Perfect Gardens Organics Thread

JJ Bones

JJ Bones

Well-Known Member
Nug of the Month
February 2013
We've been getting incredibly involved with organics this year, more then ever before.

As you can see from some of my threads within this section. I decided to make one thread and just keep it all together so we can wrap up this entire organic, biodynamic goodness!

To kick off the first post, let's discuss the soil food web. This is a large part of what is going on within any organic situation. It is the cycle of life at it's finest and fascinating to learn, comprehend, as well as share. If only school thought us about compost piles and engages the students with education rather then force them to read books, take tests, and homework.

Anyway, that's another conversation...

The soil food web is made of four organisms, from biggest to smallest (to my most recent knowledge EVERYONE chime in and lets create an amazing organic thread):

Nematodes
Protozoa
Fungi
Bacteria

These four things do wonders for your soil/root zone environment, just as mother nature intended. An easy way to think about all of this is to consider trees in a forest. How do they survive? No one is there watering them, checking pH, adding fertilizer, checking PPM etc. So how the hell do they grow? And all the other plants for that matter!?

This is what makes this entire subject of organic, biodynamic gardening absolutely amazing and fun!

Trees in a forest do not eat the leaves and braches that fall to the floor, they eat what the microbes make of them. Generally speaking when someone uses the term "microbes" they mean micro-organisms (living creatures), like nematodes, protozoa, fungi and bacteria.

I have gone over fungi in a large part already on the forum, here is the thread pertaining to that subject: Great Mycorrhiza Information

Now let's discuss bacteria, shall we?

Bacteria are absolutely tiny micro-organisms which do tons of things in this world.

Before we move further let's put everything into perspective. Generally speaking most scientists, biologists etc believe we've only scratched about 5-10% when it comes to what soil needs and all the fungi/bacteria involved. We still are finding new species, sometimes we may know more about the stars then everything on our own planet ;)

There are many kinds of bacteria, some bacteria that we use in our gardens with products such as Great White are Nitrogen fixing bacteria. These microbes can take atmospheric nitrogen and turn it into available plant food nitrogen. Tell me that isn't absolutely amazing? Our atmosphere is 70% nitrogen which means there is plenty! So who needs some 10-0-0 fertilizer made in a lab when you have bacteria that will get the nitrogen for you the way mother nature intended?

The two common kinds of nitrogen fixing bacteria we will see is Azotobacter and Azospirillum.

Now consider how badass that is...then realize that's one element, Nitrogen. Imagine how many other things are going on down there!

Here is a link with some more information about other bacteria: https://www.plant-success.com/index.php/soil-bacteria-benefits/bacteria-species.html

Here is another good link with information about benefits of bacteria and fungi: https://www.plant-success.com/index.php/Overall-Benefits/overall-benefits.html (one reason we like Plant Success is they provide tons of documentation, not their just own but references)

Bacteria dominant soil tends to be above 7

Fungal dominant soil tends to be below 7

When speaking about Mycorrhizae products or in general the terms go as follows:
Mycorrhizal is an adjective describing the type of fungi
Mycorrhiza is a relationship between root and fungus
Mycorrhizae is the plural of a single root-fungus relationship

Now we're getting technical! I'm simply sharing information I am acquiring, please do the same!

Let's talk about Protozoa and Nematodes now. The circle of life is all about energy being distributed over and over. For example, in the wild a Gazelle can graze on grass to eat, giving it energy and minerals. Then it gets attacked by a predator who eats the Gazelle for energy and minerals (it gets passed on, even from that grass). Well then the predator eventually poops which is, once again, distributing energy and minerals into the ground. Spawning more grass that is grown, only to be eaten by another Gazelle. Whew, you better be high when you read this because it's a doozy!

This same concept goes on in our organic compost, soil and gardens. Things are regulated and energy is re-distributed constantly.

The protozoa and nematodes actually eat the bacteria and fungi. After processing them and pooping they provide by-product for the plants to use as energy. You don't want too much bacteria or fungi because they process food and also help bring it to your roots. However what if there is no food to process? That's where the protozoa and nematodes help out by adding that balance.

Protozoa Info: Protozoa - Wikipedia

Nematode Info: Nematode - Wikipedia

That is one very, very short synopsis on the soil food web.

Now discussing compost tea we can talk about helping all of those microbes thrive. When they thrive they live strong and reproduce, making more and more goodness for your plants benefit.

