Vegan-Organic Information Sheet #1 (60p) Propagation and Fertilisers Growing with concern for people, ani- mals and the environment Organic growing involves treating the soil, the growing environment and the world environment as a resource to be preserved for future generations, rather than exploited in the short term. Vegan- organics means doing this without any animal products at all, which is not dif- ficult when you know how. All soil fertil- ity ultimately depends on plants and min- erals - these do not have to be passed through an animal in order to work. Fertility can be maintained by plant-based composts, green manures, mulches, chipped branch wood, crop rotations and any other method that is sustainable, ecologically benign and not dependent upon animal exploitation. The guidelines below do not attempt to be fully comprehensive. The extent to which you adhere to any system really de- pends on you, your conscience and circum- stances. We can only do our best with our available time and money. The Vegan- Organic Network has now published comprehensive Stockfree Organic Stan- dards, which are available to commer- cial growers and can also be used as a reference for home growers. Of course, no one person or organisation knows ev- erything about the subject, so constant co-operation and updating of ideas and information is needed. Whilst conventional cultivation relies on synthetic chemicals and animal prod- ucts, traditional organic production also generally relies on animal wastes and by- products. Both involve the exploitation of living creatures, and the inefficient use of land, water and energy resources. Ve- gan-organic methods minimise these drawbacks. Many people who are not themselves vegan or vegetarian are com- ing to appreciate that animal-free grow- ing is the most sustainable system: it is the future of organics. Make your own seed mixtures Mixtures for seed raising and potting can be time-consuming but are worth the effort. Seed mixtures need to drain freely, allow for aeration so that they can warm up quickly and have the ability to retain moisture. They need to be free from weed seeds, pests and diseases. A fine texture ensures that they make good contact with the seeds. They do not need high levels of nutrients, just enough to sustain the seedlings for four to seven weeks.
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Vegan-Organic Information Sheet #1 (60p)
Propagation and Fertilisers
Growing with concern for people, ani-mals and the environmentOrganic growing involves treating thesoil, the growing environment and theworld environment as a resource to bepreserved for future generations, ratherthan exploited in the short term. Vegan-organics means doing this without anyanimal products at all, which is not dif-ficult when you know how. All soil fertil-ity ultimately depends on plants and min-erals - these do not have to be passed throughan animal in order to work. Fertility canbe maintained by plant-based composts,green manures, mulches, chipped branchwood, crop rotations and any othermethod that is sustainable, ecologicallybenign and not dependent upon animalexploitation.
The guidelines below do not attemptto be fully comprehensive. The extent towhich you adhere to any system really de-pends on you, your conscience and circum-stances. We can only do our best with ouravailable time and money. The Vegan-Organic Network has now publishedcomprehensive Stockfree Organic Stan-dards, which are available to commer-cial growers and can also be used as areference for home growers. Of course,
no one person or organisation knows ev-erything about the subject, so constantco-operation and updating of ideas andinformation is needed.
Whilst conventional cultivation relieson synthetic chemicals and animal prod-ucts, traditional organic production alsogenerally relies on animal wastes and by-products. Both involve the exploitationof living creatures, and the inefficient useof land, water and energy resources. Ve-gan-organic methods minimise thesedrawbacks. Many people who are notthemselves vegan or vegetarian are com-ing to appreciate that animal-free grow-ing is the most sustainable system: it isthe future of organics.
Make your own seed mixturesMixtures for seed raising and potting canbe time-consuming but are worth theeffort. Seed mixtures need to drain freely,allow for aeration so that they can warmup quickly and have the ability to retainmoisture. They need to be free from weedseeds, pests and diseases. A fine textureensures that they make good contact withthe seeds. They do not need high levelsof nutrients, just enough to sustain theseedlings for four to seven weeks.
