Re: Hydroponics Organically

**K* M* <k*@iol.ie>**

Hi Miranda

Two things - one is that the "soil based" definition of organic goes  
right back to Albert Howard's Agricultural Testament - although I  
used the certification issue in my note I think that the idea that  
growing can be separated from soil is a dangerous one for the long  
term survival of the human race. If one doesn't have soil one does  
the next best - and for a roof top garden I would almost certainly  
use a vermiculite/hydroponic system of some kind (even if I did roof  
my shed with turf from my garden).

Rather more importantly in the context of the immediate question I've  
also been trialling worm cast tea against compost tea and absolutely  
agree with you that the former appears to give healthier plants

best wishes

kathryn

(now going out to try and find a way of removing at least a  
proportion of lesser celandine from my bog garden after the floods  
stripped the mulch away allowing even more of it than usual to  
germinate)

On 18 May 2008, at 13:16, Miranda Smith wrote:

> On Sun, May 18, 2008 at 3:03 AM, Kathryn Marsh <kmarsh@iol.ie> wrote:
> There is quite a good article here Doreen
>
> http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1977-03-01/Organic- 
> Hydroponics-A-Simple-Solution.aspx<http://www.motherearthnews.com/ 
> Organic-Gardening/1977-03-01/Organic->
>
>
> Hi,
>
> As the author of that long ago article, it's impossible not to  
> chime in to
> this discussion!  ;-)
>
> First of all: Kathryn, you are quite correct about the term  
> "organic." When
> applied to hydroponics, it's certainly a misnomer. However, this  
> work took
> place long before U.S. farmers had hatched the idea of national
> certification, so it was appropriate to the time. Now, of course,  
> it doesn't
> fall within the "legal" definition.
>
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