So what does this involve? We use the Soil Food Web approach which involves looking at the soil as a whole. To put this into context; If bare soil was left to its own devices, having be ploughed. Over time (years) the stages of succession would evolve. But when looking at soil close up under the microscope we see the fungal to bacteria rate changes with these stages.

 

By that I mean, the bare soil in the first year would not grow anything hardly at all, It would start to become compacted, the fungal to bacteria ratio (F:B) would be something like 0.001 and for a few years may not change but then the following year it may start to throw up some weeds, the F:B may look like 0.03, and then a couple more years and the F:B could be 0:1 then you would start to see early successional grasses, and so it goes on over time until the land eventually turns into a forrest with an F:B of between 10-1 and 500:1 to 1000:1

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So with the soil food web approach, we analyse the soil to see what stage of succession your soil is at. Then we can start to re-introduce the biology back into the soil and start to get it established. It will take a few years, but usually you can see a positive change in the first year. This is all dependent in your particular growing situation, soil type, how much land, chemical in-put, organic matter, what you want to grow and your resources... some of the factors we take on board.

How do we do it?

We will train you to make bio-logically complete compost and extracts and then train you how and when to use them. It's always advisable to trial it out during one growing season, and from there it is easier to up-scale. By doing the trial you will get an understanding of how the system works and then you will be better prepared on a larger scale. Use the form below for a free call back to answer any questions you have.

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So why do we need biology in the system?

Having a balanced soil food web in place, (bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa,) means that plants can control the nutrient cycling that's happening in the root zone by investing some of their sugar and carbohydrates they produce, captured from the sun and air in order to feed bacteria and fungi, which causes these organisms to multiply around the root zone, then they get busy harvesting nutrients from organic matter and parent material in the sands, silts and clays which they absorb into their bodies. This attracts predatory microbes, protozoa and nematodes which consume bacteria and fungi. The wastes left behind from these predators contain an abundance of nutrients in plant available form that the plant can take up. This results in well nourished, resilient plants that produce nourishing food for us.

In Summary

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• The soil holds on to water (mitigates flooding)

• Nutrient cycling in the root zone between the plant and the soil.

• Stronger, healthier plants with deeper roots.

• Plants become stronger and so are able to ward off pest and diseases.

• Carbon sink (through the fungal network)

• Less costs (save money)

• Higher yields (healthy foods)

• Biodiversity (restoring eco system)

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This is after all the way Mother Nature has been growing food for billions of years