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With home-made mixes it is impos-sible to be sure of the suitability of eachbatch, as the ingredients will vary fromone season to the next. The followingmixes should be suitable for raising seed-lings but have not been rigorously tested:
1. Basic soil-free mix for seedling mod-ules:• Two units plant-based compost.• Two units peat or peat alternative (seebelow).• One unit sharp sand or vermiculiteor perlite.
2. Tolhurst Organic Produce has hadsuccess with:
• Two units sieved green waste compost(at least 12 months old).• One unit perlite.• They experimented with adding barkas a peat alternative but found that it di-luted the mix.
3. Basic mix for free-standing transplant‘blocks’:• Two units plant-based compost.• Three units peat.• Two units coarse sand or vermiculiteor perlite.
To the above three mixes you can addthe supplements of:• 1/8 unit base fertiliser (see below).
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• 1/8 unit seaweed meal.• 1/8 unit lime.• 1/8 unit colloidal phosphate.However, seedlings will still grow with-out these supplements.
The ingredients must be mixed well toform a uniform end product. First weighout the units in buckets. It will be neces-sary to sieve coarse materials. Spread thecontents on a clean, hard surface and mixin the same way that you would withcement using a spade or shovel, pilingthem up in a heap and turning it in. Forlarger quantities, it is worth using a ce-ment mixer. Seed mixtures are better ifthey are six months old.
Make your own potting mixturesPotting mixtures are generally for plantsgrowing for a longer period (severalmonths before trans-planting e.g. aspara-gus) or permanently inpots. They can have acoarser texture andneed short-term andlong-term nutrientsupplies.
Basic recipe:• Two units matureplant-based compostor leaf mould.• Two units gardentopsoil.• Two units coarse
sand.
To the above mix you can add the supple-ments of:• 1/8 unit base fertiliser (see below).• 1/8 unit seaweed meal.• 1/8 unit lime.• 1/8 unit colloidal phosphate.However, plants will still grow withoutthese supplements.
Animal-Free Base FertilisersBase fertilisers are very different fromsupplementary fertilisers in that the nu-trients need to be released slowly so thatthey are available to the plant through-out its development. Supplementaryfertilisers provide more readily availablenutrients, e.g. potash boost from com-frey extract.
Seagreens Ltd – contact S. Ranger, 1 The Warren, Handcross, West Sussex, RH17 6DX.
Table 2. Seaweed fertilisers
Name of Product
(Supplier)
Product descriptions
Use Additional info Contact info
Cumulus (W.L. Dingley)
Cumulus K
Applying to the soil for mineral deficiency and additions to propagating media
Kali vinasse, sugar beet industry by-product
WL Dingley – contact B. Urbanski, Buckle St, Honeybourne, Evesham, Worc. WR11 7QE. T / F 01386 830242.
Table 3. Potash fertilisers
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table 1 can be made at home by grindingthem into a fine dust. The process ofmaking alfalfa meal is described in peatalternatives.
The base fertilisers in tables 2-4 areavailable commercially and the manufac-turers have signed declarations that theyare animal-free.
Peat AlternativesPeat is to be avoided on ecologicalgrounds. The journal New Scientist re-ported that 455 billion tons of carbon issequestered in peat bogs worldwide. Thatis equivalent to about 70-75 years of in-dustrial emissions, making conservationof peat bogs as important an issue as sav-ing the rainforests. Coir dust, a mixtureof short and powder fibres, is a by-prod-uct of the coconut fibre industry. Mostcoir (sold usually as blocks) comes fromIndia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indo-
nesia and Central America and is notencouraged because it is felt that thisvaluable source of organic materialshould stay within these countries.
