Organic Products Basic<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\nThere are four basic groups of materials needed for the natural organic program:<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n- Compost<\/li>\n
- Rock Materials<\/li>\n
- Sugars<\/li>\n
- Mulch<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n
COMPOST<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"content_img.5633.img.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/sandonspaldingstaging.com\/DirtDr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/content_img.5633.img.jpg\")
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n
Compost, Nature\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s own living fertilizer, can be made at home or purchased ready-to-use.\u00ac\u2020It can be started any time of the year in sun or shade and anything once living can go in the compost.\u00ac\u2020Some common ingredients include tree trimmings, food scraps, bark, sawdust, rice hulls, weeds, nut hulls and animal manure.\u00ac\u2020Build by mixing the ingredients together into a pile on the ground. The ideal mixture is around 80% vegetative matters and 20% animal waste, although any mix will compost and work fine.\u00ac\u2020Oxygen is a critical component.\u00ac\u2020Ingredients should be a mix of coarse and fine-textured material to promote air circulation through the pile.\u00ac\u2020Turn the pile as time allows to speed up the process, however turning is not critical.\u00ac\u2020Another critical component is water.\u00ac\u2020A compost pile should be roughly the moisture of a squeezed-out sponge to help the living organisms thrive and work their magic.\u00ac\u2020Compost is ready to use as a soil amendment when the ingredients are no longer identifiable.\u00ac\u2020The color will be dark brown, the texture soft and crumbly, and the smell will be pleasant like the forest floor.\u00ac\u2020Rough, unfinished compost can be used as topdressing mulch around all plantings.\u00ac\u2020For piles that are not heating and composting too slowly, add dry molasses, green plant material or other organic fertilizer.
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n
ROCK MATERIALS<\/strong>
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n![\"content_img.5634.img.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/sandonspaldingstaging.com\/DirtDr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/content_img.5634.img.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Lava Sand & Dry Molasses<\/p>\n
\nNature has maintained the mineral balance of soil through volcanic eruptions, glaciers movement and bed rock erosion. Gardeners, farmers and ranchers need to apply rock materials as well. Don\u201a\u00c4\u00f4t worry about pH. When a balance of natural materials are used, pH will move to an appropriate level. Additional volcanic rock is not needed in volcanic soils.\u00ac\u2020Useful rock products include\u00ac\u2020lava sand, Azomite, basalt, zeolite, humate, rock phosphate, and other rock material different from the base rock on the property.<\/p>\n
SUGARS<\/strong><\/p>\n\nSugar is used to stimulate the microbes in the soil.\u00ac\u2020Some sugars are better than others. Here\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s a run down of some of the most common options:<\/p>\n
White Sugar<\/strong>:\u00ac\u2020 Table sugar is okay especially if it is dirty and unusable for food, but there are much better choices.\u00ac\u2020All sugars provide indirect fertility to soil and plants by accelerating biological activity.
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\nDry Molasses<\/strong>:\u00ac\u2020 Dry molasses isn\u201a\u00c4\u00f4t really dried molasses. It\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s actually a solid organic residue carrier\u00ac\u2020that has been sprayed with liquid molasses.\u00ac\u2020Soy is a common choice.\u00ac\u2020It\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s an excellent carbon and carbohydrate source that stimulates beneficial microorganisms\u00ac\u2020effectively. And it repels fire ants from properties in most cases.\u00ac\u2020It can be used as a bed preparation ingredient or applied on the surface of soil.\u00ac\u2020The usual rate is 20 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft.
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\nLiquid Molasses<\/strong>: \u00ac\u2020This sweet syrup that is a carbohydrate source used as a soil amendment to feed and stimulate microorganisms.\u00ac\u2020It contains sulfur, potash, and many trace minerals. Molasses is the best liquid sugar for horticultural use because of its trace minerals and effectiveness.\u00ac\u2020Blackstrap is hard to find,\u00ac\u2020and\u00ac\u2020it is the best molasses because of the sulfur and iron, but any kind of molasses will work. Molasses also has a nice side benefit. When it is used with compost tea and orange oil, it kills fire ants and other insect pests. By itself, molasses repels fire ants effectively.<\/p>\nWith an approximate analysis is 1-0-5, molasses is a good, quick source of energy for soil life and microbes in compost piles.\u00ac\u2020Liquid molasses is used in sprays, and dry molasses is broadcast.\u00ac\u2020Liquid molasses is an excellent foliar feeding material and can be mixed with other organic liquids. Use at 2 – 4 quarts\/acre for soil application. For foliar application, use up to 1 quart \u00ac\u2020per acre.\u00ac\u2020Use 1 \u201a\u00c4\u00ec 2 oz. per gallon of spray for small scale work.\u00ac\u2020Liquid molasses can also be used to increase the life and effectiveness of organic and biological pest control sprays such at Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis).
