Article 1 in Composting Series
Composting and Good Soil
Producing soil in good health is not a short-term or one-off job. Transforming a shallow, nutrient-poor soil to a deep healthy topsoil over 12 ins. (30 cm) deep can take a little time and planning. Every time we take our crops into the kitchen, we remove vital nutrients from the ground.
This makes it important to keep adding compost and manure to replace the nutrients and feed the soil creatures that benefit your plot.
Feeding the Soil – What do plants need?
- Soil
This really has to be the starting point when growing. The ideal soil for any plant will be:
- Deep enough for the roots to develop freely
- Friable so roots can easily grow through it.
an store that water when it’s not raining.
Roots naturally follow the easiest route to get where they want, be that horizontally or vertically. They find gaps and pores as small as 0.2 mm to grow in.
Water
Rain comes intermittently but plants need it consistently to grow well. The ideal soil allows water to percolate down and with enough organic matter (humus) incorporated it can store that water when it’s not raining.
Air
Roots do require air. Friable soil has enough gaps in it to allow air in and to allow water to drain so that the roots don’t drown. They don’t need a lot of air, but they do need some. That’s why plants in a waterlogged or compacted plot die.
ph
Most vegetables grow best in a soil pH between 6.00 – 7.00; 7.00 being neutral.
As a general rule, both the major nutrients (NPK) and micro-nutrients (manganese, iron etc) are most available at pH between 6.0 to 7.0.
(see our article “What are NPK” at ttps://westonfavellallotments.co.uk\Gardening )
Nutrients Available
The operative word here is ‘available‘. For a start, the pH of the soil affects nutrient availability. Its recently been discovered that there are beneficial relationships between plants, microbes and fungi in the soil.
The relationship of fungi and plants is one of mutual benefit. The fungi make nutrients more available to the plant and in return the plant helps feed the fungi.
In Conclusion
The ideal soil is deep, friable, retains water but sheds excess water, has the right pH and high nutrient availability
Feeding the Soil
Now from the above, we’re getting to the meaning of ‘feed the soil’. You can feed the organisms that live in the soil, from bacteria to earthworms, beneficial bugs and everything in between.
The addition of compost (both vegetative and from rotted manures), partially composted matter, leaf mould and even freshly dead vegetation like grass clippings as a mulch will, with aid of the army of soil creatures, enable the creation of more humus. The earthworms will burrow around, improving the soil as they go and leaving tunnels behind to help with water absorption and drainage.
In my opinion, all growers should put effort into improving their soil. But that doesn’t stop them from amending and adding to the soil to get the best crop they can.
https://www.allotment-garden.org/composts-fertilisers/feed-soil-not-plants/