BEGINING TO UNDERSTAND ORGANIC SOIL

This post will contain ramblings in an effort to simplify the organic mumbo jumbo we all read and sometimes utter to the confusion of those just starting to understand the organic principles.

Soil in America from sea to shining sea was at one time many years ago healthy and would grow nearly anything that was known as plant life. Over the years man, you and I, have plowed, bulldozed and broken the rules of nature to arrive at where we are now. Very little soil that we live on and play on is anywhere near what it was eons ago. In the process we have failed to return that which maintains the soil to the soil. Generally our choice has been to use the chemicals produced to keep the bomb and munitions factories in production. These chemicals will grow plants for sure but they oppose healthy soil by making it worse. Plants try to adjust to it but in the process become dependent on the chemicals. The biology of the soil suffers for and because of these man made chemicals. The foundation and building junk around our homes likewise was loaded and remains loaded with fill that never was intended to go into any healthy soil. It is sometimes amazing to me to see foundation beds and plantings recover and grow most plants if not perfect in a satisfactory manor. So consider your soil as sick trying to recover to some state of healthy. This is where we are today in a general sense.

Good grief! What to do? First begin a program of adding compost or the elements of compost to your soil while reducing the use of harsh chemicals. This could be as simple as tossing a cup of coffee grounds on a rose bed and invite your native worms to come see. They will eat the coffee grounds and leave casts....the most complete natural fertilizer known to man. Second look around your property. A lot of the organic leaves, plants and even small tree waste is often being sent to the landfill at considerable expense. With these materials start a compost pile. Third locate some manure....any will be fine. Get a five gallon bucket with lid, line it with a plastic bag and bring home a little to add to your compost pile. Fourth if you feel you must fall clean your flower beds replace your raked up down fall material with leaves or any other organic mulch. The rule of thumb is to never let your soil see the light of day. Grow something in the soil or mulch it where all that will rot will go back into the soil. The mulch will invite more worms and preserve moisture .

Instead of getting a soil test count your worms. The more worms you see the better your soil is and the better it will become.

In the simplest words I know your soil is a living biological factory. Attempting to live in it are live bacteria, fungi and critters from amoba to nematodes and more. Man made chemicals will cripple, set back and kill the very biological structure you really need to build up.

To build the biological factory is the simple consistant art of letting anything that once was living on the soil to lay there and rot so it can return to the soil as biological support. In the begining at least you should switch from man made chemicals to organic fertilizer. This building just will not take place...ever...if that which hurts the process continues to be added to the soil.

Finally go to organic sites and little by little read up and help yourself by discovery and association. It takes a bit of nerve and faith to trust the organic process but the long term result will be healthier plants that need no chemical support in the soil.

Last in this primer I suggest you switch your man made "cides" insecticides, miticides, fungicides and herbicides to horticultural organic oils. I use Neem Oil feeling it is best for me. In the begining do not expect perfect results. Keep a bottle of your now favorite poison. You may need to back out of using it over the years ahead as your soil begins to recover. That is why I often say increase the organics and reduce the use of the poison biocides.

I have lived and worked the soil I now live on for over thrity five years. My soil was formerly an orchard. It was nuked to death the worst of which was fungicides. Today we enjoy allmost complete organic practices. We get lots of mushrooms which were completely nuked by the biocides. Our Mycorrhiza is still being put back into the mending soil even after all those years. Today we use very little purchased fertilzers. We have lots of worms.

We live the rule of organic principle by adding manures, leaves and other organic mulches, trace minerals and cover crops. We try to not let our soil ever see the light of day either by growing something or maintaining a cover crop or mulch. Our compost goes down and the biological community existing makes our fertilizers to grow plants strong enough to live with most pathegons that do remain in all soils.

Yes you will see some immediate improvement but the greatest discovery is that you are a part of the equasion and time in years will show you the real healthy soil.

I invite you and others to comment how you have made any progress that may give others the support they need to work for these simple goals.

Thanks, Doc, this is a great "article"!