Dietary Suplements for your soil

Root crops growing on mulched raised beds

 

 

The soils in undisturbed forests have a nutritional advantage over farmed soils. No matter how much biomass they produce and no matter how much they are washed by heavy rains, these soils hold their weight and even get healthier with use. That is not true of the condition of farm soils. It seems that farmers usually put their soils on weight loss regimens and take the wrong action when they suffer from nutritional disorders.

 

Soils need minerals in their diets just like humans. Farmers seem to understand that. But, like humans, in order to stay healthy, soils also need Carbohydrates; energy. When the Carbohydrates in crop residues and weeds is withheld from the soil, the essential soil microbes that depend on that energy, starve. The soil deteriorates to become lifeless dirt. If the biomass is hauled off or burned or even if it is composted, essential energy is lost.

 

There is a “new” system of farming that, in one way, mimics forest soil management in which the soil is never opened, called no till. But, although the biomass is left on the soil surface, the similarity stops there. Because this type of farming is dependent on the use of toxic chemicals that kill weeds and bacteria and all the organisms, including earthworms, which are dependent on healthy bacterial communities in their digestive tracts. 

 

Forests have healthy soils with thriving, diverse communities of microorganisms. Farm soils should have the same healthy soils, but, they don’t. Even most organically farmed soils struggle to maintain their microbial communities intact. Those soils that don’t struggle have organic matter being imported from outside. When all of the organic residues are left on the soil surface as mulch and allowed to decompose naturally, soils regain their health.

 

It is the soil, mulch interface is where most decomposition takes place and, given a healthy community of earthworms, the part that is decomposing is quickly ingested and carried into the soil. One of the results of this is that there is little loss of energy and little emission of greenhouse gasses from the biomass. The other result is that the soil microbial community is well fed and able to supply all of the important services that are needed by the plants.

 

Earthworms provide the only appropriate way of incorporating organic matter into the soil and they work for free. There is no turning involved. There is no need to transport heavy loads of compost or to till it into the soil. It is less work for the producer, requires less energy, drastically reduces atmospheric pollution and salvages the vast majority of the energy in the biomass for the. It also feeds the soil a proper diet of minerals and Carbs.

 

The organic mulch protects for the soil from the erosive and compactive force of rain, the erosive and drying force of the wind and from the drying and heating effects of solar radiation. Under the mulch, the soil is cool, moist and retains an open texture which allows for the free flow of air and water. This cool moist environment provides the conditions that beneficial microorganisms need and nothing needs to be purchased or imported.

 

The mulch also breaks up rain drops so that they softly enter the soil instead of compacting and eroding it. It also prevents the raindrops from causing the explosions of soil and water that deposit fungal spores on the leaves of the plants. If you want to rid your crops of anthracnose fruit rot; mulch. If you want to fertilize your crops; mulch. If you want better soil drainage: mulch, etc. I think you see how to provide good health to your soil.