One very interesting thing I just recently learned was that Molasses will help encourage bacterial growth while Kelp will help encourage fungi growth. Not to say either will DISCOURAGE anything, it simply brings about more bacteria or fungi. Now with that knowledge you can make very specific compost teas because every plant has a different bacteria:fungi ratio in many cases.

We provide the most abundant compost tea solution we've ever found. Using a Vortex Brewer, which is an entire thread in and of itself. The tea we offer is extremely reliable and healthy, unlike others on the market. Our tea comes from a farm, not a lab first of all. Not to say labs are bad however if we are talking about natural, why not get it from a totally natural source?

Our tea comes from a 350 year old farm. Completely BioDynamic thriving with micro-biology!

If you're interested shoot me an e-mail joey@perfectgardens.com

We'll have it on the website very soon, I will reply with a link when I get it there.

So that's the beginning, let's get a great conversation going even further and share the knowledge so we all become better people to make a better planet! :Namaste:
 
I'm all for it! great idea about a new forum category "ORGANIC" you got my vote! SUSCRIBED
 
Well, yes and no. We are working on rolling out a new product which is natural and will do some amazing things to water! I'm talking RO machines would be irrelevant ;)

Specifically I made the thread just to discuss organics in depth and provide a source for growers to learn from, for free. Also engage and add their own inputs, findings etc.

We just starting selling compost tea and the company that provides it is totally in-line with our values, it's quite exciting really. I've done a lot of research and they seem to have the best recipe based on sources and results.

Exciting times ahead!
 
It is important to learn that minerals are inter-dependant. They all work together and can lock-out one another.

Here is something good to remember: The availability of the most abundant nutrient in the soil is as available as the availability of the least abundant nutrient in the soil.



Makes me wonder, why do most hydroponic nutrients only have 17 elements :hmmmm:
 
Some great information on the 4 trophics: nematodes, protozoa, fungi and bacteria. Credit goes to Cornell University for this information on there website: CORNELL Composting - Compost Microorganisms

"The Phases of Composting

In the process of composting, microorganisms break down organic matter and produce carbon dioxide, water, heat, and humus, the relatively stable organic end product. Under optimal conditions, composting proceeds through three phases: 1) the mesophilic, or moderate-temperature phase, which lasts for a couple of days, 2) the thermophilic, or high-temperature phase, which can last from a few days to several months, and finally, 3) a several-month cooling and maturation phase.

Different communities of microorganisms predominate during the various composting phases. Initial decomposition is carried out by mesophilic microorganisms, which rapidly break down the soluble, readily degradable compounds. The heat they produce causes the compost temperature to rapidly rise.

As the temperature rises above about 40°C, the mesophilic microorganisms become less competitive and are replaced by others that are thermophilic, or heat-loving. At temperatures of 55°C and above, many microorganisms that are human or plant pathogens are destroyed. Because temperatures over about 65°C kill many forms of microbes and limit the rate of decomposition, compost managers use aeration and mixing to keep the temperature below this point.

During the thermophilic phase, high temperatures accelerate the breakdown of proteins, fats, and complex carboydrates like cellulose and hemicellulose, the major structural molecules in plants. As the supply of these high-energy compounds becomes exhausted, the compost temperature gradually decreases and mesophilic microorganisms once again take over for the final phase of "curing" or maturation of the remaining organic matter.


Bacteria

Bacteria are the smallest living organisms and the most numerous in compost; they make up 80 to 90% of the billions of microorganisms typically found in a gram of compost. Bacteria are responsible for most of the decomposition and heat generation in compost. They are the most nutritionally diverse group of compost organisms, using a broad range of enzymes to chemically break down a variety of organic materials.



Bacteria are single-celled and structured as either rod-shaped bacilli, sphere-shaped cocci or spiral-shaped spirilla. Many are motile, meaning that they have the ability to move under their own power. At the beginning of the composting process (0-40°C), mesophilic bacteria predominate. Most of these are forms that can also be found in topsoil.

As the compost heats up above 40°C, thermophilic bacteria take over. The microbial populations during this phase are dominated by members of the genus Bacillus. The diversity of bacilli species is fairly high at temperatures from 50-55°C but decreases dramatically at 60°C or above. When conditions become unfavorable, bacilli survive by forming endospores, thick-walled spores that are highly resistant to heat, cold, dryness, or lack of food. They are ubiquitous in nature and become active whenever environmental conditions are favorable.



