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How Do I Increase Soil Fertility?
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Soil fertility is the most important consideration for organic gardeners. It is the foundation on which all your labors and investment rests yet it is forgotten by most well intentioned gardeners.
So, what is fertile soil? At it's most basic definition, it is life sustaining. It has a balanced chemistry of basic elements with abundant levels of organic matter. It has Humus which is comprised of Humic and Fulvic Acid. It is populated with diverse micro-organisms such as fungi, bacteria, nematodes, protozoa, trace minerals and earth worms. This is the foundation of organic gardening.
Years ago, I remember seeing a depiction of the cycle of life in a fifth grade Earth Sciences textbook It showed how everything comes up from the earth and eventually it all returns back to where it came. I think we all can remember seeing this at some point. The sad thing is that we have largely forgotten it. Land development, tillage and chemical applications have destroyed this vital natural resource.
The good news is we you can do something about it! Let's start with a simple
Soil Test
to determine what the current levels are. Your results will tell you what needs to be added as well as how much.
The two most frequent problems are improper pH levels for the intended crop and insufficient levels of organic matter. Research has shown that up to ninety eight percent of your plants growth comes directly as a result of available organic matter (i.e., compost) available in the soil, you can easily understand how important this is. Low pH levels inhibit the absorption of fertilizer and the plants can literally starve to death despite furtive efforts.
"Modern Farming Methods" are not sustainable. These methods destroy the very micro-organisms needed to grow healthy crops. We take from the earth and yet we largely neglect putting anything back and when we do it is usually a synthetic chemical. Guess who is eating these chemically treated, nutritionally vacuous foods? I’ve said for years that “what you're growing - can’t be any more healthy than the what it is being grown in.” However, it is Baron Justus Von Liebig credited with the discovery what is now known as the ‘Law of Minimums.’ Liebig proved that soil having a deficiency in any one element would result in deficient growth, even if the other elements are in abundant supply.
It’s all about balance. Once you get a grasp of this, you can amend your with trace minerals and elements that you want in your diet and eliminate the chemical compounds that you don't want. Start by adding a good quality compost. To wrap it all up you can inoculate your garden with Mycorrhizal Fungi. Remember, Organic Gardening Is A Process. Not an Event!
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