The Trouble with Organic

I declare on this the fifth day of September Two Thousand and Twelve that 

I DON'T LIKE ORGANIC.

Now if that doesn't get someones attention I don't know what will.  Though I guess I could use the word hate, but in my house we don't use the word hate.

So now that I have your attention, what the heck is it that I mean.  Well it is quite simple really, organic in the horticultural soil world can mean a few different things depending on context that many don't have a good handle on.  So I have decided to define each of those meanings hear to help clear up some of the confusion.

Organic Definition #1 
The commerce one
The federal government including the USDA, FTC and probably a few other agency's have a very specific definition of what can be called organic and what can not.  The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) (http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop) creates criteria for what can be called "organic" in commerce.  This is what we all know and love when we talk about buying organic soap and tomatoes.  Interestingly, soils, composts and fertilizers used to grow organic vegetables themselves are not eligible for the term organic.  They can however be listed under the organic materials research institute (OMRI) which is a third party list of brand name materials allowable by NOP.

The aim of the program was to create order from chaos so consumers would know what organic meant.  For the most part something can't be sold as organic unless if falls under the production regulations laid out in the NOP.  So if you are at your grocery store or Walmart and see the word "organic" on the label you can be assured that it means something specific, unlike deceptive terms like "less fat."  Certainly there are those that are critical of the NOP and say it doesn't follow the original spirit of the movement, or that organic items don't live up to the hype of being healthier or better for you, but that is a conversation for another day.

Regardless of the pros or cons, the term organic printed on food or other agricultural products has a very specific definition backed by law.


Organic Definition #2
The scientific one
As you might imagine, science and commerce don't always see eye to eye.  When discussing organic matter we are looking at the molecular level for our definition.  Carbon based compounds are organic.  Organic chemistry, which I some how survived in college, is all about these carbon compounds.  Cells, oil, proteins, methane are all composed of organic molecules..

In soil science we classify organic matter as the stuff that burns.  Soils are separated into the organic fraction and the mineral fraction.

Organic matter then can be additionally fractionated into humic and fluvic acids among other things.  There is a whole field of research on soil organic matter, it is quite interesting. I have a great book on it if you want to borrow it some time. 

(Humus Chemistry genesis, composition, reactions by F.J. Stevenson)  
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Organic matter is burned off at somewhere between 350-550 degrees Celsius depending on the method used. So we are left with a percentage organic and mineral by weight.  Soil for instance may have an organic matter content of 4% where a compost might be 35-60%.

The weight concept is an important distinction when adding materials together as demonstrated below:

Top soil  weighs 100 lbs, organic matter 4% means 4lbs of organic matter.
Compost weighs 50 lbs, organic matter 40% means 20lbs of organic matter
Added together 150 lbs, 24 lbs organic matter and therefore 16% organic matter.
Also note this is based off dry weight, not wet weight.

So in soils science, organic is a distinction between mineral and organic fraction.

Organic Definition #3
The one that causes all the problems.

When a gardener thinks about putting organic matter into their garden, the first thing they think of is compost, peat, worm castings, or some other organic material.  There is a distinction between what is organic and what is not, but it is not very clear.  Is it something natural, not man made?  Well if that was the case then sand and limestone would be organic, and that isn't right.  You could say that you need something that will contribute organic matter to the soils, but topsoil can contribute organic matter, so that can't be it either.  Maybe having a high organic matter content would work, but then what does "high" mean?  4% is twice as much as 2%.  It took me a while to classify this one, and here it goes:

The "garden" definition of organic is material that is derived from or made up of living or once living organisms.  It is also preferable that the material be somewhat stable in regards to decomposition to benefit plant growth.
Composted leave or manure, bark, peat, and rice hulls are in, sand, topsoil, perlite and lime are out. While that's not perfect it seems to do the job.

Chelsea Flower Show 2002
I like to add archive photos to add some visual appeal.

So here are all three put together.
You are amending a vegetable bed to produce organic spinach using compost as an organic material that has 50% organic matter.
or
In regards to a mix that contains compost, peat and pine bark.
Question:  Is your media 100% organic?
Answer: No,No and Yes
#1-No my mix is not certified organic as that is not allowable under the NOP.  However it is usable by producers growing under NOP regulations.
#2-No my mix is not 100% organic matter as the compost is 40%OM, peat 90%OM and Pine Bark is 85%OM.
#3- Yes, my mix is made up of material that was once living and for good horticultural result, the material used is in stable state of decay that won't negatively effect plant growth.

Now hopefully you see my dilemma and why I just don't like the term organic.

Always at your service,
Your Horticulturist.

Have a topic you are curious about, let me know and if I don't know or can't find out I may be able to make something up that sounds good.