At the highest compost temperatures, bacteria of the genus Thermus have been isolated. Composters sometimes wonder how microorganisms evolved in nature that can withstand the high temperatures found in active compost. Thermus bacteria were first found in hot springs in Yellowstone National Park and may have evolved there. Other places where thermophilic conditions exist in nature include deep sea thermal vents, manure droppings, and accumulations of decomposing vegetation that have the right conditions to heat up just as they would in a compost pile.

Once the compost cools down, mesophilic bacteria again predominate. The numbers and types of mesophilic microbes that recolonize compost as it matures depend on what spores and organisms are present in the compost as well as in the immediate environment. In general, the longer the curing or maturation phase, the more diverse the microbial community it supports.


Actinomycetes

The characteristic earthy smell of soil is caused by actinomycetes, organisms that resemble fungi but actually are filamentous bacteria. Like other bacteria, they lack nuclei, but they grow multicellular filaments like fungi. In composting they play an important role in degrading complex organics such as cellulose, lignin, chitin, and proteins. Their enzymes enable them to chemically break down tough debris such as woody stems, bark, or newspaper. Some species appear during the thermophilic phase, and others become important during the cooler curing phase, when only the most resistant compounds remain in the last stages of the formation of humus.



Actinomycetes form long, thread-like branched filaments that look like gray spider webs stretching through compost. These filaments are most commonly seen toward the end of the composting process, in the outer 10 to 15 centimeters of the pile. Sometimes they appear as circular colonies that gradually expand in diameter."


Fungi

Great article written on the USDA website about beneficial fungus for the soil: NRCS - Soil Quality / Soil Health - Soil Biology Primer - Soil Fungi

"Chapter 4: SOIL FUNGI

By Elaine R. Ingham
THE LIVING SOIL: FUNGI

Fungi are microscopic cells that usually grow as long threads or strands called hyphae, which push their way between soil particles, roots, and rocks. Hyphae are usually only several thousandths of an inch (a few micrometers) in diameter. A single hyphae can span in length from a few cells to many yards. A few fungi, such as yeast, are single cells.

Hyphae sometimes group into masses called mycelium or thick, cord-like "rhizomorphs" that look like roots. Fungal fruiting structures (mushrooms) are made of hyphal strands, spores, and some special structures like gills on which spores form. A single individual fungus can include many fruiting bodies scattered across an area as large as a baseball diamond.



Fungi perform important services related to water dynamics, nutrient cycling, and disease suppression. Along with bacteria, fungi are important as decomposers in the soil food web. They convert hard-to-digest organic material into forms that other organisms can use. Fungal hyphae physically bind soil particles together, creating stable aggregates that help increase water infiltration and soil water holding capacity.

Soil fungi can be grouped into three general functional groups based on how they get their energy.

Decomposers — saprophytic fungi — convert dead organic material into fungal biomass, carbon dioxide (CO2), and small molecules, such as organic acids. These fungi generally use complex substrates, such as the cellulose and lignin, in wood, and are essential in decomposing the carbon ring structures in some pollutants. A few fungi are called "sugar fungi" because they use the same simple substrates as do many bacteria. Like bacteria, fungi are important for immobilizing, or retaining, nutrients in the soil. In addition, many of the secondary metabolites of fungi are organic acids, so they help increase the accumulation of humic-acid rich organic matter that is resistant to degradation and may stay in the soil for hundreds of years.
Mutualists — the mycorrhizal fungi — colonize plant roots. In exchange for carbon from the plant, mycorrhizal fungi help solubolize phosphorus and bring soil nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, micronutrients, and perhaps water) to the plant. One major group of mycorrhizae, the ectomycorrhizae (see third photo below), grow on the surface layers of the roots and are commonly associated with trees. The second major group of mycorrhizae are the endomycorrhizae that grow within the root cells and are commonly associated with grasses, row crops, vegetables, and shrubs. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are a type of endomycorrhizal fungi (see fourth photo below). Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi can by either ecto- or endomycorrhizal.
The third group of fungi, pathogens or parasites, cause reduced production or death when they colonize roots and other organisms. Root-pathogenic fungi, such as Verticillium, Pythium, and Rhizoctonia, cause major economic losses in agriculture each year. Many fungi help control diseases. For example, nematode-trapping fungi that parasitize disease-causing nematodes, and fungi that feed on insects may be useful as biocontrol agents."


