Donna Aron of Keene, owner and sole operator, has launched a new business enterprise called Organic Plant Care. Aron is presently the first and only person who possesses a certificate from the State of New Hampshire's Department of Agriculture stating that she is "organically certified."

To further explain the significance of this document, Aron, whose great concern for the environment was her prime motivation, said that she first received a pesticide license also issued by the State. "I had to study manuals selected by the University of New Hampshire and then go to Concord to be examined on the manuals' contents." Then she said that Vicki Smith of the Department of Agriculture came to her business office and inspected all the fertilizer and pesticide products Aron would use in plant care. Following Smith's approval, Aron was given her organic certification which must be renewed annually.

Organic Plant Care offers weekly indoor plant care using organic pesticides and fertilizers composed of liquid fish emulsion and seaweed which builds fertile soil, bone meal, powdered kelp, cottonseed meal, herb teas and such products as Pro-Mix and Squantos Secret. Safer's Plant Soap is used as a pesticide. All these organic materials create, as Aron stated, "healthy and stable plants and strengthens them against diseases."

Although Organic Plant Care has only recently debuted, it already numbers among its clients Days Inn, Ramada Inn of Keene, Keene Country Club and Curren Fosket & Co. Aron will give estimates (which are free), consultations, and prepare interior plant designs. Her clients' plants are also cared for weekly on a regular schedule. Her goal is, she said, to persuade as many people as possible to switch to organic care as soon as possible because "it is safer for us all."

As long as she can remember Aron has loved and cultivated all varieties of plants and she numbers five years hands-on experience working for Dunbar's Floral Shops and Greenhouses in North Swanzey.

Like numerous other people today, Aron believes that it is essential to promote a non-toxic environment for plant growth and health by eliminating chemical fertilizers and pesticides. "Chemicals," she said, "are nothing but a quick fix and what remains after the application of these products is a salty residue." Comparing the ill effects of chemicals on either humans or plants, she said, "We would never eat just chemicals, would we? Nature doesn't provide chemicals for plants to eat either." Chemical fertilizers, she explained further, can prevent some plants from consuming the proper nutrients and make them more vulnerable to disease while destroying beneficial micro-organisms.

Organic Plant Care offers service to both commercial and residential customers. Anyone interested in learning more about the advantages of plant growth and care on a strictly organic diet can call Aron at (603)352-8136. Organic Plant Care is located in Keene, NH.

The Keene Business Journal Staff