Looking for book recommendations for organic growing

[HappyHour]

I would like to learn all there is to know about organic gardening from start to finish. This includes even the most basic info on how plants grow and use photosynthesis. Can someone point me in the right direction or recommend a first couple of books to read as a start? Preferably books that you have read yourself that you found informative. The only book i know for sure i want to read is teaming with microbes, but i think i need to read more basic books first.

Thanks.

 

[improvise]

Welcome. there are organic grow journals in here somewhere, save cash for sure. Completed Journals regards

 

[GodOfPot]

I would like to learn all there is to know about organic gardening from start to finish. This includes even the most basic info on how plants grow and use photosynthesis. Can someone point me in the right direction or recommend a first couple of books to read as a start? Preferably books that you have read yourself that you found informative. The only book i know for sure i want to read is teaming with microbes, but i think i need to read more basic books first.

Thanks.

Def don't need a more basic book first, I would start with Teaming with Microbes > Fungi > Nutrients, all are very informative, lots of useful info, and if it's all new to you then it's def worth reading them all a second time at some point too

Also interested to hear peoples opinions on some of the better books out there...interested to know if there's something similar to the "Teaming" series(science, facts, data etc.) aimed directly at cannabis...was thinking about looking in to Ed Rosenthals "Bible", I know there's a few different Bibles...wondering what people think are some of the better ones too

 

[bobrown14]

Here's a great book I have and it's about seaweed as used in agriculture but the book first goes into how plants grow and the how and why's. Then it goes into kelp and how to use it with your plants and more importantly why.


Seaweed in agriculture & horticulture (Conservation gardening and farming series : Series C, Reprints): William Anthony Stephenson: 9780960069835: Amazon.com: Books

I'm and organic gardener both indoors and outdoors. I have a journal here and cover my soil mix and how I use it indoors in containers growing cannabis. Welcome to check it out and for sure ask questions ...

Teaming with Microbes... It's a good book.. I like the book I pointed to better. It explains how plants grow and how the soil works ... easy to understand. The author started the company Maxi-Crop.. which is a company the revolutionized seaweed cultivation and processing. Humans have been using seaweed to grow plants and animals for several thousand years with success. This book will also tell you why that is and how it works.


Just throwing another tidbit out there..... there's "organic" farming and there's 'Biodynamic" farming. Suggest you take a look at the biodynamic version via google online there's a lot of info you can read online.

You will (well hopefully) find that composting is the key. Everyone can compost... its the key to organic/biodynamic farming.

"You cannot amend your way to a viable soil. Get the Compost/EWC dialed in and you won't have many questions that need an answer." Clackamas Coots


Yes you can purchase good compost. You can always make your own much better than bagged.

 

[HappyHour]

Thanks all for your input, I really appreciate it! I will look up the difference between biodynamic and organic as well.

 

[bobrown14]

Thanks all for your input, I really appreciate it! I will look up the difference between biodynamic and organic as well.

Get that seaweed book, it was an enlightening read for me. I love to read ...

 

[Jackalope]

You might try True Living Organics by The Rev. Interesting read with tons of info.

 

[GodOfPot]

Personally have read TLO....he stresses some good points, but I feel like so much of it is just opinion, not based on facts & data(like his layers or spikes).....he is right on a lot of stuff, not trying to discredit him and was able to get some good info, but I prefer more "science" than opinion.

 

[bobrown14]

The Rev's book... not really an organic growing method... and yes more science fiction than science. Just a documented grow journal based on 1 persons growing experience is what I got out of it. Take with grain of salt approach, but that's just me.

Do some reading by actual scientists and folks that are working and teaching at the university level. You will get more benefit.

Examples:

Root exudate

Root biomass and exudates link plant diversity with soil bacterial and fungal biomass

Here's another one on how root exudates communicate with soil microbes (good read)

Regulation and function of root exudates. - PubMed - NCBI

These articles are written by scientists studying soil science as it relates to growth and health of plants. Pretty important to human existence I'm thinking. There is a lot of information online about plants and soil that is much more comprehensive that reading books geared toward growing cannabis exclusively.

Cannabis is just another plant in the plant world so all the physics, chemistry and biology apply to cannabis the same way they do to the rest of the plant world. Some of the stuff I see on the internet points to cannabis somehow being able to defy the laws of physics and chemistry.

Reading is good, verifying what you read when your gut says something different is good as well.

 

[GodOfPot]

We're still in an age where we're constantly learning more and more, I don't know if everything is verifiable at this point

A good example I think is the use of U/V light....I don't believe it's conclusive one way or the other...however I think there's enough to suggest that it is a very real possibility, and so to me it's actually worth the pretty low cost to introduce it in my grow area using "specialty" UV fluorescent bulbs

 

[Jackalope]

Just throwing it out there LOL. Nice to know it is being read though. As with anything info is knowledge. It has only been a few years since scientific grow info could be compiled. For years all we had were books written from 1 growers point of view. Of these some only used 1 grow technic while others included multiple options. My opinion is read it all and take what you need. 1 book even mentioned using the water from fish tanks for nutrients. Never once have I thought of getting fish.