"Protozoa



Protozoa are one-celled microscopic animals. They are found in water droplets in compost but play a relatively minor role in decomposition. Protozoa obtain their food from organic matter in the same way as bacteria do but also act as secondary consumers ingesting bacteria and fungi." - Cornell EDU- written by: Nancy Trautmann and Elaina Olynciw

Some detailed information regarding those organisms. What lies beneath our feet is life itself, really puts Mother Earth into perspective. Working at every moment to always keep things in balance.
 
Something interesting I've been learning today was enzymes, bacteria and minerals (elements).

Bacteria do not chew on organic matter, they use enzymes to give them edible food. The enzymes all have something called a cofactor which is essentially a "helper molecule" which assists in the function of the enzyme.

Well every element has an enzyme associated with it. Another good reason to have a multitude of minerals in your environment and water rather then only a few.

Cofactor (biochemistry) - Wikipedia
 
That is a lot of hardcore reading material ya got posted 'n' linked :thumb:


Gonna have to find time on my next day off to browse through all the knowledge & must admit its a very pioneering idea you have !



I look foward to the test results :green_heart:
 
Here is a great read: https://www.ecoversity.org/archives/soil_ecology.pdf

An exert: "There are even higher-level predators, such as milli
pedes, centipedes and earthworms! These keep the
nematodes and protozoa from exploding in population and over-eating the fungi and bacteria. The net
effect to plants is a slow, sustained release of nutrients, with little danger of losses by leaching.
The insects and earthworms are preyed upon by rodents and birds, and these in turn may be eaten by
mammal predators like foxes and raccoons -- for a total of six trophic levels, all starting from plant-
produced organic matter! "

Wow! How is that for the circle of life. Honestly, I've been wondering lately about something that has been going on in our store. Ever sense we've started using some compost tea which has the first 4 trophic levels, we've been getting birds fly into our store more.

Possibly mother nature giving off frequencies?
 
This is Great Info, JJ

Thanks for sharing knowledge gained.

I had clones in peat-pellet-thingys.

One that didn't make it had a rotten stem at the bottom.

When I pulled it out, It had a cm-long nematode inside, eating the rotten material.

The nematode must have been inside the peat-pellet and grown as the clone rotted.

Fascinating stuff, the natural world.

Organic Gardening FTW !
 
Here is an awesome article that explains the importance of minerals.

Source Credit: Compost, Manure, Humus, Organic Matter, Soil Minerals and Trace Elements

"Compost and Minerals or
Why Does My Garden Need a Soil Test?

By Agricola
March 23, 2008

We all know that a fertile soil grows better crops, just as we all know that nutritious food grows a healthier body, and the same minerals that make the soil fertile are the minerals that make food more nutritious. The lack of essential minerals in the soil will have the same sort of detrimental effect on crops that the lack of minerals in our diet has on our health. The analogy goes even further: It is largely the presence of healthy soil microorganisms that make the minerals available to the plant, and it is largely the same sort of microorganisms in our digestive systems that make the minerals in our food available to our bodies. Neither the plants nor our bodies can do much with simple ground-up rocks; the minerals first need to be changed into a form that can be absorbed. That is what a healthy, biologically active soil does for the plants, and what a healthy population of probiotic organisms does in one's digestive system.

Now we begin to get into something interesting and controversial: The organic and biologique (Euro-speak for organic) gardening movements are all about creating that healthy population of soil organisms by increasing the organic matter content of the soil. Great effort is put into making biologically active compost and applying it to the garden and croplands, but little or no effort is put into supplying the microorganisms in that compost with minerals. Organic matter is vitally important to a fertile soil, but it is only one-third of the whole equation, or, one could say, one leg of a three legged stool that supports the whole food chain for life on Earth. Those three legs are biology (the living and formerly living parts of the soil), minerals, and energy (as in energy flow like a current of water or electricity). In most cases, if one gets the minerals right, the biology and energy flow will fall into line automatically; one cannot prevent life from growing in an environment that has all of the essential minerals it needs; the soil and plant life will find those spots and thrive there. This essay will address the biology and mineral aspects; we'll save the energy leg of the stool for another time.

As noted, life will find those places that have all of the mineral nutrients needed for growth and reproduction, but on the other hand, one can have a highly organic soil and still not have healthy crops if the minerals are missing or out of balance. Any grower who has tried growing plants in pure, sterile organic matter, such as unfertilized potting mix, will know that doesn't work too well. The plants need more than just water, air, light, and an organic medium to send their roots through: They need mineral nutrients too. Standard chemical fertilizers supply three of those nutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, the familiar NPK listed on the fertilizer package as, for instance 5-10-10. In addition, air supplies the nutrients Oxygen and Carbon (from Carbon dioxide) while water (H 2 O) supplies Hydrogen and Oxygen. With these six nutrient elements, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen, just about any plant can be grown, but it won't necessarily be a healthy plant and it surely won't make very nutritious food.

