Creating a healthy organic garden is easier than you think. It all starts with the soil. As a gardener or farmer your goal is healthy plants that yield plentiful of flowers, fruits and vegetables. Your first priority should be the soil, it is the key ingredient to a thriving garden.
Plants receive their nutrients from the soil. They are dependent on a soil full of microorganisms such as nematodes, bacteria, fungi, and even worms. Each of these plays an important role in the ecosystem of the soil. For instance, some fungus and bacteria are responsible for taking nutrients to the plant’s roots. While certain fungus makes it easier for the plants to reach vital nutrients and water by extending their roots.
Since plants are dependent on the soil for food, if you have well nourished and healthy soil, you will have thriving plants. Adding amendments like kelp, fish emulsion, and black worm castings, attract fungus and bacteria.
Keep in mind, adding synthetic fertilizers can easily kill the good fungus and bacteria, while encouraging pathogenic activity that cause diseases. The quick fix of chemicals and artificial fertilizers disrupts the soil food web and creates a dependency on more and more synthetic fertilizers. Diseased plants usually, indicates an issue with the soil.
Healthy soil tends to have more soil organisms and organic matter, which improves nutrient availability, water retention, aeration, and soil structure, promoting soil fertility and reducing the need for irrigation.
Black worm castings contain an incredibly high concentrated amounts of bacteria and fungus, vital for healthy soil. In just one cubic inch of worm castings there are over 1.5 billion bacteria and fungus. Scientific research has shown black castings is benefiting people in science, soil remediation, medicine and plant stimulation. Even will all of todays modern advances, science cannot culture everything found in worm castings.
Microorganisms have been depleted from most of our soil through the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Our soil is a breathing, living and digesting organism whose health depends on the population of microorganism.