In my last post I talked about my #1 garden fundamental— planting the right plant in the right place!
My #2 gardening fundamental is feeding the soil! This is so crucial— fundamental to organic gardening! As you’ll see, it’s all a circle— so what you call #1 or #2 is debatable. But we’ll get to that!
What do I mean by ‘feeding’ the soil? My gardening friends and I have been talking about livestock— but NOT the four-legged kind! We’ve been talking about the livestock in your soil!
Yes! The soil is TEEMING with life! There’s as much life below ground as there is above ground!
This soil life includes billions of microorganisms— assuming the soil hasn’t been desiccated with salts from overuse of synthetic fertilizers; or with pesticides from efforts to ward off diseases and pest! (These inputs disrupt and kill the life in the soil-- protecting soil microbes from destruction is a baseline!)
Turns out this ‘livestock’ is very valuable. They have a mutually beneficial arrangement with plants!!
Get this— a WIN-WIN Relationship!
Plants exude a combination of simple sugars, proteins, and carbohydrates, called exudates, through their roots to FEED these microbes. The microbes feed on the exudates and multiply-- rapidly! Then the microbes literally go to work to break down the soil particles. They turn the nutrients the soil contains into a form that is now ‘bio-available’ to the plants— a form the plants can actually use!
The plants feed the microbes and the microbes in turn feed the plants! Nutrient cycling— a win-win relationship! It’s called…
The Soil Food Web
The Soil Food Web is an intricate network of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes— all working like an extension of the plant’s roots. In effect what the plant’s roots are doing is providing microbes with a free buffet— literally! The microbes gorge on the buffet and then multiply very rapidly, building a network that extends far beyond the reach of the plant's actual roots.
This network— this extension of the plant’s roots— in turn feeds the plant with an abundance of balanced soil nutrients; nutrients that are bound to soil particles, readily available right there in the root zone, and these nutrients are not prone to leaching.
'Organic’ vs. ‘Synthetic’
The advantages of this organic method of feeding plants cannot be overstated. Synthetic fertilizers are typically salt-based compounds that deliver nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK fertilizer). The nutrients become available as the particles dissolve and the now-liquid nutrients come in contact with the roots of the plant.
While this has been a long-standing method of quickly delivering the major nutrients required for plant growth, it has some very real drawbacks. You can think of this as the equivalent of eating a lot of junk food and carbs in your own diet— it delivers quick energy but is not necessarily a balanced diet. There’s a myriad of ‘trace’ elements that are essential for healthy plant growth, just as they are for human health.
Another drawback is that whatever isn’t taken up by the plants is prone to leaching out of the root zone. In its dissolved form it trickles down past the roots or gets washed away with the rain. It’s wasted— and literally become ‘waste’ as it 'runs off.'
This runoff trashes our environment as it runs into our waterways, causing algae blooms in our streams, rivers, and lakes. Ever had your swimsuit turn ‘green’ with algae?
It eventually ends up in our oceans, resulting in hypoxic zones and the death of aquatic life. And the salts left behind adversely affect the very soil microorganisms that provide the ‘organic’ alternative.
Improve Your Soil-- for Free!
We can enhance and improve the soil food web with a steady supply of organic matter-- compost, mulch, shredded leaves, or aged manure. This organic matter helps to diversify the types of microbes that are present in the soil— so they’re there in sufficient numbers ready to respond to the plant roots when they exude their exudates.
This healthy growing environment will maximize your garden’s return on investment-- without spending more money on inputs. You feed the soil an abundance of healthy organic matter, rich with a diversity of microbial life, and this soil life will feed the plants.
Feeding the soil’s ‘livestock’ and making sure not to disrupt this health microbiome is the most cost effective way to promote plant growth! Maintaining a healthy soil food web will maintain and improve the soil for free!
Here’s to healthy soils, healthy microbiomes, healthy plants, healthy gardens, healthy produce, healthy food, healthy people with healthy microbiomes. It’s all connected! It’s all a circle! 😉
Your garden coach,
Theresa
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