Plant-based compost with additivesPlant-based compost is rarely used as thesole potting medium since it is too po-rous and has too high levels of solublesalts. Therefore it is prudent to add ei-ther perlite, vermiculite or sand (see theIain Tolhurst recipe above). You can makethe compost element yourself. Bestcomposting practice involves:
• using select ingredients, includingcrop wastes, grass clippings, legume-richhays and straw;• mixing plant-based ingredients: 2part ‘greens’ to one part ‘browns’;• composting plant-based materials andleaf mould separately;
Name of Product (Supplier)
Product descriptions Use Contact
Cumulus W.L. Dingley
Cumulus 5-5-5 Cumulus 5-1-10 Cumulus 5–1-4
Applying to the soil and additions to propagating media
WL Dingley – contact B. Urbanski, Buckle St, Honeybourne, Evesham, Worc. WR11 7QE. T / F 01386 830242.
5F’s Fertiliser Fertile Fibre
Pelleted fertiliser 5-5-5
Applying to the soil and additions to propagating media
• building a heap of sufficient volume;at least one cubic metre;• turning the heap to assist with aera-tion;• monitoring temperature rises;• covering the heap or windrow to pre-vent it from becoming waterlogged;• allowing for the compost to mature(approximately one year).
You can alsobuy J. Bower’sNew HorizonPeat Free Or-ganic Com-post as this isavailable frommost gardencentres and themanufacturerhas signed ananimal-freedeclaration.The product ismade fromgreen wasteand has beendescribed as a soil conditioner as thequality cannot be guaranteed. However,the sieved product has been used success-fully by commercial stockfree-organicgrowers in propagation.
Composted pine barkComposted pine bark has high lignincontent, making it slow to degrade. Barklightens the mix, increases bulk density,
increases air space, and decreases thewater-holding capacity of a mix makingit a suitable alternative to peat. Its pH isgenerally 5.0 to 6.5, it is low in solublesalts, and it will probably require morenitrogen base fertilisers if used in a mix.The product is available in B&Q’s ani-mal-free multipurpose organic compost,which is also GM-free.
A l f a l f a( l u c e r n e )mealAlfalfa mealprovides nutri-ents, which arereleased slowly.Alfalfa must beprocessed be-fore beingused in grow-ing media.Dried alfalfahay is groundand passedthrough a 2cm screen.
Water is added and the alfalfa is allowedto decompose for twenty days. It is thenair-dried for another twenty days beforeuse.
Comfrey leaf mouldCompost breaks down through a largelybacterial process, whereas autumn leavesbreak down through a fungal process.The compost heap is covered to provide
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the ideal aeration and moisture condi-tions for the bacteria, but the leaf mouldbin is left open to the elements. Autumnleaves consist mainly of hemi-cellulosesand lignins which, when broken down,provide an excellent alternative to peat. Leafm o u l dtakes aboutthree yearsto breakdown.
L e a fm o u l dcontainslittle inthe way ofnutrients,but fine-grade leafm o u l dthat hasd e c o m -posed forthree years can be mixed to make com-frey leaf mould, which is a useful ingre-dient in seed composts. Fill a dustbinwith alternative layers of 10 cm of leafmould and chopped comfrey leaves.Leave until the comfrey leaves have dis-appeared, which can take up to fivemonths. If the mixture turns soggy, turnout the mix and build it up again, add-ing further dry leaf mould. If it is toodry, add water.
Filtered run-off peatPeat filtered from reservoirs is acceptable
and is available from West Riding Or-ganics in the product Moorland Gold.Unit 3, Near Bank, Shelley,Huddersfield, HD8 8LS. T 01484609171.
Plant feedsI d e a l l y,p l a n t sshould ob-tain alltheir re-q u i r e -m e n t sfrom well-nourishedsoil fedwith plant-b a s e dcomposts,turning ingreen ma-n u r e s ,
mulching and/or chipped branch wood.However, you may find that your greenhouse crops, vegetables and pot plantsmay benefit from supplementary liquidfeeding. We suggest various dosage ratesbut you may wish to experiment - re-member that you can apply too muchand this will damage plants, e.g. addingcomfrey juice to seedlings can cause mag-nesium lock-up in older plants.
Seaweed feedsIt is possible to make a liquid feed usingseaweed meal.
