Avoiding Toxic Soil Inputs to fight Climate Change

Avoiding Toxic Soil Inputs to fight Climate Change

ALTERNATIVE TO TOXIC INPUTS ON SOILS

Understanding the complexity of climate collapse requires a holistic and integrated vision of the vital role of healthy ecosystems and the immediate and urgent need to ban chemical pesticides and fertilizers, in order to fight toxicity, and pollution and guarantee human and planetary health.

Pesticides might improve crop yield and productivity, but they also deteriorate the environment in the long-term—contaminating groundwater, soil and its fertility, and even the air. They can harm other beneficial soil organisms, insects, and plants, and can be toxic to animals.

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These chemicals tend to strip the nutrition from the soil because they only replace nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous while ignoring all of the other minerals that are required to keep soil healthy. Chemical fertilizers can also poison the groundwater supply and contribute greatly to climate change and human ill health.

Synthetic sprays do not discriminate. As well as killing unwanted insects, the spray may kill bugs that are also helping to control the pests. Once the insecticide wears off, it may be necessary to respray spray again because the next wave of pests will have fewer predators to deal with.

What are the alternatives?

Prior to the 1940s, synthetic pesticides did not exist. Instead, people created healthy and safe landscapes using cultural, biological, or mechanical methods. Many of these time-tested methods still work.?

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Cultural

  • Use gardening techniques that encourage vigorous plant growth and discourage pests.
  • Choose pest-resistant garden plants that provide habitat for wildlife. Plant a variety of native species.
  • Rotate crops regularly.
  • Try companion-planting. It’s a natural pest deterrent. For example, marigolds keep away many insects. planting multiple types of crops in the same field rather than just one specific type. Within polyculture, there is a concept called ‘companion planting’. It’s just as it sounds: you plant partner plants together with crops as a means to support the crop.

From a pest-control lens, it’s ideal to plant plants that naturally repel specific pests of your crop. For example, if you plant tomatoes with cabbage, the tomatoes naturally repel diamond-backed moth larvae that eat cabbage. Or, basil with tomato can fend off flies and mosquitoes

  • Manage soil fertility, watering, and drainage to provide optimal growing conditions. Healthy plants are naturally more resistant to pests.


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Biological Control

It’s important to realize not insects are your enemy. A healthy garden needs insect allies for proper pollination. Welcome insects that eat or parasitize pests.

These allies include bees and butterflies. However, most chemical pesticides can’t really distinguish between a butterfly and an aphid.?

As the human gut microbiome improves human health, a similar microbiome around plant roots improves plant health and growth. Some of the tiny guards within this microbiome can actually transform the character (phenotype) of a plant such that it becomes disease resistant.

These guards, or beneficial microbes, may provide a natural alternative to chemical pesticides and fertilizers.?

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?Many insects are predatory and parasitic. Create Natural barriers against pests, giving a home to beetles and spiders that would protect the nearby crops from aphid pests.?Whether fruit, veg, or cereal, crops are a tasty morsel for many living things all the way through the process. Insects, for example, can be one of our biggest food foes. One method farmers use to protect their crops is something called beetle banks.

A beetle bank is a strip of land in the middle of a crop field specifically created for insects, not for crops. Tussock ghām?sa creates the ideal environment, acting like little apartment blocks for these little guys.

Beetle banks are intentionally put there to act as a home for aphid-eating insects and spiders. These beetle banks were the brainy idea of UK farmers from the early 1990s. The concept is simple, yet effective. These natural predators can get rid of pests quickly and effectively.

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This is great for farmers, as not only do beetle banks significantly reduce crop damage, they are a pest control method without a drop of pesticide.


  • Ladybugs and spiders prey on weevils, aphids, and rootworms, and can help eradicate these pests if you plant fragrant, colorful plants to attract them.
  • Use nematodes to control unwanted pests.
  • Attract helpful birds and bats
  • Plant native flora. Native pest controllers love it.
  • Mice, meanwhile, do not like mint. Placing this fragrant herb around the base of a house will help to keep the rodents from trying to get inside.
  • Rabbits, notorious amongst gardeners because they are fond of eating vegetables and young plants, can be repelled by sprinkling chili pepper around plants or laying grates or old oven racks around the garden. Rabbits do not like the feel of these metallic items on their feet and will usually stay away.

