A soil is said to be fertile when it contains adequate amount of organic matter that helps to improve the soil structure and retains soil moisture. The soil pH range should be between 6.0 and 6.8, a good range of microorganisms to support plant growth. Soil fertility also includes large amount of topsoil.
Effective organic horticulture heavily depends on the natural breakdown of organic matter. For increasing and maintaining the soil fertility the organic horticulturists uses techniques like green manure and composting, to replace nutrients taken from the soil by previous crops. Green manure is a type of crop cover grown to add organic matter and nutrients to the soil to increases its fertility lost due to cultivation. For cultivating crops like mustard, fenugreek, lupin, clover, oats and rye green manure techniques are used. Composting is aerobic decomposition of biodegradable organic matter performed primarily by aerobic bacteria helped by creatures like ants, and oligochaete worms. Organic household and yard waste are recycled into compost which is added to the soil to improve its fertility.
Microorganism like bacteria, fungi, protests and archaea naturally adds nutrients to the soil throughout the growing season. This biological process is often described as "feeding the soil to feed the plant." In organic horticulture, nutrients like nitrogen are manufactured in a more or less pure form so that plants can use immediately. The microorganisms are applied on a man-made schedule. Each nutrient is defined and addressed separately.
The central organic horticulture activity of fertilization is different from chemical-oriented horticulture. Organic horticulture depends heavily on the natural breakdown of organic matter with the help of techniques like green manure and the application of rotten animal manures and compost. This helps to replace nutrients taken from the soil by previous crops and retain soil fertility.
Majority of organic gardeners produce their own compost. This is a basic requirement for soil fertility used in the organic approach to horticulture. Certain other requirements like rock powders providing phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and other minerals are found in the market since the 1960s and earlier. Along with compost, mulches, green-manure crops, and rock powders the organic framers also use prepared and naturally derived amendments like fish-waste mix which is a byproduct of the fish-processing industry or a concentrated mixture of seaweed containing nitrogen and minerals. These are mixed with water and sprayed or sprinkled on plants and soil as a booster.
Items like insecticidal soap, bagged rotted manure, fish emulsion, etc. are available through retail outlets since the 1970s. Most of these products were produced in North America and developed for use at the organic horticultural. Organic-horticulture literature, and identification of the organic approach and methods in the standard horticulture and gardening literature, has also increased during this period.
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