Whether growing in a single hoop house, or on a hundred acres, you’ve probably heard about regenerative horticulture. Many greenhouse growers are actively implementing regenerative practices, especially those working toward achieving an organic crop certification. For others, the description of regenerative horticulture or biologically-minded farming feels too close to 'woo woo' practices. “Soil biology? Come on.”
More research emerges every year that analyzes the benefits of growing crops in a way that supports healthy soil biology. From improved nutrient density, better crop resiliency, and even increases in ROI, regenerative practices are better for your crop and for the planet!
What is Regenerative Horticulture?
Regenerative horticulture, put simply, is growing crops in a way that gives back to the soil you’re growing in, rather than just taking out. It involves returning carbon, organic matter, and microbes to your growing system, and mindfully selecting amendments and cultivation methods that have a net positive impact on your soil ecosystem. More than simply a holistic practice, regenerative horticulture has shown consistent and significant effects on crop quality, fertility efficiency, and year-over-year improvements to yield and profit. It is often associated with practices such as no-till or low-till farming, crop rotation, and cover cropping. There are many ways to incorporate regenerative ideals into conventional systems.
What are the Benefits of Regenerative Horticulture?
It’s all about soil health! When your soil is healthy, so are your crops. Regenerative Horticulture improves your soil for the long term by nurturing microbiology and good bacteria, meaning improved crop health and resiliency as well as increases in yield year-over-year. Healthy soil can also pull carbon out of the atmosphere to be stored as organic matter, benefiting the environment around it. Crop resilience is another of the biggest benefits. As your soil becomes healthier, your crops can utilize those microbes and bacteria to build resiliency to pests, diseases, and extreme weather.
- Crop Yield
- Crop Resiliency
- Carbon Sequestration
How to Incorporate Regenerative Growing into Your Greenhouse?
Greenhouses are designed to exist as a semi-enclosed growing system. Though some are grown directly in the ground, or in raised garden beds, many greenhouses consist of rows of containers filled with high-quality soil or growing media. A key component of regenerative horticulture is the element of ‘giving back’ to your surrounding environment, especially the soil. However, there are regenerative principles that greenhouses can employ to improve plant productivity and sustainability.
Cover cropping can return nutrients to soils, even in containers. In agricultural operations, cover crops preserve the soil in between primary crops; they supply root exudates to feed microbes and create plant residue that can revive the soil’s organic matter. Though cover crops are less common in greenhouse spaces where the soil is almost always producing, nitrogen fixers like peas, beans, and clover, are relied on as companion plantings to improve nitrogen content. In between primary plantings, cover crops can be used in greenhouses to keep the soil active and alive.
Water recycling is becoming more common for greenhouses, as it not only reduces water waste but can lower water bills and overall energy costs for greenhouses. From collecting rainwater, limiting runoff, and even preserving water used to clean crops, there are easy ways to close the loop on water use. This water can easily be run through a filter and redistributed through your existing irrigation system, or simply stored for your next watering.
The soil amendments you use also impact your overall soil productivity. Synthetic fertilizers are not designed to feed soil microbes or reinforce existing populations, meaning that they will rely on the effectiveness of existing soil microbes to make nutrients available. Many synthetic fertilizers are salt based, meaning they are very water-soluble and can easily penetrate the soil. Over time, excessive build-up of salt residues can destroy microbial populations, and make the growing space uninhabitable to crops. By using amendments that support the microbes in your soil, you can protect the network of microorganisms that allow for healthy plant growth. This not only allows for healthier plant growth, but it reinforces long-term soil health, even if you still rely on synthetic fertilizers to provide plants with a quick boost of nutrients.
So, what can you use? Compost is the first thing many people think of when “organic” comes to mind, and is effective in both indoor and outdoor growing spaces. For greenhouses where crops are grown directly in soil or raised beds, compost can be applied in a layer over the top of your growing space. Compost can also be mixed into soil blends for container growing. This will refresh microbes and organic matter adding nutrients to soil blends. A liquid biological is also an excellent companion for any nutrient program because they are easy to apply and offer a host of benefits. BIOACTIVE LiquiLife™ and our BIOACTIVE Liquid Supercharger™ are a powerful pair of companion products that supply microbes and nutrients to your soil and can make the nutrients you’ve applied more available to plants. Get more out of what you apply, while still using less!
Regenerative practices are transforming the landscape across horticultural industries. Some may decide to take the plunge and go fully organic, others just want to use regenerative methods for better results; focusing on soil health and microbiology is proven to create better produce and give back to the planet, no matter how you grow. For questions on how regenerative practices might benefit your greenhouse, talk to our experts!