Spring/Summer 2013magazine.cog.ca

Our Nature is Organic

Navdanya–protecting India’s biodiversity one seed at a time

InsideCanada’s organic market $3.7B and growing

Growing fruit in cold climates

Biostimulants forimproved plant health

Our Nature is Organicwww.cog.ca Spring/Summer 2013 – 3

Canadian Organic GrowerFEATURESDEPARTMENTS

Meet COG’s VIPs ................. 5

New growth is sprouting upacross the country ~ andCOG is no exception!

COG Publications ................22

Classifieds ........................... 29

The Last Word .....................30

A fairy tale retold

Growing fruit in the Great White North ...................10Steve Leroux sheds a little light on a few myths andmisconceptions about growing (and selling) fruit crops onIle Perrot (near Montreal).

Canada’s organic market............................................14A new report states that Canada’s organic market is now worth$3.7 billion! For many Canadians, buying organic has becomea regular part of their efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Biostimulants for improving plant health ................18Phil Nauta talks about the effectiveness of products (such askelp, sea minerals and fish fertlizer) that stimulate biologicalprocesses to improve plant performance.

Navdanya: an agricultural community .....................24Av Singh takes us on a visit to Navdanya, a 50-acre biodiversityconservation farm and agricultural community in northernIndia, to demonstrate the value of a very different philosophicalapproach to farming.

The

Contributors:

Steve Leroux, Jordan Marr,Shauna MacKinnon, Phil Nauta,Av Singh

Special thanks to:Lily Pepper for her contribution

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The Canadian Organic Grower www.cog.ca18 – Spring/Summer 2013

BIOSTIMULANTSBIOSTIMULANTS

Biostimulants are just what they sound like—products that stimulate bio-

logical processes. Though they often contain many trace minerals, their

effects extend beyond what can be attributed solely to their nutrient con-

tent, and can result in a healthier soil food web, increased soil fertility,

and I especially use them to directly influence plant performance.

By Phil NautaBy Phil Nauta

FOR IMPROVING PLANT HEALTHFOR IMPROVING PLANT HEALTH

used to supply gardeners, landscapers and theoccasional farmer with microbial inoculants andmost of the fascinating biostimulants outlined

in this article. One of the bonuses of getting theseproducts out into the world was that I was able tosee how effective they could be, since I had hun-dreds of clients using them, many of whom re-ported back to me.

Biostimulants are just what they sound like—prod-ucts that stimulate biological processes. Though theyoften contain many trace minerals, their effects ex-tend beyond what can be attributed solely to theirnutrient content, such as natural hormones, aminoacids, and many other bioactive substances. Theiruse can result in a healthier soil food web and in-creased soil fertility, but I especially use them to di-rectly influence plant performance. They can increasephotosynthesis and respiration in plants, improveyields, enhance brix and nutrition, improve taste andstorage time, and help plants deal with stressors suchas drought and heat, even when applied in smallquantities.

Biostimulants are most effective when used aspart of a regular program, rather than just once ortwice. I mostly use them as part of a foliar sprayprogram. One important point I learned, is that you

need sufficient calcium in the soil in order forfoliar-sprayed biostimulants (and other foliar fer-tilizers) to be taken in by plants. Results are oftenseen at least a few weeks after treatment, so it’sgood to start at the beginning of the season. Ofcourse, they don’t replace the need for balancingmajor nutrients, increasing organic matter andimproving biodiversity, but they do seem to beanother piece of the puzzle.

Here’s a brief account of some of the most use-ful biostimulant products I rely on.

Sea mineralsIf I had to pick just one biostimulant to apply, I’dchoose sea minerals. It’s one of the most importantbroad-spectrum nutrient sources available, offeringa wider range of micronutrients than any rock dustsI’ve seen.

In addition to its nutrient content, seawater con-tains a variety of other organic substances, includingfulvic acids and even microbes, which get concen-trated into the sea mineral products you can pur-chase. The crop response from sea minerals is oftenvery impressive, with results ranging from increasedyields and more nutritious food, to healthier, pest-resistant and stress-tolerant plants.

Our Nature is Organicwww.cog.ca Spring/Summer 2013 – 19

Sea minerals received scientific attention in the1930s from Dr. Maynard Murray, a medical doctorwho noticed there was practically little disease in manysea animals at the time. His subsequent research, overmore than four decades, led him to conclude thatthe high nutrient content in the oceans was respon-sible for this.

If you live near the coast in a not-too-polluted area,these benefits can be attained by using seawater, butit’s a lot of hauling for use on a farm. Fortunately, ifyou have a large area to fertilize, or don’t live right onthe coast, you can purchase one of the very concen-trated sea mineral products currently on the market,either as a liquid or sea salt, and then dilute that withyour own water for application. If you already haveplenty of sodium in your soil, you might want to test iton a smaller area first, but it’s still worth trying a littleas a foliar as we’re talking about 80+ minerals here,not just sodium. In the product I use, the manufac-turer actually removes 95% of the sodium chloride,although that’s not the case for all products.

KelpKelp is one of the least expensive, yet most highlybeneficial products out there. It’s a staple in any foliarfeed, often applied with microbial inoculants and otherbiostimulants. It contains over 70 minerals, vitamins,chelating agents and amino acids. Perhaps more im-portantly, it’s an excellent source of cytokinins andauxins, both natural plant growth hormones.

The cytokinins improve soil tilth, regulate cell di-vision and cell wall formation, increase photosynthe-sis and chlorophyll production, improve root andshoot growth, and extend the growth season in thefall. The auxins regulate cell elongation, stimulaterooting and promote fruit development.

