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.

Free draining materials like perlite promote good drainage but also allow precious oxygen to flow to the roots You need to add the coconut coir and perlite together in equal measures, this is best done by hand, ensure there are no lumps in the final mix. That's it you now have a perfect organic potting mix that can be used to propagate seeds and flower cuttings

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