Hybrid Fruits and Veggies

[Higgy]

Well I've been reading a lot on hybrids lately and I've always avoided hybrid like the plague. Here's an article why you should avoid them.

Improve your Food Quality with a Vegetable Garden

[basjoos]

There are two reasons behind this decline in vegetable nutrient levels. The first is the increase in yield.. A plant can only produce a limited amount of nutrients limited by sunlight and the uptake capacity of its root system. As the yield goes up, that limited amount of nutrients gets spread thinner over the increasing amount of vegetable matter produced by the plant.

The second reason is due to the depletion of the micronutrients and microelements in the soil. They are produced by the decompostiion of bedrock, but leave the farm in the produce, via erosion and by leaching of the soil. Synthetic fertilizers only replace the NPK and occasionally what are called the "minor elements" (S, B, Ca, and a few others) are added in commercial fertilizers. But not the microelements, which aren't needed for the plant to survive, but are needed for the plant to grow at its healthiest, mount its chemical defences against pests and diseases, to produce higher levels of nutrients in the harvested vegetables, and also improves the flavor. In the old days these microelements used to be recycled back to the field in the manure produced by the vegetable eaters. But now it goes from the farm straight down the sewers and eventually out to sea. What used to be a closed cycle is now a one way nutrient flow from the mines to the farm to the oceans. The easiest way to restore these missing microelements to your soil is to apply seaweed emulsion to your plants.

[NiHaoMike]

I remembered about an ad in the newspaper for a "super hybrid" plant that produces 5 different types of fruit.

[Higgy]

Basjoos, I've actually been applying seaweed to my plants this year, so I'm hoping their going to be a bit healthier then they normally are. I've also planted some heritage tomatoes, so I'm not sure if that's the same as heirloom ones, but I did it more for the fun. One is a cherokee purple, and the other is brandywine.

From now on I'll also be looking for non-hybrid veggies for my garden.

[basjoos]

I apply seaweed emulsion by spraying it on the leaves in the evening when no rain is expected that night, but a dew is expected to form. The idea is to get the emulsion on the leaves where it can be absorbed by the leaves all through the night and into the morning until the dew dries off the leaves. Once the micronutrients are incorporated in the plant, they are released into the soil by the deposition of plant parts as they are shed. Normally I will apply seaweed 2X a year on trees and perennials, being sure one of the applications is to the newly emergent light green spring leaves that haven't developed a waxy coating yet and so are very efficient at absorbing foliar contact nutrients. Annual crop plants I'll spray 2X to 4X depending on the length of their lifespan and their rate of growth (increase in plant volume).

I have noticed the toads in the garden are larger than the toads on untreated parts of the property and the population of grasshoppers feeding on the tall grass near the garden is much larger than those on other parts of my pastures and include a larger proportion of a very large yellow grasshopper species that is much less common elsewhere in the pastures. But with the lush growth of the grasses next to the garden, the effects of their feeding isn't noticable and they provide a good source of bait for catching bass and bluegill in my lake.

[Higgy]

Haha...nice.

Thanks for that info. I didn't know putting it on the leaves was necessary. I was just putting it into the watering can and spraying it on the dirt. I'll have to wait till next year to try it on the plants. I may try it on my indoor plants to see how it goes and on my trees next spring.

I think you need to come and be my next door neighbor so I can siphon all of your knowledge off of you.

[basjoos]

Foliar application isn't the only way to apply seaweed emulsion, but it is the quickest and most efficient way to get its nutrients straight into the plant. You can see results (yellowish leaves greening up, improved pest resistance) within a day or two. When you spray or pour it on the soil, some of it gets absorbed into soil particles and taken up by soil organisms in competition with that getting absorbed by the root hairs and mychorrhizae, so it is slower to get into the plant and you have to apply more of it to have the same effect on the plant.