The Importance of Soil For Organic Gardening

importance of soil

When you use organic gardening practices you want to be sure that all of the materials that you use to mix your soil are free of toxins. Toxins are substances that might be harmful to humans if consumed in large quantities. They might also be a natural defense against plants and soil organisms. Since you are trying to plant organically, you want to essentially create a natural balance of life in your garden.

When living in an organic gardening practices, you want to also pay attention to the soil, as this is also important to the health of your organic garden. Having a healthy soil structure means that the soil will be able to provide the necessary nutrients and minerals to your plants and flowers. This will greatly improve the health and productivity of your garden. Soil is also the one place where plants can get their nutrients and water from. Without good soil, the productivity of your garden will be much lower than it should be.

There are three important components of soil, organic matter, microorganisms, and water. Organic matter is the tireless decomposition of plant refuse (agricultural weeds, plants that are not harvested for food) and animal manure. Materials from these sources will lay the foundation of your gardens soil. Microorganisms are the extremely tiny creatures that live in the soil and help to eat away at the organic matter in your soil. They are extremely beneficial because they live under the soil and help to break down organic matter. This organic matter is then used by other organisms such as earthworms to enhance the soil structure. Earthworms also help to prevent pest problems in the garden.  To improve soil try having a permeable paver installation done in your garden. Water is also needed for the plant and animal life to survive. However, too much water will kill your garden. There are some plants that can handle lots of water, while others can survive long periods of drought. You want to know whether the plants you are wanting to grow need extra water or not.

Soil structure is another important aspect of organic gardening. Dirt structure refers to the actual particle size. The bigger the particle size, the more air there is in the dirt. This air space is needed for the various forms of life in the garden such as bacteria, fungi, and insects to survive. Having a good soil structure means that the soil will better be able to retain moisture during rainless periods and climates.

Soil organic matter is the benefit that texture has in the garden. This organic matter will eventually break down to provide nutrition for the plant. However, it is the texture of the soil that actually helps to control weeds. Soils with a larger particle size have more room for weeds to grow whereas soils with smaller particles will allow weeds to spread more easily. This difference in soil texture will also affect the amount of nutrients that are in the soil.

Soil salinity is also important. Soils that are low in salt will contain large particles which will prevent nutrients from reaching the plant. What plant life does benefit from a soil with low salt is that water will filter through much more quickly to reach the plant roots. There are actually some areas of the country where farmers have to add salt to their soil to grow healthy crops.

Lastly, healthy soil will allow your crops to produce a high yield. This is the whole reason behind organic gardening. In order to produce a high yield, plants need to be healthy and abundant in nutrients. Healthy vegetation will thrive under the correct conditions, and this is exactly what organic methods can achieve. Organic gardening is the “you feed the soil, and the soil feeds the plants”. All you need to do is to feed the soil and the soil will feed your plants.