OrganicOzarks, it just so happens that my mother, a registered dietitian of over 50 years experience, pushes non-GM and organic.
Don't get me started on bioidentical hormones and patented, because the logic being used above is precisely the same. IF they were precisely the same, how come my natural hormones don't cause feminized amphibians further down the waste stream, but all my sisters using common birth control are? Why I got into such a huge argument with the last OB/GYN.
Squigs, the microbes aren't just a conduit, they often oxidize or otherwise change the actual molecule that's being delivered to the plant. P uptake and utilization is where we can observe HUGE differences, for example.
* Organic hydroponics: Is complete nonsense. The 'organic' buzzword is overused and largely misunderstood by the general public. 'Organic' doesn't mean 'good' or 'better.' It means that the material in question is sourced from a biological system.
Actually, that is not the legal (and regulated) definition of organic, or what 'approved for organic production' means. E.G. Rock dusts--absolutely vital in organic cultivation, only comprised of earth shit (volcanoes).
"Inorganic" nutrients are actually chemical salts. The subject is vast and complex, but with specific regard to foods, there are studies that prove higher flavanoid and terpene levels in organic vs conventional agriculture. There are higher levels of vitamins and minerals as well. That doesn't begin to address the other legal issue with organic production--soil health.
Organic nutrients are, in actual fact, mostly shit. Compost and manures themselves are not assimilable by plants; it's the breakdown components, N, P & K, which plants eat. There's no difference between the N, P & K obtained via organic matter breaking down and that obtained from "chemical" aka inorganic fertilisers.
You're misunderstanding how N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Si, etc, etc, etc, are actually taken into plant tissues, nor how they're made available to the plant by microbes. There is a HUGE difference, for example, in the flavor of a tomato that has high nitrate levels and a tomato that does not. I'm finding that it's typically accepted that produce that has high nitrates has been grown with chemical salt fertilizers (that also kill microbes). From a phsysiological standpoint I believe it's been known for some years that ingesting foodstuffs that are high in nitrates, like many luncheon meats for example, is unhealthy and can lead to health problems like cancer, for example.
Hopefully you and others can read this link:
Nitrates and Nitrites: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
Did you know that a combination of diluted urine and wood ashes
outperforms chemical salt nutrients in field trials? Even urine alone outperforms chemical salt fertilizers. The question is why, yes? Well, it just so happens that, among other things, urine is very easily oxidized and utilized by microbes, the same microbes that then go on to feed the plants. Of course, if it's too concentrated then it will kill them.
However, inorganic nutes allow you to precisely and CONSISTENTLY control the amount of N, P & K presented to the plants. With 'organic' nutes, you never really know what the precise amounts and ratios of N, P & K your plants will actually get. Moreover, inorganic nutes are not affected by the use of H2O2 in hydroponic nute solns. Inorganic based hydro systems are clean, tanks are clear and such systems are much easier to maintain, especially for the newbish. Now, before some holy organic evangelist upbraids me for not knowing what I'm talking about, know ye this: my veg patch out back is run on organic principles; my cannabis plant waste, lawn clips and kitchen veg cuttings are composted and incorporated into the garden soil after spending about a year breaking down in the compost bins. It works pretty well- outdoors, where I don't give a damn how many bugs & microbes are hanging about. In my indoor hydroponic grow-op, I want to have only ONE living organism: cannabis plants.
So, wut up, dawg?
That was from ALBFUCT. .and i agree. I do believe it's about preference. .My aunt doesn't eat meat so wouldn't ask her to join us for dinner at a steakhouse. Aquaponics Something i wanna dive into lol so maybe i can pick your brain there. ..
Hopefully I didn't come off as an evangelist, just someone who's not only using organic methods but is looking towards certification in the future.