Plants are depending organisms. They need all those tiny critters in the soil, worms, fungi, protozoans, bacteria, micro arthropods, nematodes, and many more! Though we have just begun to understand all the life forms that sustain healthy plants, we do know applying inorganic or synthetic fertilizers may give your plants a shot of food, but it is also killing many of those beneficial critters in the soil. In fact, continual use of synthetic fertilizers end up poisoning our waterways, drinking water and food. Inevitably, leaving the soil a useless barren plot.
So, how do plants naturally get all the nutrients they need? Dr. Andrew Weil explains in ‘Feed the Soil, Not the Plant’:
In a natural, healthy soil lives a universe of critters eating and excreting. Bacteria eat fungi, fungi eat bacteria, nematodes eat fungi, fungi eat nematodes, worms eat more or less everything, and all of them excrete. Or if not fully consumed, their bodies lay there, caches of nutrients for the taking. Plants are part of this process. Roots actually exude materials that attract fungus and bacteria to gather where they are, so that they can take advantage of this game, too. Some bacteria and fungus actually directly feed plants in exchange for food the plant provides. Fungus can even extend the roots of the plants, growing from the tips out, further into the soil helping the plant find more water and nutrients.
So the operative activity for gardeners should not be “feeding plants,” but rather encouraging a healthy soil ecosystem in which plants will naturally thrive, and play a part in maintaining these cycles.
A good place to start creating healthy soil is with organic black worm castings and VermaPlex. These products help the soil regulate itself, feed plants without burning them, and also reduce dependence on traditional fertilizers.