Organic to the Roots
At Hawaiian Organic Noni, it’s more than just about selling an organic product. It traces all the way back to our roots. From the very start we strive to keep everything organic, good for our planet, and good for you! With our organic farming experience going back forty years, the techniques we use ensure that our soil is fertile, healthy, and full of nutrients. One key technique is mulching.
Why Mulching?
Mulching is one of the easiest ways to enrich soil fertility. Mulching essentially imitates the natural cycle of leaves, wood, and other plant matter building up on the ground to cover the soil. It retains moisture and creates an enticing environment for worms, the closest friend for healthy soil! On our organic farm on Kauai we make sure to continually mulch every single noni tree in our orchard. It keeps them growing and healthy, providing the trees with essential nutrients.
Try it in your own garden: Mulch around your plants and trees and you will see the positive results. You can use plant materials from around the yard like leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, even shredded paper and cardboard will work — minus the tape!
What else do you do besides mulching?
Mulching is the primary thing, but underneath our mulch we use a special compost material, and we spray our trees with compost tea.
Another thing you’ll find on our farm is worms. So many you can’t count them! We added worms to our orchard about ten years ago, and the results have been outstanding. Vermiculture is a technique we use for composting, but if there’s one thing that attracts worms, it’s mulch! Earth worms loosen the soil, aerate, and fertilize!
Try this in your own garden: After mulching around all your plants, sit back and wait for the earthworms to come! They are attracted to the plant matter, and it’s a great home for them. (Plus these worms are your best friends when gardening!) You’ll be able to enjoy healthier soil and healthier plants.
Having an all organic farm doesn’t just mean avoiding those nasty chemicals and fertilizers. It’s also about proactively farming with the goal in mind to provide the plants with nutritious natural fertilization, which leads to a more nutritious product in the end. And with organic principles guiding our farming, it’s better for the environment, better for the plants, better for the farming, and better for you!
Actually, as an organic farmer for over 40 years, all we have been doing is mimicking what Nature has been doing for millennia on the forest floor. Leaves fall to the ground creating mulch but also a perfect cool, dark, damp home for earthworms who make topsoil. Mulch and watch the worms come and work for you building healthy soil!
To see how we mulch on the Hawaiian Organic Noni Farm, check out the original blog on our website!
What’s your favorite Noni use? Let us know!
