The Natural Way To Grow Organic Flowers

Organic flowers have risen in popularity largely due to Fair Trade practices that promote small farms in other countries growing organic produce or fruit to earn their own income. The typical bouquet that you would have delivered by a florist or one that you pick up in the supermarket has been grown in a foreign country where the crops are sprayed with large amounts of herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers exempt from U.S. regulations.

The result is that many of the workers have suffered terrifying illness to the extent that their very DNA has been altered permanently and their immune systems no longer function adequately. There are also links to various forms of cancer associated with repeated exposure to these toxins. Remember that the next time you lean in close to those flowers and take a deep breath and inhale!

It sounds preposterous I know, but some of these same chemicals are used right here in the United Stated on our own crops, just in smaller doses. Think of it as a slow bullet. One such chemical is Glyphosphate. It is marketed in the United States under the brand name Round Up. Have you read the warnings on the label? It is there for your protection, that alone should be a warning to you. This chemical is designed to kill, the only problem is that is continues to do so long after the weed is dead.

The United States is facing a crisis and apiarists have been aware of this growing problem for years now. Our honey bee population, butterflies and even hummingbirds have been decimated. Now there is new evidence that the use of cell phones disrupts the bees innate navigational system and they die before ever finding their way back to the hive, leaving the queen and eggs abandoned. It is so common now that is has been termed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Strange as it seems parasites and other wildlife that normally raid honey, after a colony dies refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives. Leave the cell phone in the house may be god advice.

Changing to an organic way of life has huge benefits, in this article I will discuss how it is possible for the gardener to grow plants & flowers the natural way and the benefits that this brings.

Liquid feeds

Compost tea is easy to make, pick your compost (stinging nettles, goat/sheep manure or homemade compost) then fill up an old pillowcase with you organic material. Tie the pillow case and attach a weight, a couple of bricks will do nicely.

Sink this in a large water filled container, cover the container and leave for a couple of days. Hey presto you now have a light liquid feed, you can leave it longer if you need a strong liquid feed, the left overs in the pillowcase can be used as a bedding mulch

If you go fishing or are creating large quantities of good compost you will probably be using lots of worms or maggots, the liquid build up in worm colony containers can be used as a liquid feed, it needs to be diluted though ten parts water to one part worm excrement. This feed is an excellent source of phosphorus and potassium.

Organic fertilizers

Bird manure is a super source of nitrogen the catch is that fresh bird manure can burn the roots of your flowers, you need to leave for a couple of months and then mix with hoof and horn, alternatively you can use the bird manure pellets that are now being sold.

This mix is ideal to create strong growth the best time to apply this is in spring or early summer, you will get a gradual release of nitrogen and in turn create strong shoot and leaf growth.Wood ash is a great source of potassium it can be added directly into your soil or your compost heap. Bone meal creates very good root growth it is best used as a base dressing prior to planting, good source of phosphate

Propagation of seeds and cuttings

Making an organic potting mix is quite easy and most importantly does not need any additional fertilizer.
One of my favorite organic materials is coconut coir sometimes called coconut peat, you can save on watering by as much as 50% if you use this I also find it is far superior to common products like peat moss.