Mechanical Control

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Reduce pest habitat in your yard.

  • Slugs, snails, and other pests like to hide.
  • Get rid of debris, pots and boards, and other objects.

Create barriers to stop slugs and snails.

  • Crush eggshells and oyster shells.
  • Use other prickly material.

Get physical.

  • Hand crush insects on plants.
  • Forcefully spray insects with water.

Reduce weed growth.

  • Mulch between plants.
  • Spreading cardboard or layers of newspaper between garden rows.
  • Use cloth crop covers. Floating row covers keep pests away but allow light and moisture in.
  • Hand-pull weeds. Do it before they go to seed for the best results and use them as mulch, as they bring balance to the soils where they grow supporting what is missing.

Prevent mildew on sensitive plants.

  • Don’t water your garden with an overhead sprinkler in the evening.


Natural Pest Control Products

Natural homemade fungicides control many problems.

  • Black spot on roses.
  • Blight on tomatoes.
  • Mildew and rust on other plants.

Fungicide Recipes

Baking Soda Option

  • Combine 1 tablespoon each of baking soda and horticultural oil.
  • Dilute in 4 liters of water.
  • Spray on leaves.

Milk Option for Mildew

  • Mix a 50/50 solution of milk and water.
  • Thoroughly spray plants at the first sign of mildew.
  • Repeat every 3 to 4 days.
  • You can also use this weekly as a preventative measure.


Composting – Fertilizer the Easy Way

Turning away from synthetic fertilizers takes some time and preparation, but the rewards are well worth it. One of the easiest, cheapest, and best ways to fertilize your garden is to start a compost pile.

Composting works so well because it’s a process that occurs naturally. It’s Mother Nature’s way of fertilizing the soil, relying on bacteria, fungi, and other helpful microorganisms that break organic matter down into rich, dark earth.

You can compost just about anything as long as it was a plant. Grass clippings, black and white newspapers, leftover vegetable scraps from the kitchen, wood chips, and certain kinds of manure work great in a compost pile.

?A healthy garden is less susceptible to pest infestations.?

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Here are a few more tips to avoid pest infestations:?

?1- Add compost to your garden to increase the nutrients that your plants are receiving. This helps ensure that plants and soil microorganisms stay healthy and can fight unwanted visitors.?

2- Cover your garden with mulch such as wood chips or bark to decrease the amount of water you use and the likelihood of pest problems induced by drought stress.?

3- Choose plants that are naturally resistant to pests and attract beneficial insects. Some examples of these are marigold, parsley, dill, anise, yarrow, and perennial sunflower.?

4- Don’t place plants of the same family in the same place in your garden. For example, don’t plant beans and peas next to each other.?

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  • ?WATER DEEPLY AND INFREQUENTLY This will help promote deep root growth and create a lawn that is more tolerant of stresses. Your lawn needs at most 25 mm (1”) of water per week to be healthy.?
  • LEAVE GRASS CLIPPINGS OUT Grass clippings can act as a natural fertilizer, providing a significant amount of nitrogen to your lawn. In addition, clippings act as an organic mulch, decreasing moisture evaporation from your lawn.?
  • OVER SEED Overseed your lawn in the shoulder seasons with perennial rye or drought-tolerant grass mixture to smother weeds that would normally be a problem. Consider a grass or lawn alternative that will add nitrogen back into your soil, such as clover and fescue.?


Susana Gago

Founder & Chief Steward

UNAKTI

Priya Mishra

Ask me if you are looking for Management consultants to design your system, business growth strategy, budgeting, exit and success strategy. Open for strategic partnership.

2 年

Susana, thanks for sharing!

Thank you Susana Gago This is such a helpful guide to maintaining plant and soil health - naturally. The sorts of things we should all know - and yet are no longer taught in school or from our elders...We need to re-learn the old ways to help us correct our mistakes...

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