Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A Greener Year at Whitney's Farm!

Greenhouse growing practices are constantly changing and are going in a greener direction. Here at Whitney’s we are trying to implement these environmentally friendly fertilizers and pest controls.

For start we are now using Daniel’s Plant food instead of standard chemical fertilizers. Daniels Plant Food is organically based, providing an eco-friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers it is made from soybean extract. The formula combines all of the essential nutrients for healthy root systems, lush dark green leaves, hearty fruits and vegetables, and magnificent flowers. Daniels is organic in nature, child and pet friendly.

We are now using natural pest control, in the past for pest control we would have to make at least three or four chemical applications. This new process is also know as biocontrol, which is the release of one living organisms to control the population of another living organisms. For control of pests we are using beneficial predatory mites (Amblyseius Cucumeris) and Beneficial Nematodes (Nemasis) which feed on common greenhouse pests such as Thrips and Spider Mites. The beneficial mites are in little packages that hang from all of the pots and the nematodes are applied through a spray application.

For the control of root diseases we drench our plants with bio-logical fungus called Root Shield. The active ingredients in this product is a hybrid fungus that works with the soil to protect the root system of the plant.
In the past we had to use several chemicals to prevent root diseases.

The containers that we grow our plants in are also changing. In the past we have grown many of our vegetable plants in peat or plastic pots, we have now switched all of herb and large vegetable plants into coconut fiber pots. Coconut fiber pots provide easy transition from pot to ground, all you have to do is plant it!
All of our Burpee Brand plants are grown in pots that are made from corn.

If you have any questions please feel free to come into the greenhouse and ask us! We are always happy to answer questions and show you all of our new products!

1 comment:

  1. Glad to hear you are moving in a more environmental-friendly direction. I'm sure it is not easy on the scale of the farm and greenhouses, but it is important. Good job!

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