Natural, diverse soil is a living being. It moves slowly and constantly changes, growing and changing as it goes. Like other living things like plants, the soil is a living thing that breathes and needs water to stay healthy.
All life on this planet relies on healthy soil. However, only 10% is dirt. Topsoil is the layer where most of our food plants grow. It is normally around 10 inches thick.
Although plants can absorb nutrients from potting earth, they will thrive when placed in a rich soil system. If you want healthy plants, then it may be worth growing them outside. There, they will have direct access to the nutrients created by microorganisms in natural soil.
Living soiland how to make it at home is essential for anyone who grows plants.
What’s Living Soil?
In a nutshell, living soil refers to the multitude of beneficial microorganisms present in our soil. All work together to produce the most healthy and nutritious environment possible for our plants, whether they are homegrown or natural.
It is difficult to understand soil life. It is a complex combination of organic Matter (minerals, gasses, and organisms). All soil begins in a mineral mixture. These minerals are then supplemented by the byproducts, such as growth, life, and decay, found in nature. This creates complex environments full of nutrients that plants need.
Plants are often viewed as having all the resources they need, including sunlight, water, and dirt. However, it is important to understand that dirt is complicated. Evolution has created a complex and fascinating symbiotic partnership between plants and soil microbial organisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and bacteria.
These organisms are essential for the plant’s nutrition. They convert organic Matter to plant-useable nutrients, and then the plants get their food back from the roots.
The soil in which plants live is also alive. The soil and the plant share a relationship. They exchange nutrients for encouraging ideal plant growth.
What Are the Essential Ingredients of Living Soil?
All soil is made from the same general material. The soil of every country is rich in minerals, organic matter, microorganisms, and organisms.
Because of the differences in these components, some soil is more fertile than others. Let’s consider two soil types we most often see in our garden.
Clay Soil
Clay soils can be one of the most nutritious soil types. Like all other natural resources, clay soils have a lot to offer. It’s difficult. Clay soil is very versatile and rich in nutrients. However, it is heavy and retains moisture well. Heavy rainfall areas can lead to clay soil becoming waterlogged.
It can also be dense, meaning it may often have a lower oxygen level. This can slow the growth of our plants and make the root systems more difficult to locate what they need.
Sandy Soil
Sandy soils can be used as a garden soil alternative to clay. These soils tend to have lower levels of nutrients than clay-type soils. Also, because it is warm and quick-draining, it can dry very quickly in the summer months.
Sandy soils tend not to provide a healthy environment for plants. Therefore, it is common that we have to use alternative methods to grow plants.
