Learning More About Organic Garden
Soil Minerals - Calcium and Nitrogen
When you are in the process of balancing the soil in your organic garden, first of all the soil minerals to consider is Calcium. Calcium is the key mineral to have in the soil for the best energy reaction, and many other functions in the soil. It is involved in the sugar and other mineral content of the plants. The higher the Calcium and balance of other minerals, the higher the sugar and mineral content of the fruit. Higher sugar content in the plant also makes it more frost tolerant.
Calcium feeds the soil bacteria, also known as the microbial network, helps loosen the soil and improve drainage. It can, however, leach down in very wet weather if it is not handled properly with other soil nutrients. Calcium, does, in fact, move downwards in general. A good source of Calcium to put on your soil is Hi-Cal lime, which is 35% Calcium and less than 5% Magnesium. Apply as much as 2000 lbs per acre, depending on the Calcium needs in your soil.
Food that is low in Calcium gives us less energy. Animals and humans alike need more food when the mineral sugars are low. Low energy food causes poor digestion; poor digestion causes toxins; and toxins cause diseases. Eating low quality food can rob us of more energy than our bodies can gain from eating it. Nutrient-dense foods go a long way in maintaining good health, and are very important in overcoming disease. Some think that organic means that foods are grown chemical-free. While that is technically true, there is much more to it than just being grown pesticide free.
Many people today have no idea that the growers of the food they eat play a huge role in their health. People that have not been informed, think that all food is food, and the whole idea of organic is over-rated. And then they wonder why there are so many individuals that are obese? The fact is, our bodies crave and need the minerals that are supposed to be in the food we eat. If the minerals are not there, our bodies give us the signal that we need to consume more & more food in order to get those minerals.
Because so much of our food these days is grown on nutrient depleted soil, the need to supplement with a good, quality, preferably organic multivitamin is considered essential. Again, here, many have no idea what a good multivitamin even is. They would think they can just go to the store and pick one off the shelf. While there might be a few that are 'okay', many of the cheaper ones are no better than the depleted, low quality foods that they eat. And a lot of them are synthetic, man-made vitamins and minerals, not the real stuff that grows naturally in organic plants.
Next to Calcium is Nitrogen
Nitrogen carries the electrical charge in the soil. It is also the primary electrolyte in all biological life carrying an electrical current, causing the formation of protein structure. It is vital in producing chlorophyll, which gives the foliage and stems a good green color. Lack of Nitrogen causes the whole plant to be pale and yellowish green, with spindly stalks. Too much Nitrogen will produce an over abundance of water-logged plant growth, instead of fruit, and will give a blue-greenish color to the plant.
Nitrogen is ammonia, and vice versa. With lots of ammonia and a proper balance in the soil, it acts like a refrigerant. In hot weather, it keeps the soil cooler. And in cold weather, it does the exact opposite. By doing this, it actually can extend your season about a week, both in spring and in fall, which would be two weeks more of growing season. Also, an added benefit – when your soil is kept cooler during hot temperatures, you lose less moisture.
It takes less Nitrogen to grow a crop if the Calcium is adequate. A good source of Nitrogen is ammonian sulfate and manure. Plants like corn need a lot of Nitrogen , while tomatoes and peppers need considerably less. Leafy vegetables – lettuce, celery, parsley, onions, kale, etc. need to grow anionically throughout, otherwise they will go to seed. If you are unsure of what your plants need, do a bit more studying about the requirements of each of your plants.
There are two forms of Nitrogen. Nitrate Nitrogen produces anionic plant food, which makes vegetative growth. Ammonical Nitrogen produces cationic plant food which causes reproduction; the blossoms, seed, and fruit. All vegetables start out anionically and the blooming vegetables switch over to cationic growth in about 40 days if the conditions are right. These two different growths are also effected by other minerals, the season, and the weather.
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