Hi Pat
I'm sorry to hear about the hurricane; I imagine it blew a lot of everything out. I applaud you trying to be as organic as possible, and I hope you'll decide to get that balanced with your nursery again!
Does your note here mean you are thinking about replacing the chemical rust sprays you've mentioned with safer materials? I'm finding that it is so easy to learn about affordable organic alternatives just by searching the lists of approved products at the Organic Materials Review Institute:
http://www.omri.org/omri-lists
They do mention that some products are only approved for use, and considered organic, when verified with information about the soil it would be used on ... "May be used as a plant or soil amendment only with a documented soil deficiency for magnesium." for Epsom Salts, as one mineral example (Magnesium Sulfate – synthetic). Did you get your soil checked out and find that it has low magnesium? I can imagine that a hurricane might impact the soil quite a lot.
Organic and Near-Organic Daylilies is a discussion thread for those interested in learning more and sharing their helpful experiences about becoming more organic. I'm glad to see you may have changed your mind about using toxic chemical in your farm! I'm sure you would be an inspiration to others if that is the case.
