Organic material, in the many forms it is abundantly available to all of us, is the solution to all of the most pressing problems we will face throughout the years to come. Just as we consume food which is absorbed and digested by our bodies, the soil lives, breathes, defecates and procreates in order to support the food we rely upon. Microbes do all of this just as they do inside our bodies. We know very little about these microscopic organisms just as we know very little about the cosmos we are all a part of. However, we are becoming more and more aware of their complexities. And like us, the soil does not like to eat little capsules of food that are released slowly, constructed out of a petrochemical. They crave diversity. They sustain the soil, the plants and us. This is one of the most important differences between a chemical approach and an organic approach toward soil care and fertility. Soluble chemical fertilizers contain mineral salts that plant roots can absorb quickly. However, these salts do not provide a food source for soil microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, and invertebrates or the FBI) and the various worms that inhabit healthy soils, and will even repel worms because they acidify the soil. Over time, soils treated only with synthetic chemical fertilizers lose organic matter and the all-important living organisms that help to build a quality soil. As soil structure declines and water-holding capacity diminishes, more and more of the chemical fertilizer applied will leach through the soil. In turn, it will take ever-increasing amounts of chemicals to stimulate plant growth while contributing to pollution in many forms. When you use organic fertilizers, you avoid throwing your soil and the environment into this kind of crisis condition. You make a good deal that is truly sustainable.
If you want to dig deeper into the microcosmos which exist everywhere around us, drop a comment and let me know your thoughts.