Organically grown potted plants for Houston
Do you want a tough, organically grown plant that is ready for the real world?
Most nursery plants are grown in artificial conditions in a sterile environment with heavy applications of nitrogen fertilizer and synthetic fungicides and pesticides. This intensive care system eliminates natural soil biology, creates a dependency on artificial stimulus and discourages the plant from developing the extensive root system it needs once it is out of the ICU. You purchase a poorly adapted, chemically dependent plant not capable of fending for itself.
We start with a special organic soil mixture, organic plants and usually certified organic seed or saved seed. We inoculate the plant roots with mycorrhizae fungi and add natural minerals that promote root growth. We start with very little nitrogen fertilizer because we do not want to promote excessive green growth early in life. Once the root system is well developed we begin to limit the water and add a bit of nitrogen in the form of fish emulsion in our compost tea. The result is a plant that is ready to head out on its own and produce.
Our plants are grown outside except for the frost sensitive ones that sit out our short winter in a cozy greenhouse. We are one of the few sources of organically grown (though not certified) plants
Our standard potting mix starts with compost, perlite, vermiculite and mulch. We add the following to this mix:
lava sand
Compost tea from vermiculture
rock phosphate
dolomite lime
cottonseed meal
cornmeal
greensand
kelp
molasses
epsom salt
We use a better draining mix for the succulents, lavender, thyme and rosemary. We usually use recycled pots. I have the formula we are currently using here
Fantastic facts! I have already been searching for something similar to this for a long time now. Bless you!