New Organic Garden Products for the 2010 Growing Season

Sometimes organic gardeners feel like they must rely on the same timeworn advice and products to achieve a healthy and productive flower or vegetable garden. However, the Organic Materials Review Institute, a nonprofit organization founded in 1997, is constantly revising and updating its list of products that meet the guidelines of organic under the USDA National Organic Program.

Although the active ingredients of these products may not be novel to the market, the manufacturers can enhance the efficacy of known organics by combining them with inert ingredients that increase their absorption or make them longer lasting. Gardeners can add these products to their arsenal of organic insect pest and disease defenses this season.

Organic Insecticide and Insect Control

BioSafe Systems introduced a new formulation of neem seed extract they are marketing as Azaguard. This botanical insecticide controls more than 300 kinds of insects, and it is appropriate for organic farmers who are also raising organic livestock.

Gardeners with coddling moth problems on their apple trees may be interested in a new pheromone lure produced by Pacific Biocontrol Corporation marketed as Isomate. The pheromones contained in these lures suppress coddling moth mating by emitting a scent that prevents the males from locating the females.

The Ortho Group now makes an indoor insect killer for organic gardeners, which is safe to use around children and pets. The active ingredient, soybean oil, kills ants, roaches, earwigs, and silverfish on contact. The product is available in a spray or aerosol form.

Organic Disease Control

Isagro USA now offers a biological fungicide called Tenet WP to control for soil-borne diseases in most fruits and vegetables. This fungicide contains the beneficial microbes Trichoderma asperellum and Trichoderma gamsii, which consume pathogenic organisms and remain active on the rootstock of garden plants.

Natural Industries, Inc. offers a new mode of disease control for organic farmers in its Actinogrow line of products. The beneficial microbes in these products kill common soil-borne diseases like Fusarium and Pythium in corn, soybean, and potato crops.

Organic Gardening Fertilizer

Organic gardeners can choose from several new fertilizers on the market to enrich the soil and boost flower and vegetable growth. Bridgewell Resources, LLC introduced a balanced organic fertilizer, Par 4 3-3-3, enriched with mycorrhizae to enhance the relationship between roots and helpful fungi.

Converted Organics, Inc. turns food waste into a complete line of organic blended fertilizers for residential and commercial applications. The Converted Organics 8-1-4 blend helps organic gardeners achieve lush lawns, while the Converted Organics 4-1-8 blend provides nutrients to flower and vegetable gardens.

Energy Anew, Inc. offers consumers a new type of soil enriching agent in their Biocharm Biochar Soil Amendment product. The company asserts that this product sequesters carbon in the soil, binds soil toxins, and enhances a plant’s immune system. The company’s claim that the product completely replaces fertilizing and composting is a tall order deserving of further scrutiny.