We noted above that soil microorganisms are necessary to make soil minerals available to plants, so how do the plants manage to grow when fed only a chemical mixture of N, P, K, and water? Commercial chemical fertilizers are made with highly soluble salts of NPK that the plants are able to absorb through their roots and use much as a person unable to eat can get nutrients from an intravenous IV drip. Plants are simpler in their nutrient requirements than higher animals, and able to use elements in simpler forms, so it is easier to grow large and healthy-looking plants on an IV drip than it is to keep humans healthy on one. In nature these simple forms of soluble salts are seldom plentiful in the soil.

Moving to the next step in organic-matter based fertility, what happens when a plant is grown in pure, rich compost, without any mineral soil? Often it will do well, or at least appear to do well, growing large and quickly, but it also may be susceptible to fungal diseases and blights, and the food grown will often lack flavor. Compost, of course, does contain some minerals, the amount and range of minerals depending on the source of the compost. Leaf compost will contain the minerals that the leaves contained, compost made from garden waste will have the minerals that the garden crops absorbed while growing, compost made from animal manure will contain the minerals that were in the feed the animals ate, perhaps including grain imported from other areas with different soil minerals, and often including mineral supplements that the animals were fed. Chicken manure is known as the manure with the most fertilizing power, and that is largely due to the very high grain content that the chickens are fed, as well as the insects that the chickens eat whenever available. However, chicken manure is also usually a good source of Calcium, Boron, Copper, and Zinc; not because the grains in the chicken feed are high in those elements but because the chicken feed is fortified with those elements. Similarly, cattle and horses are generally given a "salt block" both in the pasture and in the barn or paddock and many times are given a powdered mineral mix "free choice" at their feeding stations. Hog feed is also fortified with minerals. Interestingly, the salt blocks given to horses and cattle are different in different areas of the USA, so that whatever minerals are usually missing in the local pastures can be supplied. The veterinarians, veterinary researchers, and farmers are all well aware that the animals need far more minerals than are normally found in their hay or grain rations alone.

Think of how strange this is: Even the smallest farmers make sure that their cows and horses have a salt block, even the person with only a small flock of laying hens in the yard supplements the birds' diet with at least oyster shell grit to make the eggshells strong, yet they give little or no thought to mineralizing the pastures where their animals graze, the hay and grain fields where the feed is grown, or their gardens where they raise the food to feed their families or to sell. Nor do they give much thought to how many of these essential minerals they or their families are getting.

The claim is often made that "organically grown food has more minerals", but seldom is it backed up with factual evidence, so let's take a look at that claim. Obviously if the minerals are not in the soil, they cannot be in the crops grown. What quantity of minerals are available from compost, for instance?

Completely dry plant matter consists mostly of compounds made from the air elements Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen. The Nitrogen originally comes from the air, but is made available to the plants by soil microorganisms, or today by synthesized Nitrogen fertilizers. If this dry plant matter is burned, perhaps 95% of it will return to the air as some combination of these four elements. The remaining 4 or 5% is unburnable ash, and that is where the soil minerals reside. The minerals in that ash will naturally vary depending on the species of plant and the soil in which it is grown. The ash from wheat straw will be high in Silica, an essential nutrient but not one in short supply in our croplands. Silica is the most abundant of all Earth elements. The ash from the wheat kernels themselves will be much richer in essential minerals, as the plants concentrate them there to feed the seeds for the next generation. If one starts with 100 lbs of fresh compost, which will likely be around 75% moisture, and then dries it to leave 25 lbs of dry organic matter, and then burns that to ash, one will end up with about 1 1/4 lbs of mineral ash total, perhaps a double handful. One can see that there is really not a whole lot of minerals in that 100 lbs of compost, and we haven't looked yet at just which minerals are to be found in that ash.

Of course, there are many beneficial plant nutrients to be found in the 98 3/4 lbs of compost that we are not measuring as ash, such as humus and fulvic and humic acids, ammonia and nitrate Nitrogen, natural growth stimulants, beneficial fungi and bacteria, perhaps earthworms and arthropods, but we are talking here about the actual mineral content of the compost; there are thousands of books and articles written about that organic portion but very, very few about soil minerals.