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• Put threeflat table-spoons ofs e a w e e dmeal intotwo litres ofwater, prefer-ably in a glassbottle.• Leave tomarinate fortwo to threeweeks ormore.• E v e r ymonth in thegrowing sea-son feedplants withone mugfulof this brewin two litresof water,shake thebottle well before use.
Seaweed meal contains all trace elementsbut some authorities believe the amountof available nitrogen and/or potash is low.A richer feed can be made using greenleaves, but for indoor plants the prob-lem is it stinks.
Plant tonics, e.g. comfrey liquid• Take any size of container (e.g. a wa-ter butt with a tap) and fill with any orall of the following: grass cuttings, nettles,
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weed leavesor comfreyleaves.• Nettlesgive the bestmultipur-pose feedand comfreyalone willgive a feedrich in pot-ash, whichwill be excel-lent for to-matoes, cu-cumbers andcourgettes.• Coverwith water,cover thecontainer,and leavefor two tofour weeks.
Try a dilution rate of about one part brewto three parts water and use it monthlyon house and bedding plants.• Strain through a sieve or old stock-ing to keep back weed seeds and bits ofplant material, which will block yourwatering can.• This feed, used fortnightly, is ofcourse also excellent for vegetables butneeds to be diluted more: about ten partswater to one part leaves. VON membershave found conclusively that liquid nettlefeed brings on vegetables at least as well
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as chemical-based liquids when used atthe same rate.
The pong problem is not too hard to
Deficiency Indicator Preferred remedy Last resort
Phosphorus
Very dark green leaves with a tendency to develop purple colours, stunted.
Tunisian rock phosphate. Calcined aluminium phosphate rock (Redzlaag).
Potassium Yellow streaks in the leaves.
Wood ashes in the compost heap.
Sulphate of potash.
Magnesium – calcium
Yellow drying and reddening of older leaves while veins remain green.
Younger leaves turn yellow and then all the leaves turn yellow.
Gypsum. Sulphur.
Boron Soil test - canker/curd browning.
More compost less lime. Seaweed meal.
Direct application at 3g per m2 for extreme cases only.
Copper Top leaves wilt and do not recover.
Seaweed meal.
Direct application for extreme cases only.
Iron & Manganese
Pale green leaves. More compost less lime. Seaweed meal.
Direct application for extreme cases only.
Molybdenum Soil test. Seaweed meal. Direct application for extreme cases only.
Cobalt Soil test. Seaweed meal. Direct application for extreme cases only.
Selenium Soil test. Seaweed meal. Direct application for extreme cases only.
Zinc Same as copper, may have a bitter after taste.
Seaweed meal. Direct application for extreme cases only.
Table 5. Mineral deficiencies
work around, since once the brew is di-luted and applied to the soil, the smelldisappears after a few days. So it is pos-
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Readily available handbooks, which are not wholly vegan but provide good vegan alterna-tives are: The Organic Bible by Bob Flowerdew (ISBN 1856265951) and The New OrganicGrower by Elliot Coleman (ISBN 093003175X).
Weeds by John Walker is an earth-friendly guide to tackling weeds and making good use ofthem. Published by Cassel (ISBN 1 84403 061 X).
The following books are available from The Vegan Society, Donald Watson House, 7 BattleRd. St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex TN37 7AA. Tel: 01424 427393. www.vegansociety.com/shop:
Abundant Living in the Coming Age of the Tree by Kathleen Jannaway (ISBN 0951732803) –towards a vegan, self-sustaining tree-based culture.
Forest Gardening by Robert A de J Hart (ISBN 1900322021) – turn your garden or allot-ment into a vegan-organic, permaculture-based mini-forest.
Permaculture: A Beginner’s Guide by Graham Burnett – apply the principles of sustainabilityand working with nature to your land, your community and your life.
Plants for a Future by Ken Fern (ISBN 1856230112) – pioneering book that takes garden-
Books
sible to feed pot plants outdoors andbring them in the next day but ensurethat they will not be harmed by anychange in temperature.
