Archive for natural To understand how soils work in conjunction
with plants, you really need to understand cellular biology;
however, in this article, we are going to take a much simpler
look at how soil nutrients, plant function and soil biology work
together to form a sustainable environment. As indicated in
February’s article, most of us who are trying to “fix” or
“maintain” our soils are concerned about the NPK numbers on
fertilizer bags; however, knowing the nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium levels of a product is only the start to creating a
sustainable soil. “Generations of gardeners have been brought up
on 10-10-10 and 39-9-12, but nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
are just three of many nutrients that plants need to survive.”
Two additional nutrients to consider when evaluating soil’s
sustainability are calcium (which stabilizes pH levels and
biological activity, loosens soil, is a major component of plant
cell walls and is a key indicator of weed growth) and magnesium
(which holds soil particles t