A healthy garden relies on a rich, living soil ecosystem. This ecosystem is full of microorganisms that promote ideal plant growth and prevent disease.
This book explores organic techniques, including turning over beds, using compost and mulch, planting diverse polycultures, and more. It also focuses on understanding and promoting the health of the soil food web.
1. Better Water Retention and Drainage
The microorganisms found in living soil decompose organic matter and cycle nutrients, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and promoting a more sustainable gardening practice. This is because soil that has a healthy microorganism population is able to retain moisture, making it easier for plant roots to absorb vital nutrients and minerals.
A combination of natural materials such as compost, coco coir, peat moss, manure, worm castings and aged tree bark can be used to make a living soil. They are enriched with organic soil amendments that are naturally full of beneficial microorganisms and can be inoculated with microbial inoculants like Oregonism XL to give it an extra boost of microorganisms to accelerate the breakdown of organic material.
Microorganisms such as bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi break down organic material and turn it into food for plants. They also help keep the nutrient rich topsoil loose and work to improve water retention, drainage and aeration. They also help protect plants from harmful pathogens.
Another important group of microorganisms are the nematodes, earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi that help to control pests and disease in plants by out-competing them for resources and releasing microbial metabolites such as proteins, polysaccharides, vitamins, bacteriocins and hormones. These natural biological controls help to increase crop yields while minimizing the need for toxic chemical pesticides.
Soil rich in organic matter helps to suppress soil-borne diseases. This is because the healthy microbial community and diverse array of organisms help to reduce the growth of disease-causing microorganisms, thus eliminating their ability to infect plants and preventing them from spreading. This biological control mechanism is essential to a healthy garden ecosystem. The biodiversity in living soil also allows plants to better resist the attack of parasitic insects.
2. More Nutrients
Soils that are alive with beneficial microorganisms, like fungi and bacteria, support healthy, ideal plant growth, and teach you how to make the move to larger fabric pot. The best way to build up living soil is through organic practices, such as adding compost, cover cropping, mulching, and eliminating chemical fertilizers. Although cheap synthetic fertilizers may invigorate plants and crops in the short-term, they strip soil of vitality and pollute our waterways in the long-run.
The microorganisms in living soil help decompose organic matter and make crucial nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, available to plants. This process is called nutrient cycling and greatly reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers and promotes a more sustainable gardening practice.
In addition to their nutrient-boosting role, microorganisms help improve soil structure and drainage. This is especially important in container or pot gardens, as it helps to prevent waterlogging and ensures proper drainage. They also produce sticky secretions that bond soil particles together, which makes the texture of living soil softer and more porous.
To maximize the benefits of living soil, try to intersperse perennial flowers and herbs with your annual plantings. This allows the mycorrhizal fungi and bacterial networks that develop between perennials to spread into the annual garden each year, making it easier for plants to get the nutrients they need.
When using a commercial soil, it’s important to check for the presence of these organisms. Many conventional soils are sterilized, which kills the microorganisms that are essential to a rich, living ecosystem. EarthMix soil blends are never sterilized and use proven recipes to create a growing medium that fosters healthy microbial growth. This is why we call our soils “living” and it’s what sets us apart from the rest.
3. Better Pest Control
In living soil, microorganisms decompose organic matter, fixing nitrogen for plants, releasing essential phosphorous and potassium. This process is known as nutrient cycling, and it reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, promoting sustainable gardening practices.
Living soil also helps suppress soil-borne diseases. Beneficial bacteria and fungi outcompete harmful pathogens for resources, limiting their ability to infect plants. The complex microbial communities in living soil also help maintain proper aeration. Aeration improves root growth, allowing roots to access oxygen for respiration and nutrient uptake. This makes for healthier plants that are more resistant to disease and pest invasions.
Healthy plants are more resilient against stress and pest pressure than stressed or sickly ones. By focusing on soil health, encouraging beneficial insects and making sure to harvest fruits, seeds and pods before the pests arrive, gardeners can minimize the need for chemical insecticides.
For example, pheromone traps can be used to attract ladybugs and other beneficial insects that prey on aphids and Japanese beetles. Likewise, poultry such as chickens, ducks and guinea fowl can be enlisted to feed on cutworms. Other natural methods include planting and encouraging nearby companion plants, using nematodes to control grubs and applying diatomaceous earth (DE) to the garden.
The goal should always be to minimize the use of chemicals as much as possible. In addition to growing healthy plants, gardeners can reduce the amount of chemicals they apply by avoiding tilling and compacting the soil, using no-till methods, avoiding chemical fertilizers and herbicides, and using organic compost and rock dust instead of conventional or chemically produced inputs like pumice and energy-intensive perlite. Avoiding fake organic inputs is also important, as these can contain non-organic and even toxic ingredients that pass labeling standards.
4. Enhanced Biodiversity
We often think of soil as inert dirt, but it’s much more than that. It is a living ecosystem, teeming with beneficial microorganisms and organisms that work together to promote healthy ideal plant growth. This web of life is essential to the long-term health of the soil. A single teaspoon of soil can contain up to a billion bacteria, yards of fungi filaments, and scores of nematodes, protozoa, and more. This community of organisms helps forge pathways that allow plants to make the most of the chemical and mineral components found deep underground.
Living soil excels at nutrient cycling, the process by which organic matter is decomposed and converted into nutrients that are available to plants. Soil organisms, including fungi and bacteria, break down organic matter and release nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium into a form that can be used by plants. This natural process reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers and contributes to a more sustainable gardening practice.
Another way living soil is more sustainable is through its ability to suppress diseases, retain and drain water, and maintain proper aeration. This is made possible by the activity of a wide array of organisms, including earthworms, which create channels and pores in the soil to improve air circulation and aeration. This helps roots access oxygen, allowing them to respire and take up nutrients more easily.
By encouraging biodiversity, avoiding chemical inputs, and inoculating the soil with beneficial insects and microorganisms (like mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria), gardeners can enhance the efficiency of their growing practices and support a more resilient and robust living soil ecosystem. These thriving environments are an indispensable part of a successful and nourishing garden.
5. More Sustainable
Once soil is healthy, microorganisms begin releasing bio-available nutrients to plants. This allows for better plant growth and reduced dependency on chemical inputs.
The biodiversity of living soil is also key to fostering more sustainable gardening practices. Beneficial bacteria and fungi help suppress disease-causing pathogens, which reduces the need for chemical pesticides. Living soil also excels at nutrient cycling and enhances water retention and drainage, which minimizes irrigation needs.
It’s important to note that these benefits of living soil are only realized when gardeners adopt holistic management techniques. These include ditching the tiller, using compost and mulches, growing cover crops and using non-synthetic fertilizers like mushroom compost, leaf mold, worm castings and neem oil. This helps reduce weeds, prevents soil erosion and increases the amount of carbon in the soil.
Ideally, gardening practices should be as close to nature as possible to mimic the natural ecosystem that exists below ground. This will result in a higher quality of food and a lower environmental impact.
Embracing these practices is easy once you understand that soil is more than dirt. It’s a dynamic ecosystem teeming with life, and when nurtured correctly, it will provide you with the best possible results for your garden. Living soil excels at nutrient cycling, disease suppression, and water retention and drainage, all of which lead to a healthier garden and more sustainable practices for the future. By investing in this approach, you can look forward to lush crops and a more resilient garden that will thrive regardless of the conditions. By starting today, you can reap the rewards for years to come.