-Patrick Metz- This past weekend we had the folks from Mountain Gate Organics over at the Charlottesville store talking worms, soil, and biology. In anticipation of the day, we had made a couple hundred gallons of compost tea and were giving it away to any interested gardeners. Even more exciting was a little display we had set up with a microscope connected to a computer screen. Underneath the microscope two drops of the tea (made from worm castings and molasses introduced into water and … [Read more...] about It’s Soil, Not Dirt… And It’s Alive!
Soil Microbes
More Microbes, Please
-Luis Guerra- Without healthy populations of microorganisms in your soil, you simply cannot have healthy plants. Microbes work in synthesis with plants, breaking down organic materials into forms plants can take up through their roots, and oxygenating the soil. “Good” microbes can also help destroy harmful pathogens that can damage plants. Microbial pre-inoculants are starting to become more well-known, but they still are not used nearly enough, in our estimation, despite the benefits they … [Read more...] about More Microbes, Please
Molasses: Jekyll to You, Hyde to Pests.
Farmers and gardeners have always been on the holy grail quest for the growing savior. Growers for eons have searched for the sole silver bullet that will rid them of the insufferable onslaught of fiendish bugs, megolomaniacal weeds, and microscopic diseases. While end-all cure are fallacies, there is new (and not so new) research that molasses can bring alleviation to many dire garden situations. Most of us grew up touting the sweet tooth benefits of this thick … [Read more...] about Molasses: Jekyll to You, Hyde to Pests.
