Five things to do for healthy soil
- Avoid bare soil
- Use appropriate amendments
- Feed the microorganisms
- Maintain proper moisture levels
- Avoid compaction
We are now into July and my plants have been in the ground for over a month. Some are flowering, some are fruiting (or whatever the equivalent is for vegetables) and all the plants are getting quite large. On top of that, the plants’ needs are changing, as they do when they start producing flowers and fruit. However, if you’ve been following along, you’ll know that the plants know what nutrients they need, and those nutrients are all in the soil. The microorganisms need to be happy and well fed to ensure those nutrients are available for the plants.
Now is a great time to give the microorganisms a boost of food. Sprinkling fresh, quality compost around the plants and watering with some mycorrhizal fungi &/or AEM or spraying compost extract or an appropriate compost tea blend are excellent ways to feed the microorganisms so they feed the plants.
With everything growing and blooming, this is also a good time to take a close look at the plants and see how they’re doing. A few things to check for include holes in the leaves, yellowed leaves, or black spots on stalks. If there are signs of damage to any plants or some plants aren’t growing and producing like expected, a soil assessment may be in order, before things get too far out of control.
