Helen Disler's Articles in Gardening - ABC Article Directory | Submit Articles | Article Search Engine

Helen Disler's Articles in Gardening

Show All\|Display Category\|Title\|Newest\|Oldest
How Brix Meters Work! It is important to monitor regularly the health of the soil as well as the plants that grow on it. Good soil nutrition helps plants resist disease and insect infestation, leading to better 'keeping' qualities, nutritional values, and flavour characteristics. The practice helps to assure high quality produce which attract the best prices. Exhaustive soil analysis is certainly necessary, but this is tedious laboratory work. To have a portable, easy-to-maintain system of tracking the progress of the crop, the farmer needs a handy tool. There is one such instrument -- the refractometer, also called a Brix meter, because it reads the Brix value of a liquid. The Brix value indicates the level of total dissolved solids -- vitamins, minerals, and other soluble compounds but mostly sugars -- in a liquid such as the sap from the leaves and other plant parts. The Brix can also be interpreted as an indication of the nutrient uptake and therefore the health of the plant. Within the same plant species, the crop with a higher Brix value will contain more sugars, minerals and proteins, and less water. This means the crop will taste sweeter and be more mineral-nutritious. Harvested crops with high sugar content lose less water in storage and better resist frost damage and post-harvest disease. Using Brix meters To text Brix content, squeeze some juice from a chosen part of the plant. Drip the fresh liquid on the inclined glass plane of the Brix meter. Hold the instrument against the light and look through the viewfinder for the number (between 0 and 32) indicating the sugar content reading. The higher the reading the higher the sugar content; this is good for the plant. Between varieties and species of plants, Brix readings can be very different. Some varieties consistently give low Brix values, regardless of how they are grown. Such varieties are likely to be the most vulnerable to disease and insects. When taking samples of the crop area, it is vital to compare data from the healthy (normal), weak and super-growing plants. Data from disease-affected or pest-infested areas should also be compared with data from non-affected areas. In a single plant, Brix values will vary considerably depending on the source of the sample -- mature or young leaves, mature or immature fruit, growing points, petioles, etc. Some organic farming technicians choose petioles (newly mature leaves) since they exude plenty of sap and do not have wide swings in Brix. Once a plant part has been chosen, all sampling should be taken from that portion. Since sunlight affects photosynthetic activity, sampling should be done always from the same side of the plant. Other things to watch for are the following: Samples should be taken from at least 20 plants, all of identical physiological age. On each sampling date, the samples should come from the same plants. Sampling time is critical and should be done always at the same time of day. Sugar production/storage activity is most active between late morning and early afternoon, so many growers sample during the 10a.m.-12p.m. period. It is not advisable at all to sample in the evening, or when temperatures are above 100oF (37.8oC). Weather (sunlight, drought, extreme heat, heavy rains, etc.) has significant impact on sugar accumulation. It is important to make notes on weather conditions for every sampling date to help analyse for weather-related changes in Brix values. Discover the Secrets to Worms Back in antiquity, Aristotle called them the "intestines of the Earth," but it took several more centuries before earthworms were systematically studied -- by Charles Darwin who wrote a whole book on the importance of worms in breaking down dead organic matter, enhancing soil structure, and maintaining soil aeration, drainage and fertility. Darwin calculated that earthworms in the soil add about eleven tonnes of organic matter per acre (about 18 tonnes per hectare) each year; modern scientists believe that where worms abound they can move up to 250 tonnes per hectare per year. According to Darwin, earthworms have an acid reaction in the upper part of their digestive canal which affects the soil and organic matter passing through the canal. Calciferous glands in their gut secrete carbonates of lime, which slowly neutralise the acidic particles and eventually change the reaction to alkaline as the transiting soil reaches the lower part of the digestive canal. As earthworms feed, the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in organic matter progressively declines. Nitrogen is converted into more usable ammonium or nitrate forms; phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients are also converted into readily available forms. As various kinds of mineral and organic particles pass through the earthworm digestive canal, they get mixed very close together to form aggregates, which improve the drainage and moisture-carrying capacity of the soil. These organic matter-mineral aggregates have great water stability and enhance other characteristics of the soil. Various investigators believe that as much as 50% of aggregates found in surface layers of the soil come from earthworms. In addition to aggregates, earthworms also play very important roles in forming soils, improving soil structure and enhancing its physical characteristics. Modern agriculture utilises earthworm products in various ways. Worm composting Also called 'vermiculture,' the term refers to the production of humus from organic matter by using a combination of microorganisms and earthworms. Unlike other composting processes, worm composting does not require heat to degrade and stabilize organic material; instead, it makes use of intimate interactions between the earthworms and the microbes that live in their intestinal tract and in the organic material. Worm composting yields two economically valuable products -- vermi-cast and vermi-meal. Earthworm casts consist of remains of digested organic matter, mucous and nitrogen-derived substances. The texture of these casts is finer than can be found in traditionally composted wastes. Vermi-cast is superior to inorganic fertilisers in its ability to provide growth nutrients. Apart from the normal N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) contents, vermi-cast delivers enzymes, beneficial microbes, and growth hormones. Vermi-meal is a protein-rich meal made from ground earthworm meat. Its protein content is about 62% with 11% fat. It can be used as an ingredient for animal feeds. Worm juice Worm juice is a special product from earthworms. It also contains some N-P-K, but its major benefit comes from its plentiful supply of nitrogen-fixing bacteria (about 100,000 CFU/ml), trace elements, and minerals all mixed in an aerated liquid and immediately available to the plant. Usually applied at the rate of 10 litres per hectare, worm juice helps the soil regain its natural capacity to provide plants with the nutrients they need in readily available form. It is also used as a foliar spray and as dressing on seed coats to increase germination rates. Worm compost tea Also known simply as 'worm tea,' this nutrient solution is a liquefied form of vermi-cast produced from worm composting, further enriched with minerals, essential plant nutrients, and all the various microorganisms so necessary to soil health and enhanced plant growth. Application is easy but it is important that worm tea be applied within 4 hours after the solution is activated. Worm tea is usually applied on the soil, plant leaves, and mulch to promote soil health. Continued use of earthworms and earthworm products will help you eliminate inorganic fertilisers and other chemicals in your farm. Getting Down and Dirty With Organic Compost The growing concern about environmental issues and unhealthy soil has induced extensive use of compost in agriculture. There are compelling reasons that make compost a better alternative to support agricultural crops production, increase yields and enrich the quality of produce. The sum of those reasons is this: compost makes soil healthy. The key to having good soil health -- and, therefore, crop health -- is to make sure it is biologically active. Only composted material can help you do tha