Organic Practices and Objectives

—and What is Carbon Sequestration Anyway?

By Leah Smith
Published on June 8, 2023
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minicel73/Adobe Stock

If asked to define organic farming, people’s responses would probably include the prohibition of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, but could also touch on native pollinators, micronutrients, organic matter, examples of resource-conserving techniques, or any of a number of other elements. What do these things mean? Why are pollinators important? Why is water conservation important? What is a good soil organic matter definition? What is carbon sequestration? Here are some organic practices and objectives.

Produce Healthy Plants

Providing better nutrition to the consumer is a frequent production goal and is commonly identified in terms of Brix levels. Brix is a term referring to the degree to which light is bent when passed through a fluid. If the fluid is derived from a plant, the reading will indicate the amount of sucrose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, hormones, and other solids it contains. These components translate into nutrition and flavor.

High Brix readings are beneficial beyond contributing to human health. They indicate a proactive insect pest and pathogen defense for the plants. As insects have no pancreas, they cannot consume plants high in sugars–so they don’t. Likewise, pathogens have difficulties colonizing very healthy plant tissues. This all spells pest resistance. Additionally, high-Brix plants form mutually beneficial relationships with soil microbes through which they exchange a portion of their sugars for the trace elements and other nutrients that the microbes can more readily source from the soil. Healthy plants are encouraged by many of the practices below.

Increase Mineral Availability

Though the organic component of soil is quite important (of course), plants also need certain minerals to perform their functions and achieve optimum growth (and to provide these minerals to those who eat them). They are referred to as macronutrients or trace elements, depending on the quantity of each required. As indicated, soil microbes help to gather such minerals for plants. However, they must be present in the soil first. The addition of mineral-rich soil amendments, including greensand, limestone, gypsum, Epsom salts, cobalt sulfate, and granitic and basaltic rock minerals (to name a few), can be used to correct specific shortages.

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