How does soil health suffer?
Many growers will observe that their “tried and true” conventional fertility program can start to fail over time. In many cases, the problem isn’t the crop or the fertilizer, it’s in your soil.
Soil Health Breakdown
When we talk about soil health, we’re not just talking about how healthy a crop you can grow; we’re literally referring to the health and wellness of your soil. Soil is a living ecosystem made up of a complex system of microorganisms, plants, animals, and fungi.
Soil health is somewhat relative depending on your specific biome, but it can be measured with these distinct characteristics:
· Physical Composition (color, structure, drainage, and percentage of loam, clay, silt, organic matter, and sand)
· Chemical Make-up (pH, nutrient content)
· Biological Activity and Diversity (Microbial activity and diversity, presence of insects and invertebrates, native plant diversity)
Healthy soil that is prime for cultivation will typically be dark in color, have a balanced composition, be rich in organic matter, and have the appropriate pH for the crops you’re looking to cultivate.
Organic Matter is the Key to Soil Longevity
Increasing organic matter in the soil is the first thing many growers turn to in order to improve their soil health. This is an excellent choice!
Organic matter in soil is a key indicator of a sustainable soil system that can support healthy plant development season after season. It not only promotes nutrient cycling and microbial diversity, but improves soil structure. You can learn more about organic matter from our blog: Why Organic Matter Matters
A couple of ways to increase organic matter include adding compost and utilizing a broad-spectrum biological to infuse healthy bacteria back into the soil to help with residue breakdown.
Enhancing Microbial Activity
Microbes are a critical component to healthy crops because they work in your soil to deliver nutrients to plants. When your plants need nutrients from the soil, microbes are responsible for converting those nutrients into a bioavailable form where they can then be taken in by the plant. Microbes also participate in modes of action.
- Bio-sanitation
- Competitive exclusion
- Residue breakdown
- Improved resource efficiency
Microbes work directly with a plant’s root systems to help them grow stronger and support more lasting growth. By improving nutrient uptake, the plant can utilize the resources with the soil more efficiently. Not only are the roots directly affected, but the structure of the soil as well. Microbes feed directly off of the soil and the decomposing matter within it, creating a healthier growing material little by little. Soil structure matters greatly as it directly affects your soil’s ability to move and retain water.
As the microbes in your soil consume the nutrients and plant materials around them, it makes those resources more readily available for the plant’s roots. The stronger and healthier the microbes, the more resources and the more efficiently the plant can utilize them.
Because microbes are so critical to plant and soil health, taking steps to improve microbial populations will naturally improve the overall quality.
Keeping Your Soil Alive and Thriving
Your soil health at the end of the season is as important as the quality of your harvest. There are many ways you can think ahead when planning out this season:
Native soil environments have plants growing throughout the season, and soil doesn’t go bare. Cover crops are a great way to get an extra harvest out of your season and can maintain soil productivity during the off season.
Regular compost applications are an easy way to improve soil texture and quality while supplementing your existing microbial populations. You can also apply liquid biologicals to support nutrient uptake and residue management.
Though liquid biologicals don’t specifically add organic matter to soil, they facilitate plant matter breakdown and incorporation, which can increase organic matter concentration over time.
Here’s a secret: organic amendments aren’t just for organic growers. Many large-scale farmers have shifted their conventional fertility programs to include biology and are seeing cost savings AND improvements to their return on investment. Check out this trial with AgriTech from Whitewater, WI, for more information on how biologicals can improve your return on investment! These benefits translate to a smaller horticultural scale, along with being able to provide more curated care to each plant.
If you’re working to improve your harvest this season, start with improving your soil. Reach out to our experts to learn how to get back to basics for better soil health.