Let's look at another factor in using compost or organic matter as a mineral source: How much would we need to use to add significant amounts of needed minerals to the soil? This gets a little difficult to quantify, but going back to research done by Davidson and LeClerc in the 1930s, we find that the amount of Potassium found in ash from commercial vegetables was around 7%, the amount of Calcium averaged about 2% (they also measured 95%+ moisture content and 20% ash from dry matter, which leaves only 1% total ash, but let's be generous and stick with that 1 1/4 lbs we came up with above).

1 1/4 lbs= 566 grams
566 grams x 2%= 11.3 grams Calcium per 100 lbs compost
566 grams x 7%= 39.6 grams Potassium per 100 lbs compost

Even a sandy loam requires at least 2,000 lbs of Calcium per acre for best growth. What if we measured the minerals and found that we needed to add 1,000 lbs of Calcium? How much compost would that take, at 11 grams per 100 lbs? I'll spare you the arithmetic: It would take about 4,000,000 lbs: Four million pounds of that 75% moisture content compost per acre to add 1,000 lbs of Calcium. Wait, it gets worse: While we were adding that 1,000 lbs of Calcium we were also adding almost 4,000 lbs of Potassium, far too much. Well balanced soils need about 1/7th as much Potassium as Calcium, so this soil would call for about 280 lbs of Potassium per acre; we would be adding over 3,700 lbs too much, assuming that we were crazy enough to try adding four million pounds of compost anyway.

Putting that in terms a backyard gardener could relate to, one would need 90,000 lbs of compost per 1,000 square feet of garden just to bring the Calcium level up to par.

It's easy to see from the example above that although compost might be a reasonable source for Potassium, if we knew the Potassium needs of that soil in the first place, it isn't going to work for most of the other minerals. Just to add 140 lbs per acre of Potassium would require 80 tons of this particular compost per acre.

Note that we haven't even considered the other fifteen or so other essential plant minerals, nor the other thirty or so essential minerals needed by humans and animals. As essential and marvelous as compost and organic matter are, we are not going to be able to depend on them to provide a balanced supply of minerals to the soil.

The only way to know what the mineral content of the soil is, is to measure it. That's what a soil test does. Further, the only practical way to add the minerals that are needed, and to bring them into balance, is to add them in the mineral form, not as some minuscule portion of the organic matter. Agricultural "sweet" lime, which is simply ground up limestone, is about 40% pure Calcium. To add 1,000 lbs of Calcium using sweet lime would require 2,500 lbs of sweet lime per acre. That is do-able. That is 56 lbs of sweet lime for a 20' x 50' garden. To add 140 lbs of Potassium one would only need to use 280 lbs of naturally mined sulfate of potash per acre, or 6 lbs per 1000 square feet.

Your garden also probably needs a few ounces of Copper, Zinc, and Boron. It may or may not need Phosphorus or Magnesium or Sulfur. How are you going to know? By getting an inexpensive laboratory soil test, and either learning how to interpret it yourself (not hard to do) or paying someone who does know how a few dollars to interpret it and make recommendations for your particular soil. Then, for the first time, you can quit guessing and know exactly what your soil needs to grow the most flavorful, healthy, mineral and nutrient rich crops you have ever had."
 
That was a rather interesting article to read to which you have posted last JJ to which i do agree very much :thumb:


I must admit soil science is a complex issue with out proper analysis of the soil in use !


How ever they are some 16 nutrients/elements used by plants & most information learnt only tells of 13 nutrients the other 3 are unknown to myself at present, to support plant growth... but many others do play a minor role in plant growth in the long run !



Most of time we often see NPK value stated on compost bags if preloaded with nutrients or aprox value if a manure more than often a trace value is mentioned on manures !... to get a proper analysis costs money for the manufacturer as to report or sell product with said macro/micro nutrients at stated value of concentration...

This becomes a problem with manures or home made composts as each & every batch is different in value of nutrients.... ultimately relating to cost of product in the long run, other wise a trace value is mentioned on the product !




The balance of nutrients is a fine art indeed as an imbalance may lead to lock out of another to which i find hard to come across such information on concentrations used... Mmm must dig deeper on that one :thumb:
 
JJ Bones said:
I was looking for a specific answer pertaining to plant hormones and found an awesome PDF that explains the soil food web in very simple terms. A great read: Soil Ecology
Click to expand...


A very good read :thumb:
 

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