Many believe soil to be a non-living component that plays a vital role in the growth of living things, but contrary to that, healthy soil is very much alive and thriving. Just a tablespoon healthy soil is home to more microbial organisms that there are humans on Earth. Some of these microorganisms include bacteria, protozoa, microscopic fungi, nematodes and tiny earthworms. These organisms form a very tiny portion of the soil’s total volume but they are still incredibly useful for crops that are grown in the soil. The following are a few advantages of growing your crop in a microbial activity rich soil:
- Soil Aeration – Active soil microbes such as earthworms and smaller insects facilitate soil drainage and aeration as they make their way through the soil. This creates channels that allow oxygen to enter and carbon dioxide to exit, and also creates space for root penetration.
- Nitrogen Fixation – Most importantly, microbial activity, mainly that of bacteria, converts atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3) which is very necessary for plant growth.
- Break Down Organic Matter – A variety of soil microorganisms work to break down various organic matters and return the nutrients to the soil. The recycle the nutrients this way and allow the plants to absorb these recycles nutrient immediately.
- Control Pests – While microbes are good for the soil, pests are the opposite. So in a natural setting, microorganisms release certain proteins that have insecticidal properties and kill off pests and insects.
These numerous advantages that the presence of microbial activity are not very widely known and the excessive use of synthetic fertilizers, over time, results in a reduction of these organisms present in the soil. Synthetic fertilizer consists of chemical molecules without carbon. These molecules are therefore not accessible to microbes, while the plants are able to absorb the nutrients provided by the fertilizers. On the other hand, organic fertilizer are rich in organic matter, which helps microbes thrive. Organic fertilizers contains carbon as part of its chemical makeup; and it is the carbon, along with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that feeds microbes and enables them to decompose various organic matter and make nutrients available for plants in a naturally occurring biological process.
This is where Minfert’s Organic Mineral Fertilizers come in. Minfert|BLK and Minfert|GBR when added to the soil along with the conventional fertilizers, double the microbial activity. The organic matter in Minfert fertilizers works as food for the earthworms and other good bacteria in soil. This in turn increases aeration, nitrogen fixation and all the other benefits that entail due to the presence of microbial activity in soil.
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