BD-Now,
Here's a significant piece in the ATTRA series on organic
greenhouse production, of interest to farmers raising vegetables,
herbs, and nursery stock; available now in PDF.
Steve Diver
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New item on the ATTRA web page:
Organic Potting Mixes for Certified Production
HTML
http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/potmix.html
PDF
http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/potmix.pdf
A 20-page PDF
"Organic Potting Mixes for Certified Production" is a
revised and expanded publication from ATTRA, written
by George Kuepper and Katherine Adam as part of the
organic greenhouse series.
Farmers and greenhouse growers who raise certified organic
transplants and nursery stock for vegetable, herb, and fruit
production need to use potting mix ingredients that meet
organic standards. Since most commercial potting mixes
contain synthetic fertilizers and wetting agents, many of
them are allowed.
Fortunately, a number of commercial organic potting mixes are
available. The Further Resources section contains a list of
12 suppliers that sell either a complete organic potting mix
or suitable ingredients.
Still, many growers choose to blend their own. Thus, the bulk
of this publication addresses suitable substrate media that can
be used to to formulate an organically approved potting mix.
It also addresses "issues" relating to NOP rules such as
compost and manure; mad cow disease and use of bone meal;
as well as health concerns with vermiculite and asbestos, etc.
A few helpful resources are listed, as background reading
on preparation of horticulturally-sound potting mixes,
organic production guidelines for potting mixes, etc.
Finally, the Appendix contains "Recipes for Growing Media,"
a compilation of about 35 recipes, gleaned from the organic
practitioner literature over a 12-year period, that can be used
as a guide to "mixing your own."
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Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA)
P.O. Box 3657
Fayetteville, AR 72702
800-346-9140
501-442-9842 Fax
http://www.attra.ncat.org
ATTRA is a project of NCAT - National Center for
Appropriate Technology
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