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n
Cornmeal<\/strong>:\u00ac\u2020 This food product has several horticultural uses.\u00ac\u2020Regular cornmeal from the grocery store has minor fertilizer and disease fighting properties.\u00ac\u2020Horticultural cornmeal is a more concentrated form.\u00ac\u2020Horticultural cornmeal is either hominy (the outside edge of the corn kernel) or it can be whole ground cornmeal.\u00ac\u2020Read the label to know for sure, but both are effective.\u00ac\u2020Many cornmeal products in the grocery store consist of the starchy endosperm (insides of the kernel).\u00ac\u2020Dr. Joe McFarland and his staff at the A&M Research station in Stephenville, Texas discovered that cornmeal is effective at controlling fungal diseases on peanuts. I started playing with it and discovered that it is effective on brown patch in St. Augustine and damping off disease in seedlings. The usual rate is about 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. per surface area of soil. Cornmeal will help control all diseases on photinia, Indian hawthorn, roses, fruit trees, turf and seed flats.\u00ac\u2020Corn gluten meal is the protein part of the kernel and used as a weed and feed fertilizer. It also has some disease fighting properties.
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\nMULCH<\/strong>
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n![\"content_img.5635.img.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/sandonspaldingstaging.com\/DirtDr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/content_img.5635.img.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nCovering the bare soil around plants is critical and there are several mulch choices. The best mulch for any site\u00ac\u2020is recycled plant material (leaves, twigs, spent plants, buds, bark, flowers and other plant debris) that grew on\u00ac\u2020the property. That’s the natural way it is done in the forest and on the prairie. Shredded native tree trimmings are the easiest to find and purchase. Third in line is shredded hardwood bark. Then there is a group that\u00ac\u2020is not high on my list.\u00ac\u2020I don\u201a\u00c4\u00f4t recommend cypress because it does not break down well. We want the mulch to break down. That’s what creates the true natural food for feeding microbes and plant roots. It is also an environmental problem in the way it is harvested. Pine needles make good mulch, but it looks a little out of place when used on a property where no pines are growing. Lava gravel makes good mulch and has the extra benefit of keeping squirrels and cats out; looking harsher than organic mulches and not breaking down into humus are the negative points. I’m not at all a fan of shredded rubber products, dyed wood or pine bark. It’s interesting that the most popular mulch material, pine bark, is not very good. First, it won’t stay in place – it washes and blows away. When it does stay put, it breaks down into a mucky material that does not help plant growth.\u00ac\u2020My favorite commercial mulch is a mixture of compost and shredded tree trimmings.\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n
\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
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- \n
- Compost<\/li>\n
- Rock Materials<\/li>\n
- Sugars<\/li>\n
- Mulch<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n
COMPOST<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\nCompost, Nature\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s own living fertilizer, can be made at home or purchased ready-to-use.\u00ac\u2020It can be started any time of the year in sun or shade and anything once living can go in the compost.\u00ac\u2020Some common ingredients include tree trimmings, food scraps, bark, sawdust, rice hulls, weeds, nut hulls and animal manure.\u00ac\u2020Build by mixing the ingredients together into a pile on the ground. The ideal mixture is around 80% vegetative matters and 20% animal waste, although any mix will compost and work fine.\u00ac\u2020Oxygen is a critical component.\u00ac\u2020Ingredients should be a mix of coarse and fine-textured material to promote air circulation through the pile.\u00ac\u2020Turn the pile as time allows to speed up the process, however turning is not critical.\u00ac\u2020Another critical component is water.\u00ac\u2020A compost pile should be roughly the moisture of a squeezed-out sponge to help the living organisms thrive and work their magic.\u00ac\u2020Compost is ready to use as a soil amendment when the ingredients are no longer identifiable.\u00ac\u2020The color will be dark brown, the texture soft and crumbly, and the smell will be pleasant like the forest floor.\u00ac\u2020Rough, unfinished compost can be used as topdressing mulch around all plantings.\u00ac\u2020For piles that are not heating and composting too slowly, add dry molasses, green plant material or other organic fertilizer.
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\nROCK MATERIALS<\/strong>
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n<\/p>\nLava Sand & Dry Molasses<\/p>\n
\nNature has maintained the mineral balance of soil through volcanic eruptions, glaciers movement and bed rock erosion. Gardeners, farmers and ranchers need to apply rock materials as well. Don\u201a\u00c4\u00f4t worry about pH. When a balance of natural materials are used, pH will move to an appropriate level. Additional volcanic rock is not needed in volcanic soils.\u00ac\u2020Useful rock products include\u00ac\u2020lava sand, Azomite, basalt, zeolite, humate, rock phosphate, and other rock material different from the base rock on the property.<\/p>\n
SUGARS<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nSugar is used to stimulate the microbes in the soil.\u00ac\u2020Some sugars are better than others. Here\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s a run down of some of the most common options:<\/p>\n
White Sugar<\/strong>:\u00ac\u2020 Table sugar is okay especially if it is dirty and unusable for food, but there are much better choices.\u00ac\u2020All sugars provide indirect fertility to soil and plants by accelerating biological activity.
