Saturday, March 10, 2012

No One Ever Fertilized An Old Growth Forest


I was asked to write an article for the first ever Horticulture Newsletter at Naugatuck Valley Community College. After my organic views were called called "quackery" in my landscape maintenance class by a guest speaker, a well-known CT Agricultural Station guy, I became a bit more outspoken on organic methods in class. I wanted those young upcoming landscapers and designers to know there is a better way, a natural way that the plants prefer. I tried to write about plants or design but my real passion these days is the soil. Soil is the basis of all life. 
So here is my article from 2011, copied from the Naugatuck Valley Community College Horticulture Newsletter, the great little school I go to, to study Horticulture and Landscape Design, one class at a time. I would appreciate any and all feedback or questions!

No One Ever Fertilized An Old Growth Forest

Fallen leaves are nature's mulch. Why not use them in your yard too?

Walking in the forest evokes a sense of calm and wonder. The forest is a lush, beautiful place filled with amazing plants of all kinds. Did you ever think about why the forest is so healthy? How could it be so without our intervention?
The answer is the soil. Specifically the “soil food web.” Soil is alive and filled with zillions of microscopic organisms all living and working together to promote a healthy environment for the plants growing in it. The forest soil is mostly untouched. It has never been rototilled, had its leaves raked up or had a synthetic fertilizer added to it. How can we achieve this type of soil in our gardens? It is simple really. We need to re-establish a healthy soil food web.

Ferns in the forest love the leaf mulch and spring forth each year from under the leaf blanket that protected and nourished them over the winter. 

Healthy soil is teeming with life, some of which we can see like earthworms and insects, but mostly life that is too small to see without the help of a microscope. Fungi, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes are all there. They colonize around the plant roots and form a symbiotic relationship with the plant and keep the bad guys away. They eat what the plant exudes into the soil, and in turn, they release it back into this soil into a form the plant can use. The larger organisms such as earthworms and insects eat and break down nutrient rich organic sources such as leaves and release the nutrients into the soil. They hold moisture. Nature is an amazing system and it takes care of itself without the blue fertilizer or chemical pesticides to feed and protect it.

Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot) is a wildflower that pops up all over the forest floor in spring.

Every yard had a healthy soil food web at one time. The use of chemical fertilizers and chemical insecticides/herbicides to kill weeds, fungi and insects has killed all the healthy microbiology that was once there. The result is a sterile environment which is susceptible to further disease and nutrient deficiency. It must be continually fed with more artificial nutrients! 

Why not feed your gardens with compost, compost tea and organic mulches. Use free chopped leaves as a mulch or a natural cedar mulch on top of some chopped leaves (not the chemically dyed red, brown or black mulches). As a fellow plant nut like the rest of you- we all know that healthy soil = healthy plants. I would recommend reading a book that completely explains the soil food web (in a very easy way) by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis called “Teaming with Microbes, The Organic Gardeners Guide to the Soil Food Web.” It has opened my eyes to the life below us and how amazing it is. 

In 2012, no matter what you grow, promise to keep synthetic chemicals out of your yard and garden. Your soil food web will thrive and reward you with healthier, happy plants. Not to mention peace of mind knowing you are contributing to a healthier earth for all.



*note-the title of this piece comes from the book by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis called “Teaming with Microbes, The Organic Gardeners Guide to the Soil Food Web.”  It just makes so much sense!

7 comments:

  1. So often humans feel the need to fix something when all we need to do is stay out of the way. This is so true when it comes to gardening. If we stopped looking for solutions at the hardware or big box store and instead looked to the cycles of nature we would spend less money, have more time, and have more vibrant gardens. "Teaming with Microbes" provides fantastic information on why all gardeners need to remember, "It's the soil, stupid."

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  2. Thanks very much for the comment Jeff-quite a complement coming from you! I talk about soil with many new gardeners at my job at an organic nursery and am quite surprised how many gardeners think of soil just as a medium to hold the plant up and do not realize it is alive and has a much greater purpose. Your book is a great read and I recommend it often. Thanks for stopping by-I need to write more often!

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  3. Much of the formal education around gardening and even the master gardening program seems to focus a lot on the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. That's where a lot of the research is because the manufacturers of those chemicals tend to be the ones funding it. Because the application of these chemicals can be dangerous many States have laws regarding what people can even recommend to others. Few have exceptions when it comes to organic practices and as a result the types of experts others would turn to for advice only know about, or are constrained to only recommend those types of products.

    It's a shame.

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    1. It is a shame but I am quite hopeful these days! More and more people are seeing the warnings on the labels with new eyes and wanting to protect their families and not use these synthetic, toxic products. :)

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  4. Wonderful photographs, wonderful colours. I am greeting

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