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A Scientific Guide to Organic Plant Health Care Products

Dr. Andrew Backhaus
Artistic Arborist, Inc, 4519 N. 7^th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85013
602-263-8889 (office); rabackhaus@yahoo.com

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 Categories

1. Composts (decomposed plants, forest products or sea life) & compost teas

2. Fertilizers - must have N-P-K, (organics always less than 12% N), +/- micros
animal decomposition products
fish ferilizers
manure products (careful!!)
plant decomposition products
mined products – green sand (K-Fe), sodium nitrate, potassium deposits, etc.
compost teas

3. Micronutrients – (S Ca Fe Cl Mg B Mn Cu Zn Mo)
chelated vs sulfates
mined vs. synthetic

4. Mineral Based Soil Amendments -
improves soil structure (bulk density) or chemistry (ie. pH)
mined materials (limestone, dolomite, peatmoss)

5. Humate Based Soil Amendments - coal derivative, fossilized lignin and fully decomposed soil humus & glomalins
act as natural chelating agents for Fe, Mn, Zn, Mg, Cu metals
mined - humic acid, fulvic acid, humates
may or may not be extracted with strong acids or bases to liquefy

6. Microbial Inoculants Mycorrhizal fungi, Trichoderma, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Nitrobacter, Nitrosomas, Beauveria, actinomycetes, compost, compost teas, etc.

7. Crop Protection Aids

Adjuvants- (Nu-Film, Yuccah)
Microbial foods- (sugars, molasses)
Amino acids contain N (sea kelp)
Plant Growth Regulators (sea kelp)- gibberellins, cytokinins
Enzymes – (chitinase, cellulase, protease)
Compost teas

8. Disease Controls
Elementals (Cu, S)
Plant Extracts- Neem oil
Sterilants- (hydrogen peroxide)
Microbial inoculants

9. Invertebrate (insect, mite, mollusk) Controls
Elementals - (B, S)
Microbials (cidals) - (Beauveria, Bacillus, Spinosad)
Predatory, parasitic and parasitoid insects and nematodes
Repellants (garlic, pepper wax)
Irritants – diatoms, kaolinte clays
Plant extract cidals – (neem, limonene, pyrethrum, nicotinics are not organic!!
Narrow range oils
Pheromones

10. Weed Controls
Corn gluten meal (pre-emergent)
Horticultural Vinegar (post-emergent)
Trimethyl glycine (sugar beet extract)
Plant oil extracts (post-emergent)

11. Miscellaneous Plant Extracts
Fragrant oils, fragrances, jasmine oil, odor control
Vertebrate repellants

Who Oversees Approval of Organic Categories?
OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute), Box 11558, Eugene OR, 97440 (phone 541-343-7600; fax 541-343-8971)
www.omri.com

“Organic Rule”
NOP (National Organic Program) of the USDA
NOSB (National Organics Standards Board) 15-member panel, Sec Agric
OFPA (Organic Foods Protection Act of 1990)
NOP’s “List of the Final Rule” = Laundry list of what’s “correct” organically, and what isn’t. NOP has 3 labels…
• “100% Organic”
• “Organic” (ie. 95% organic)
• “Made with Organic Ingredients” (ie. 70% Organic)

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