Even though our soils are composed of almost 50% minerals, many of these minerals are not in a form that a plant can use. Plants need to be able to process nutrients to grow, photosynthesize, flower, pollinate and produce fruit. But nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus and many trace elements need microbial soil life to make them available to the plant.
Phosphorus is constantly getting tied up in the soil. Phosphorus converts easily into unavailable forms in both acidic and alkaline soil conditions, so it is a huge advantage to have it in an organic form where it is relatively stable until microbes can mineralize it into a plant-available form. Organic phosphorus is mineralized to plant-available forms only through microbial activity.
We’re surrounded by atmospheric nitrogen, but only microbes can turn that nitrogen into a usable form for plants. In addition, nitrogen and organic sulfur are tied up in living and decomposing microbe bodies, and it takes microbes to breakdown and change organic sulfur and nitrogen into a mineral form that’s plant-available.
Soil bacteria consume easy-to-digest materials and have a 5:1 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in their bodies. They live and die quickly and are consumed by other soil organisms like protozoa, which are closer to 10:1. The difference in the C:N ratio of the protozoa compared to the bacteria means there is a lot of extra nitrogen the protozoa don’t need for their own metabolisms that gets excreted back into the soil as plant food. So in feeding your soil bacteria you are also boosting nitrogen cycling and feeding your plants nitrogen. Now that’s noteworthy.
This is something the plants themselves well know. Plants are not just photosynthesizing to fuel their own metabolisms. They also are producing sugars that are directed to the soil through the roots to feed the soil biology. This isn’t a waste of energy by the plant, but rather it’s necessary to make possible nutrient conversion. As a plus, the microbiology in the soil also provides a protective layer against pests and diseases.
Andaman Ag focuses on the bacteria-to-fungi ratio to build soil biology and organic matter faster. Our MetaGrow ST earthworm compost tea and Pacific Gro oceanic fertilizer with available calcium do an excellent job in accomplishing this objective. Building your soil biology is an elemental growing practice that provides a host of benefits and rewards.