type in “books on vermiculture” to find them.

This site will follow this activity, both locally here in Portland, and internationally. It is just one of what I like to call a “middle-of-the-road-radical” solution to a problem. One where it seems everyone, including the public in general, gains something positive.

Soil Health and Organic Fertilizers

Posted by sustainable_hort on February 12, 2010  |  No Comments

Below is another response to an online post. The basic question was “what are good organic fertilizers” and some responses questioned whether they work or not. These are my quick thoughts…the books listed below apply to sustainable horticulture in many ways.

First, I am not so sure that “plants don’t know the difference” between petroleum-based and organic nutrition. A healthy, vibrant soil community provides the nutrition, and often the protection, plants need to be in prime health. This does equal using “dry weight comparisons” as the measure of health. Plants can grow too fast, too much nitrogen actually enhances disease and pest issues, and NPK is not the only factor is consider in plant health.

There are some key works that support this idea of “healthy soils equals healthier plants,” some pre-World War II. I would suggest reading Health & the Soil and An Agricultural Testament by Sir Albert Howard, the works of Dr. William A. Albrecht, Science in Agriculture by Arden Andersen, and Ask The Plant by Charles Walters and Esper K Chandler. A more recent work, Healthy Crops, A New Agricultural Revolution, by Franci Chaboussou, examines 75 years of research in this area. It provides a fairly convincing argument against current application practices with nitrogen fertilizers and many pesticides and herbicides, since they can be shown to increase pest issues. Even recent popular works, such as Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis, are identifying a simpler approach to soils, what is in some ways, an older agriculture.

Secondly, I would agree there tends to be a lot of hype around these products…just look at the compost tea issue. Several decades ago, some organic products were being sold as “magic,” which over-shadowed similar products long-term benefits.

But, I went back to Oregon State University decades ago to study composting, got a horticulture degree, and ended up in the Oregon nursery industry, which grows many of its products in relatively artificial systems. I have tested the options, learned to grow most plants without excessive N, using organic pest controls (though few were even required). There is getting to be more research into soil health, we have major ag schools adding organic production to their curriculum, and the consumer is asking more questions. Meanwhile, my organic farm seems to be flourishing and early tests in a local ornamental nursery show “organic” shrubs and trees are not only possible, but may be even cost effective. These products work, you can achieve equal production, and many are sustainable…often taking consumer waste and turning it into plant food. These are natural cycles we should continue to tap.

A Landscaper Looks at Sustainability

Posted by sustainable_hort on February 4, 2010  |  No Comments

In my recent post , New Opportunities in Sustainable Landscapes, the discussion centered on new landscape directions for the industry. This post looks at how one landscape firm looks at creating a different landscape, one focused on sounder environmental principles.

“Sustainability does mean change and that’s the reason we are hearing about it all the time,” said David Sandrock, owner of Sustainable Landscapes for the Pacific Northwest, Corvallis, Oregon.
“But, it is an opportunity,” he said during his presentation at last November’s OLCA Expo. “People are looking to us for solutions.”
Sandrock said that “sustainability” is based on several key concepts.
The former Oregon State University professor said the first concept is often used as a definition of sustainability.
“Sustainable action is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs,” he offered.
This, in turn, takes intelligent resource planning, he said, and added that this movement emerged in response to human misbehavior.
“These actions move toward landscapes that we can depend on, not landscapes that depend on us,” he concluded. “It will require a return to the art and science of horticulture.”

New Environmental Technologies Demand Plants

Posted by sustainable_hort on January 24, 2010  |  No Comments

This is an article I wrote about a year ago, but most of it still applies. Those of us that have worked in the plant industry are recognizing that, as the title says…”New Environmental Technologies Demand Plants.”

With both consumers and the nursery industry, 2009’s buzzword is still “green,” with “sustainability” close behind. This is a positive for the nursery industry in several ways.
In last year’s Nursery Book, we looked at how a “green” marketing opportunity was developing, and how some in the industry were responding. This trend only continues to expand as more companies and growers change their practices to match consumer demands.
But, an equally exciting are the new environmental “technologies” that depend, to varying degrees, on plants. Commonly, bioremediation uses wetland plants to clean water and soil. Now, smaller versions, or bioswales, are finding new uses in urban areas. First green roofs, and then newer vertical plant support products are creating a “green envelope” strategy where buildings are literally covered in a plant layer.
Environmental experts are recognizing that these “natural” technologies are actually less expensive than “hard” (concrete) alternatives. They can pay for themselves in reasonable timeframes and produce long-term savings. Even large corporations that deal in huge reclamation and developments have adopted these technologies because they work, and, more important, are cost effective.
“These are no longer just warm-fuzzy things we’d like to do,” said Paul Morris a landscape architect that works on planning and sustainable issues for Cherokee Investment Services, Inc., an international development firm. “There are calculable benefit costs that can now be identified.”
Innovative landscape firms have a tremendous opportunity to join this effort, position themselves as “green,” and dramatically increase their business.