Adding mineralsMineral deficiencies (table 5) can be con-fused with plant diseases. The use ofmineral amendments is not sustainable,because mining and the transportationis fossil-fuel intensive and opencast min-ing destroys local environments. At thesame time, occasionally growers have tomake compromises to avoid crop failures,
which may justify one-off applications.However, if other recommended prac-tices are followed for improving soil fer-tility (plant-based composts, green ma-nuring, mulching and chipped branchwood), vegan-organic systems should notrely on mineral amendments.
Good luck! Let us have any feedback orideas of your own.
Remember to use appropriate protectiveclothing by the way; lime and comfrey,for example, can irritate eyes and skin.
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Seeds and Supplies
The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Riverdene Business Park, Molsey Rd, Hersham, SurreyKT12 4RG, UK. Tel: 01932 25366. www.organiccatalog.com. Seeds and products such asfertilisers and compost listed as organic and animal-free.
Chiltern Seeds, Bortree Stile, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 7PB. Tel: 01229 581137.www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds. Wide range of seeds including uncommon and unusualvegetable varieties.
HDRA, Ryton Organic Gardens, Coventry CV8 3LG. Tel: 024 7630 3517. www.hdra.org.ukDemonstration gardens and education centre at Ryton, which is presently being expanded.Some of their advice is based on animal products but this can be adapted. Members receivea quarterly magazine, Organic Way.
Movement for Compassionate Living, 105 Cyfyng Rd, Ystalyfera, Swansea SA9 2BT. Tel:0845 4584717. www.mclveganway.org.uk. MCL produces a quarterly magazine, informa-tion and books on cultivation, cooking, etc., emphasising locally grown food and cruelty-free sustainable methods, especially the growing and use of trees.
Plants for a Future, Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon EX21 5DF. Tel: 01208872963. www.pfaf.org. Researching ecologically sustainable vegan-organic horticulture; anexcellent resource and information centre. The website contains much useful information.
Spiral Seed, 35 Rayleigh Avenue, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 7DS. www.spiralseed.co.uk.Have publications, vegan-organic information and ideas including lots on vegan permaculture,very useful as most ‘permaculture’ involves animal exploitation. The website is a mine ofinformation.
Organisations
ing, conservation and ecology into a new dimension. Information about growing edible andother useful plants.
The Animal Free Shopper (ISBN 0907337252) – The Vegan Society’s guide to all thingsvegan includes a section on garden products.
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The Vegan-Organic NetworkThe Vegan Organic Network is a registered charity (registered charity number1080847), providing education and research in vegan-organic principles and has aninternational network of supporters. VON supporters enjoy a wide variety of con-tacts and can obtain advice on cultivation techniques. The magazine Growing GreenInternational is sent to supporters twice a year. For more information and details ofhow to join, please contact:
VON, 58 High Lane, Chorlton, Manchester M21 9DZEmail: [email protected]
General enquiries and advice on growing:Phone: 0845 223 5232
Vegan-Organic information sheetsThis is one of several sheets produced on various topics by the Vegan-Organic Net-work. These are aimed mainly at those with allotments, kitchen gardens or othersmall growing areas, although many of the techniques will also apply to larger-scalesituations. We welcome feedback on this information sheet and any other relatedtopics. The information sheets currently available are: #1 Propagation and Fertilisers;#2 Growing Beans for Drying; #3 Growing on Clay Soils; #4 Vegan-Organic Growing- The Basics; #5 Fungi - FAQ: #6 Gardening for Wildlife; #7 Growers' Guide toBeetles; #8 Green Manures; #9 Chipped Branch-Wood; #10 Composting.
These are available on request. Please send £5.00 per set, or 60p each (£6 and75p respectively if outside the UK). The sheets are also available free on our website.
Issued March 2005. This advice is given as guidance only, with no responsibility forany results, due to the nature of the processes involved!
