Soil microbes are microorganisms that live in the soil and play a crucial role in maintaining healthy soil ecosystems and supporting good plant health.
If you till your soil as a means of springtime prep, you are disturbing and killing the most important things in the soil, and the growth of your plants and flowers will be lackluster.
The benefits of soil microbes are well-proven
- Nutrient cycling: Soil microbes break down organic matter in the soil, releasing nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that are essential for plant growth.
- Disease suppression: Some soil microbes can help suppress plant diseases by competing with and even killing harmful pathogens.
- Improving soil structure: Soil microbes can create aggregates, which help to improve soil structure and porosity. This allows water and air to move through the soil more easily, which can improve plant growth.
- Carbon sequestration: Soil microbes can help store carbon in the soil, which can help to mitigate climate change.
- Enhancing plant growth: Some soil microbes form symbiotic relationships with plants, providing them with essential nutrients like nitrogen, which can improve plant growth and health.
- Remediation: Certain soil microbes can help to break down and remove contaminants from soil, improving soil quality.
Basic Facts about soil microbes
- Soil microbes are incredibly diverse. It is estimated that there are more than one billion microorganisms in a single teaspoon of soil, and there may be as many as 10,000 different species of microbes in a single gram of soil.
- Microbes help to break down organic matter in soil, releasing nutrients that plants need to grow. They also help to convert nitrogen in the soil into a form that plants can use.
- Soil microbes help to improve soil structure and prevent erosion. They help to break down pollutants in the soil, making those pollutants less harmful to the environment.