Organic Hemp Farmer eGuide (3 Part Series)

3) Add Organic Matter & Microbial Supplements To Your Soil

Soil organic matter is the key to fostering healthy and diverse microbial life. There are many amendments that can add organic material and a boost of microbes to your soil. Some will work quickly, while others will build up the soil organic matter over a few seasons.

Aerobic compost is the most common soil amendment used to add organic matter and beneficial microbes. This compost can be made on your farm with your natural waste materials, but the process can be labor-intensive. Purchasing compost from a reliable, tested source can be a good alternative. A lesser-known and less widely available form of compost is Bokashi. This originates from a Japanese technique of essentially fermenting organic waste material, without the labor-intensive process of turning and aerating.

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Actively Aerated Compost Tea (ACCT) is a water-based oxygen-rich tea containing large populations of beneficial aerobic bacteria, nematodes, fungi, and protozoa; these microbes work in a symbiotic relationship with plants. Quality compost tea breeds thousands of beneficial microorganisms as well as a stable balance of bacterial and fungal ratios. Compost tea allows you to breed a small amount of compost into a dispersible liquid form, letting a little bit go a lot farther. Be cautious of variations in compost quality, as well as the potential to reintroduce pathogens when making compost tea. If not constantly aerated, compost tea will go bad in 24 hours!

Biochar is an amendment that's very high in carbon, and in surface area, making is super-absorptive. This can be extremely beneficial for holding water, nutrients, and microbes for plants. However, one must ensure that biochar has been inoculated with microbes before being applied to the soil. Otherwise, the raw char might temporarily suck up nutrients and microbes, depriving the plant. Balancing the pH of biochar ahead of application is also important, as biochar is naturally very alkaline.

Worm castings from composting worms are one of the most effective organic soil amendments because they contain some of the highest density and diversity of microbial life, as well as bioavailable nutrients since this is essentially worm manure. Producing worm castings at scale is challenging, but they can often be bought and made into a tea, which can be applied to crops through the irrigation system.

Finally, fermented plant juice, produced from anaerobically fermenting organic material, produces a liquid microbial similar to compost tea, but with a few additional advantages:

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1) It doesn't have to be aerated, and therefore has a longer shelf-life,

2) It is guaranteed to be pathogen-free because the fermentation process kills human pathogens through acidity, and

3) The organic acids produced in the fermentation act as growth hormones for the plant, causing a more rapid response in plants than a compost tea.

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3 Part Series Conclusion

The goal of the modern hemp farmer should be to learn to "Feed the Soil, Not The Plant" and use knowledge and products to improve on Mother Natures' wisdom. Everflux Technologies offers a range of products and services that can help farmers take advantage of over 3 billion years of evolution - Mother Nature's R&D - to produce the largest, healthiest, highest quality plants possible.