Why soil biology matters

We have been taught that an ideal soil PH is between 6.5 and 6.8.  Did you know that annuals require nitrogen in the form of NO 3 (nitrate) and that form of nitrogen is only produced naturally in soil in a PH of 7.0 or higher.  If the soil PH is lower than 7.0 the nitrogen available is in the form of ammonium that is used by perennials, shrubs and trees but not by annuals.  So we add commercials fertilizer and our annual plants grow bigger than when we didn't add any fertilizer.  We are then convinced that the only way to grow plants that look healthy is to add commercial fertilizer. 

How did plants grow and thrive before the advent of commercial fertilizers?  If we believe what the chemical companies tell us about the need for their products, we would have to assume that plants have never in the history of the earth been so beautiful and healthy as they are today.  We know that isn't true, so how does nature work?

The microorganisms that inhabit the soil know how to cycle nitrogen better than any man made product can ever hope to accomplish.  PH becomes a mute point when you allow the microorganisms to do their job.  They control the PH and that will change many times during the coarse of a plant's life.  The plant sends signals through the exudates at the roots what it needs.  If the soil biology is present in sufficient quantities, they react to that signal and produce the nutrients that the plant is asking for.  The plant is supplying the organisms with the sugars that they need for energy to supply the plants with their needs.  It is a relationship that has worked for thousands of years without any help from man. 

So what can we do to restore the life in the soil that we have done such a good job of destroying?  Start by understanding what the effects of each additive or spray we are told to use is to the life in the soil.  When you hold soil in your hand, know that there are millions and millions of life forms working for your benefit in that handful.  They want to do the work that they are designed to do.  I, for one, am happy to stop spending money on something that nature does so much better than man can ever do.

Healthy soil makes healthy plants that make healthy food.