OrganicFarmer_AugSep2018_e

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“ To Till or Not To Till– That is The Question! ” Patianna Vineyards: Fall seeding, compost applied on top of the soil. Continued from Page 9 glues to hold soil particles together, forming aggregates and giving the soil structure. These are very helpful in poorly structured soils, as the roots penetrate the soil extensively, forming a net that holds soil in place. There are many choices that range from very low growing species only two inches tall such as hard fescue (Festuca brevipila) to winter grains that may grow four or five feet tall. The winter grains (barley, oats, and triticale) are most commonly used in California as they are inexpensive to plant; they are mowed in spring and disked into the soil where they decomposed to increase SOM. 2Legumes: When inoculated with Rhizobium bacteria, these species fix atmospheric nitrogen (N) into forms that plants and living organisms can utilize. The nitrogen fixing capacity varies by species ranging from 30 to 300 pounds of N per acre, and are a very energy efficient way to provide soil with nitrogen compared to chemical fertilizers. The most commonly planted legumes are various clovers (Trifolium species), vetches (Vicia species), peas (Pisum species) and trefoils (Lotus sp.) Grasses grow better when mixed with legumes. 3Carbonaceous cover crops: These are planted to protect the soil from erosion and fix carbon from the atmosphere to form SOM. Examples include mustards (Brassica species), radishes (Raphanus species); flax (Linum usitatissimum) and lacey phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia). Some of them are very good at scavenging nitrogen in the soil and preventing leeching into the groundwater during the winter (especially lacey phacelia). The mustards work well in tilled vineyard floor management systems, reseed well, and are inexpensive to plant. BECOME YOUR OWN POWER COMPANY Agricultural solar projects generate long term savings, tax benefits, and near-zero electricity rates, a great way to take some of the burden of operational overhead off your sunworks 25 years worry-free WARRANTY 866.600.6800 | SUNWORKSUSA.COM CA Lic# 441690 shoulders. Working with Sunworks, you will receive a single provider support with quality business practices that exceed industry standards and uphold our ideals of ethics and safety. 4Beneficial habitat and beauty: this wide range of plants provides nectar and pollen, habitat and prey for both beneficial insects and the insects that they feed on. They can be very important in building up numbers of generalist predators and parasitoids that keep many pests under control. Many flower profusely and add beauty to the vineyard landscape including Alyssum (Alyssum maritimum), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and wild carrot (Daucus carota), and California poppy (Eschscholtzia californica). Usually these species are planted on the margins of the vineyard since they need to flower and won’t be very effective if mowed. Some growers dedicate specific rows to these “insectary” cover crops and minimize mowing and traffic over them. To Till or Not To Till—That is The Question! SOM accumulates fastest under no-till or limited till systems. When the soil is exposed to sunlight, SOM Continued on Page 12 10 Organic Famer August/September 2018
August/September 2018 www.organicfarmermag.com 11
Page 1 and 2: August/September 2018 Challenges in
Page 3 and 4: Organic FARMER 4 8 14 18 24 28 IN T
Page 5 and 6: vitamin E (all thought to be benefi
Page 7 and 8: Note: organic producers can’t use
Page 9: CROPS Farmed Vineyards By: Glenn Mc
Page 13 and 14: Enjoy! There is nothing like an abu
Page 15 and 16: The definition of sustainable bioch
Page 17 and 18: there are still controversies about
Page 19 and 20: Fertilizer injection in an organic
Page 21 and 22: to 10 ton/acre to increase soil org
Page 23 and 24: keep white space around the seal eq
Page 25 and 26: Providing the Gold Standard for Fer
Page 27 and 28: August/September 2018 www.organicfa
Page 29 and 30: Helping Farmers Grow Naturally Sinc
Page 31 and 32: BIOSTIMULANT FERTILIZERS, PEST CONT

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