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\nDry Molasses<\/strong>:\u00ac\u2020 Dry molasses isn\u201a\u00c4\u00f4t really dried molasses. It\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s actually a solid organic residue carrier\u00ac\u2020that has been sprayed with liquid molasses.\u00ac\u2020Soy is a common choice.\u00ac\u2020It\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s an excellent carbon and carbohydrate source that stimulates beneficial microorganisms\u00ac\u2020effectively. And it repels fire ants from properties in most cases.\u00ac\u2020It can be used as a bed preparation ingredient or applied on the surface of soil.\u00ac\u2020The usual rate is 20 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft.
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\nLiquid Molasses<\/strong>: \u00ac\u2020This sweet syrup that is a carbohydrate source used as a soil amendment to feed and stimulate microorganisms.\u00ac\u2020It contains sulfur, potash, and many trace minerals. Molasses is the best liquid sugar for horticultural use because of its trace minerals and effectiveness.\u00ac\u2020Blackstrap is hard to find,\u00ac\u2020and\u00ac\u2020it is the best molasses because of the sulfur and iron, but any kind of molasses will work. Molasses also has a nice side benefit. When it is used with compost tea and orange oil, it kills fire ants and other insect pests. By itself, molasses repels fire ants effectively.<\/p>\n
With an approximate analysis is 1-0-5, molasses is a good, quick source of energy for soil life and microbes in compost piles.\u00ac\u2020Liquid molasses is used in sprays, and dry molasses is broadcast.\u00ac\u2020Liquid molasses is an excellent foliar feeding material and can be mixed with other organic liquids. Use at 2 – 4 quarts\/acre for soil application. For foliar application, use up to 1 quart \u00ac\u2020per acre.\u00ac\u2020Use 1 \u201a\u00c4\u00ec 2 oz. per gallon of spray for small scale work.\u00ac\u2020Liquid molasses can also be used to increase the life and effectiveness of organic and biological pest control sprays such at Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis).
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\nCornmeal<\/strong>:\u00ac\u2020 This food product has several horticultural uses.\u00ac\u2020Regular cornmeal from the grocery store has minor fertilizer and disease fighting properties.\u00ac\u2020Horticultural cornmeal is a more concentrated form.\u00ac\u2020Horticultural cornmeal is either hominy (the outside edge of the corn kernel) or it can be whole ground cornmeal.\u00ac\u2020Read the label to know for sure, but both are effective.\u00ac\u2020Many cornmeal products in the grocery store consist of the starchy endosperm (insides of the kernel).\u00ac\u2020Dr. Joe McFarland and his staff at the A&M Research station in Stephenville, Texas discovered that cornmeal is effective at controlling fungal diseases on peanuts. I started playing with it and discovered that it is effective on brown patch in St. Augustine and damping off disease in seedlings. The usual rate is about 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. per surface area of soil. Cornmeal will help control all diseases on photinia, Indian hawthorn, roses, fruit trees, turf and seed flats.\u00ac\u2020Corn gluten meal is the protein part of the kernel and used as a weed and feed fertilizer. It also has some disease fighting properties.
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\nMULCH<\/strong>
\n\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\nCovering the bare soil around plants is critical and there are several mulch choices. The best mulch for any site\u00ac\u2020is recycled plant material (leaves, twigs, spent plants, buds, bark, flowers and other plant debris) that grew on\u00ac\u2020the property. That’s the natural way it is done in the forest and on the prairie. Shredded native tree trimmings are the easiest to find and purchase. Third in line is shredded hardwood bark. Then there is a group that\u00ac\u2020is not high on my list.\u00ac\u2020I don\u201a\u00c4\u00f4t recommend cypress because it does not break down well. We want the mulch to break down. That’s what creates the true natural food for feeding microbes and plant roots. It is also an environmental problem in the way it is harvested. Pine needles make good mulch, but it looks a little out of place when used on a property where no pines are growing. Lava gravel makes good mulch and has the extra benefit of keeping squirrels and cats out; looking harsher than organic mulches and not breaking down into humus are the negative points. I’m not at all a fan of shredded rubber products, dyed wood or pine bark. It’s interesting that the most popular mulch material, pine bark, is not very good. First, it won’t stay in place – it washes and blows away. When it does stay put, it breaks down into a mucky material that does not help plant growth.\u00ac\u2020My favorite commercial mulch is a mixture of compost and shredded tree trimmings.\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n
\u00ac\u2020<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
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