Organics refers to the elimination of synthetic fertilisers and chemical pesticides in the production of food. Embracing organic gardening practices and favouring organic New Zealand products in your purchasing decisions will benefit not only your own health but help to decrease the progression of soil and water damage contributing to climate change and maintain a healthier environment into the future. There are many reasons to go organic, here are just three.
Your Health
All pesticides present some form of risk to your health. They are, after all, designed to kill certain organisms considered harmful to your plants. While the ideal pesticide would limit its impact to these harmful organisms to the exclusion of all others, the reality is that biology is complex and it’s inevitable that these chemicals will have some residual effect on other organisms, including humans, that were not meant to be targeted.
Immediate health effects from exposure to pesticides can include irritation of the eyes and respiratory system. Studies have also shown that pesticides can build up in fat tissue and prolonged exposure may present an increased risk to chronic conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Research into the long-term repercussions of exposure are ongoing but, suffice it to say, you will clearly be better off health-wise by eliminating pesticides use from your gardening practices and choosing foods cultivated organically.
The Quality of Your Produce
Using the right fertilisers are an essential part of getting the most out of your plants. Certain synthetic fertilisers have been popular historically because, on the face of it, they seem to be cheaper than organic alternatives. However, this isn’t really the case. For instance, consider ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA to the rest of us) which is a common ingredient in synthetic fertilisers.
EDTA molecules attach themselves to nutrients, used in order to feed plants. However, this bonding results in large and complex molecules that are not easily absorbed by plants. These new EDTA molecules prefer some minerals over others and so by trying to correct a deficiency of one mineral, you can in fact be creating a deficiency in another mineral, due to the preferred bonding where minerals will jump to join the EDTA like a magnet.  It becomes necessary, then, to use more fertiliser to ensure the plant gets enough nutrients. This increases your expenses and results in less developed produce.
Organic fertilisers, like our Biomin product line, offer a better solution. Our fertilisers work in a similar way to EDTA, except for one thing. Instead of attaching a synthetic molecule to nutrients to facilitate plant feeding, our products use glycine which is a naturally occurring amino acid required by plants. This formulation is far easier for a plant to absorb which means that less is required. This leads to more nutrient-dense produce, a fact that is attested to by a number of scientific studies.
Preserving Soil Health
What you put into the ground can have consequences for decades into the future. Continued use of pesticides and synthetic fertilisers will leave behind toxic elements such as heavy metals, lead to the release of greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide and cause chemical runoff that leaches into waterways. For the greater good of the environment, switching to organic fertilisers such as our BioGro certified products will contribute to healthier and more sustainable soil.
The use of other products like humic acid and mycorrhizal fungi is also beneficial as they will give the soil more structure, making it easier for plants to access nutrients in the soil and also prevent erosion.
Hopefully, this has given you helpful motivation to understand the value in going organic. Over the long term, this decision will benefit you, the environment and society at large. This need not be a difficult or expensive undertaking as our organic home gardening products can help you start cultivating delicious and nutritious organic produce in no time.
View our full range of organic products at our online store here.