There may now be some sustainability issues fromglobal overharvesting of kelp. However, certain varie-ties of kelp can be sustainably harvested because theygrow as much as 2 feet per day and get well over 100feet long. If you live near the coast, the simplest way toget kelp may be to collect it from the beach yourselfand incorporate it into a compost pile. Even then, it’simportant to leave some for organisms on the beach.

Kelp is also available as a meal, powder or liquidextract. The liquid is best for foliar application andit’s what I use most. For the highest quality, look forproducts that have been processed at cool tempera-tures, retaining more nutrients.

FishFish has been used as a fertilizer in Europe since theMiddle Ages. Though the technology has changed,offering new liquid products that are more efficientand easier to apply, the principles are the same.

All forms of fish products offer higher nitrogenand phosphorus content than sea minerals or kelp,in highly available forms, which are especially usefulwhen you don’t have enough humus to help keepthis nutrients in the soil and available to plants. Dif-ferent types of fish fertilizer offer different additionalqualities and benefits.

Liquid emulsions, while definitely beneficial to use,are processed in a way that can result in a lower qualityproduct than a hydrolysate. Hydrolysate processingleaves many of the oils, amino acids, carbohydrates,vitamins, hormones and enzymes for more of a “wholefoods” final product. The result is a nutrient-rich ferti-lizer that contains many trace minerals and is less proneto leaching than soluble fertilizers. It also combineswell with kelp in foliar applications.

Sustainability is a concern with fish fertilizers—whether they’re produced from food fish by-prod-ucts or from by-catch—as over 90% of the large fishin the ocean are now gone. Some fish products arebetter than others, but I still tend to opt for sea min-erals instead, despite its lower nitrogen content.

MolassesMolasses provides some nutrients, but is mostly justa great source of carbohydrates to feed microbes. It’sa relatively inexpensive tool to use in the transitionto an ecosystem that is more alive. It is great for bal-ancing nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer applica-tions, and it can also help release phosphorus in thesoil, when a conventional test shows phosphorus tobe present, but a weaker acid test shows that notmuch is available.

Some kind of sugar source should be used innearly every foliar spray, and molasses is my usualchoice, although organic sugar or dextrose can beused too. It’s important to apply with many micro-organism products because it gives them instant foodto begin working with.

Kelp is an excellent source ofcytokinins and auxins.

The Canadian Organic Grower www.cog.ca20 – Spring/Summer 2013

HumatesHumic and fulvic acids, which arenaturally present in compost andhumus, are important chelators,combining minerals into organiccompounds that are more availableto plants. Conversely, they tie uptoxins, reducing plant absorption.They increase water infiltrationand water holding capacity, im-prove plant root growth and me-tabolism, enhance germination,and help plants deal with environ-mental stressors. Humates are alsouseful for removing odors in slurryand compost piles and keepingirrigation lines clean.

Humates will already be presentin soils with good humus. Other-wise, it’s a good idea to bring themin while working to increase organicmatter. They can be purchased as aliquid or dry product that is derivedfrom leonardite, a soft brown coal,or other kinds of shale or deposits.

Again, it’s nice to work with theliquid products because they’reclean and easy to use, but I tend

to stick with the admittedlymessier dry products becausethey’re much more cost effective.It’s a great idea to mix a dry hu-mate product with lime, in orderto make the lime more availableand keep it in the root zone.

I mostly use them in tinyamounts in a foliar spray, becausethey cause plants to take in morenutrients from the biostimulants,increasing fertilizer efficiency.Likewise, conventional farmersshould be using humates with pes-ticides because it allows pesticideuse to be cut down dramatically.

ApplicationAll of these products can be usedin foliar sprays, although directsoil application is great too. Ifyou’re already set up for liquidspraying, it’s often very cost effec-tive to include one or several ofthese, even on big farms. All of theseproducts are used successfully oncrops from corn and wheat, to straw-berries and tomatoes.

My ‘go to’ mixture is sea miner-als with liquid kelp, molasses, andhumates, all diluted in water. Plus,I include compost tea or other mi-crobial inoculants. Of course, youcould just start with the one thatmakes the most sense for your situ-ation. Testing on a smaller area fora full season is always a good ideato see what works for you.

Application rates vary widelydepending on the brand of prod-uct and the crop, but here are someexamples for the products I use:• Sea minerals concentrate: 2–4gallons/acre (1:100 dilution rate)• Liquid fish: 2–10 gallons/acre(1:50 dilution rate)• Liquid kelp: 1/10 – 1/5 gallon/acre (1:250 dilution rate)• Molasses: 1–2 gallons/acre• Humates: as low as 1:6000 or1 tsp per gallon of water; 2 Tbsp/10 lbs lime

Biostimulants aren’t a magicbullet, but I’ve found they can bean effective way to boost planthealth and growth.

Phil Nauta grew up working for hisparents in their garden centre and 9-hole, par-3 golf course. He taughtorganic horticulture at Gaia Collegeand has been a director for The SocietyFor Organic Urban Land Care(SOUL). A SOUL Certified OrganicLand Care Professional, Nauta holdscertificates in Organic LandscapeManagement, Sustainable Buildingand Design and Permaculture Design.He operated successful organiclandscaping and organic fertilizerbusinesses prior to launching thewww.SmilingGardener.com website,where he shares his innovative methodswith organic gardeners and growersworldwide. His book Building SoilsNaturally is published by Acres U.S.A.

Special COG offer:15 free lessons for ‘Becoming a Better Organic Gardener’ with Phil Nauta

Get them now at COG.SmilingGardener.com

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