mens trunks with organic cotton laying next to them.

ORGANIC COTTON FARMING

Jun 01, 2022Tammy Devenish

ORGANIC COTTON FARMING 

At Reer Endz men's underwear HQ we receive a lot of questions about underwear and organic cotton.

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Like how is it different to conventional cotton, why is better for the environment, what's the difference between organic cotton and bamboo underwear and the list goes on.
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We think it's great that so many of you are genuinely curious & it's our job to educate, communicate & share as much information as possible on our blog.
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This helps to provide & validate information to the best of our knowledge and pass that knowledge down so you can have a better understanding of why we do things and the choices we make which then helps you to make better choices for your needs.
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One of the most recent questions was about organic cotton farming, below is a great overview of the process of organic farming.
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Source: Mecilla

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Q: How do organic cotton farming practices differ from conventional?


A: In conventional cotton production, synthetic inputs (such as pesticides and fertilizers) are used to maximize yields and manage pests, weeds and disease. These inputs are prohibited in organic production and, instead, farmers use a variety of natural techniques. These most commonly include, but are by no means limited to; crop rotation, intercropping, minimum tillage, animal and green manures, composting, and biodynamic herbal or mineral powders.
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Q: How do organic cotton farmers manage pests?

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A: Organic farmers use their knowledge of the local ecology to carefully plan their natural pest management strategy. For instance, this might involve the planting of ‘trap’ crops that attract pests away from the main crop, or the application of natural pesticides such as neem. Another method is to promote natural enemies of cotton pests (such as birds, ladybirds, beetles, spiders, parasitic wasps, bugs and ants) by providing suitable habitats for them. Building healthy soil also helps avoid outbreaks of pests or diseases.
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Q:  How do organic cotton farmers manage weeds?

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A: Crop rotation and intercropping are important practices in organic cotton production for many reasons, including the reduction of weeds. Changing the crop grown in each field annually to a crop with a different growth pattern, as well as planting weed-suppressive cover crops instead of leaving the land bare, all help to minimize the build-up of weeds.
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Q: How do organic cotton farmers maintain soil fertility?

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A: There are a number of methods used by organic cotton farmers to improve and maintain soil fertility, including crop rotation, intercropping, vermiculture & liquid manure, cover cropping, animal manure, composting, green (plant) manure, mineral powders, and reduced tillage.
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Q:  What is the growing cycle like for organic cotton?

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A: Below image

Organic cotton farming process


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