"Going Organic" has become a catch-phrase in the past few years, but many people don't understand the many facets of what that term actually means.

Conventional growers, farms, and homeowners using chemical applications appreciate what those chemicals do - they are an 'instant' fix to many pest, disease, insect and soil problems.  They add the necessary NPK to feed the plant, ensure good yields, and are easy to use in most instances.  

 Conventional applications  deplete soil health, making plants more susceptible to disease and pests.   Just think about how chemical companies have full lines of products - they offer quick release nitrogen fertlizers, weed & feed products, and the pesticides and herbicides you'll eventually need to sustain the plant when disease and pests take over.

It starts a vicious cycle - feed the plant, then apply more chemicals in an attempt to make the plant healthy.  What does chemical fertilizers really do?  They deplete natural soil organisms, increase salts in soils, and make plants dependent on more chemical applications to feed it.  There is nothing left in the soil to sustain plants.  

Healthy soil contains billions of organisms, including beneficial bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, and the list goes on.......conventional fertilizers kill these beneficial organisms, whose main job is to take nutrients to plants, build soil health, and ward off diseases.  When these microorganisms are gone, plants depend on the artificial food source in chemical fertilizers.

What's in the soil is in our food, what is in our soil is brought inside by tiny hands playing in the dirt, by paws running through the lawn.  Where do these chemicals go once they are inside your home?  Pets bring residue to rugs, blankets, couches, and into our air systems.  Research continues to investigate the connection between health and chemical usage.