Professional Documents
Culture Documents
w w w.ces.ncsu.edu/greenh
W hy Grow Organic?
• Organic is big business inthe US ($3.5 billion)
• Growth in organic produce 20%/yr for past 5 yrs.
• Overexpansion of greenhouse tomatoindustry
may drive down prices of greenhouse tomatoes
3000
According to the 1997 US
2500
Census of Agriculture,
Number of Farms
0
1978 1982 1987 1992 1997
Year
250000
200000
Sales were up
Sales ($1,000)
50000
400
0 350
ha of Greenhouse Vegetables
1978 1982 1987 1992 1997
Year 300
250
200
(annualincrease of 7%) 50
0
1978 1982 1987 1992 1997
Year
Types of Organic Production Systems
• Water-based (NFT,pipe QuickTime™ and a
– In south, solarization
possible
an grafttransplantsonto
Our Approach to
Organic
Hydroponics:
– Soilless media with
higher water and
nutrientretention
than perlite and
rockwool(peat,
pinebark,coir) with
added compost
– Organically
certifiable media
ingredients &
fertilizers
– Biocontrolsfor pests
Organic Certification in the U.S.
• No national standards-Yet!
• Most groups have lists of materialsthat are approved,
restricted or prohibited. No genetically modified crops.
• Brand-name products mustbe approved by
O M RI(ww w.omri.org)
Vermicompos
t
Fertilization
Allowed Restricted Prohibited
Compost (N, K, Micros); Sodium Nitrate (N); Synthetic
Earth Juice and
Colloidal soft rock and hard Fish emulsion (N, Sources; fish meal
rock phosphate (P); P); Muriate of potash; fertilizers
Guano (P); Bone Meal (N, P); Quick lime, or
Wood ash (K); Calcium Chloride hydrated lime
Rock dusts [granite, feldspar, (Ca);
greensand] (K); Epsom salts (Mg);
Natural potassium sulfate (K); Chelate, acid
Limestone, gypsum, calcium treated sulfate, or
oxide, (Ca); oxide materials
Dolomitic limestone, Kierserite (Micros)
(Mg);
Kelp meal, liquid or powdered
seaweed extract, rock powders
(Micros); Commercial products
on OMRI list
Pest Control
Allowed Restricted Prohibited
Insect Traps; Oil Sprays; Insecticidal Synthetic Pesticides,
Insect Barriers; Soaps; Bacillus Fungicides, and
Hand, Mechanical, or Thringiensis (BT); Nematicides
Hydraulic Removal; Copper; Sulfur;
Biological Controls; Approved Non-
Alcohol to disinfect synthetic Fungicides;
benches, pots, tools Bleach, hydrogen
Steam sterilization, hot peroxide and oxalic
water seed treatment, acid for disinfection
low temperature baking
Resistant cultivars;
Roguing or destroying
infected plants;
Herbal sprays
Issues before starting QuickTime™ and a
to CD Decompressor