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• A Scientific Guide to Organic Plant Health Care Products Dr. Andrew
Backhaus Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) is an independent testing and approval service for the organics industry that has consolidated this vast array of items to protect consumers from fraudulent claims and unsafe products. Product certification by OMRI requires a strict approval process where each item grouped into one of about 125 different categories. Each product is then given an “A” for “Allowed” or “R” for “Regulated” use as an organic item. Items that do not meet their criteria receive a “U” for “Unapproved”, and are not listed by OMRI. I have pared down OMRI’s 125+ categories into “Eleven Basic Organic Categories” that are described below. This list makes it easier to choose which organic product to use for a particular situation. At least one of the items from these eleven categories should be considered for every professional in everyone’s plant health care arsenal. The “Eleven Basic Organic Categories” are: 1. Composts, 2. Fertilizers, 3. Micronutrients, 4. Mineral Based Soil Amendments, 5. Humate Based Soil Amendments, 6. Microbial Inoculants, 7. Crop Protection Aids, 8. Disease Controls, 9. Invertebrate Controls, 10. Weed Controls and 11. Miscellaneous Extracts. A brief outline of each category is provided. The Eleven Basic Organic Categories1. Composts (decomposed plants, forest products or sea life) & compost teas
2.
Fertilizers - must have
N-P-K, (organics always less than 12% N), +/- micros 3.
Micronutrients – (S Ca Fe Cl Mg B
Mn Cu Zn Mo) 4.
Mineral Based Soil Amendments -
5.
Humate Based Soil Amendments -
coal derivative, fossilized lignin and fully
decomposed soil humus & glomalins 6. Microbial Inoculants Mycorrhizal fungi, Trichoderma, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Nitrobacter, Nitrosomas, Beauveria, actinomycetes, compost, compost teas, etc. 7. Crop Protection Aids
Adjuvants- (Nu-Film, Yuccah) 8.
Disease Controls 9.
Invertebrate (insect, mite, mollusk) Controls 10.
Weed Controls 11.
Miscellaneous Plant Extracts Who Oversees Approval of Organic Categories? OMRI Comments on …Pesticide Data, Soil Fertility & Crop Management, Genetically Engineered Crops, Pest Management (& use of petroleum distillates and inert ingredients) etc. Q: What is the definition of Organic? A: Many definitions, organics can’t be defined, but we know it when we see it. OMRI charges manufacturers between $100 - $600 to register the each item for OMRI certification. OMRI Ratings A= Allowed R= Regulated vs U= Unapproved © 2003-2004 Artistic-arborist.com, Inc. All rights reserved. |