Soil Health & Your Organic Biomass

THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY SOIL 

It is well documented that 80% of a plants P requirement comes from the organic Biomass and that we should be creating a healthy living, cycling soil that allows optimum release of nutrients from the Biomass. Getting the pH right and careful use of soil friendly fertilisers such as the Agrisol NPK liquid fertiliser range, is crucial in the release of vital trace elements which heavily impact animal & soil health.

A handful of soil should contain at least 1300 million bacteria, 30 million moulds and fungi and hopefully an earthworm, these are  nature's decomposers.

Soil applied with harsh chemical fertilisers containing acids, chlorides and root damaging salts do considerable harm to this natural breaking down of nutrients and are cleansing the soil of these beneficial organisms, rendering it a dead mineralised soil.We need to apply to the soil only what it needs to stimulate microbial activity, and in turn release the nutrients already locked up in our soils.

BACTERIA MOULDS AND FUNGI

A soil, contains so much available energy in mineral and organic form, and harbours a varied population of living organisms. These inhabitants include large organisms like earthworms and insects and vast numbers of smaller organisms such as protozoa, bacteria, small fungi, nematodes and algae.

This life within the soil plays such a prominent and indispensable role in the cycling of nutrients that it should not be ignored in the endless fertiliser debate (acidic Super and Potassium Chlorides Vs. fertilisers like Agrisol that are beneficial to soil bacterial activity).

The activities of soil organisms vary from the disintegration of plant resudues by insects and earthworms to the eventual complete decomposition of these residues by smaller organisms such as bacteria, moulds and fungi - resulting in humus.

Apart from the formation of humus, which is a by-product of the food chain in the soil, the various soil organisms contribute in other ways to soil fertility.

Earthworms;  Their main effect is to mix soil, aerate, and improve its drainage and porosity. They are a vital link in the chain of soil life and fertility. Their casts are rich in Nitrogen, organic matter, available Calcium, Phosphorous, Potassium and Magnesium, all essential for plant growth. Basically, they convert the unavailable into the available.

Moulds and Fungi; Their main role is the breakdown of hard materials in plant remains. Often it is only after their activity that bacteria can feed on these materials.

Bacteria;  The activities of decomposing bacteria are responsible for the circulation of carbon, which is necessary for life on earth. They are also main players in the cycling of nutrients. Recent studies are showing that our fertiliser practices in New Zealand are causing a huge depletion in carbon. We are not learning from the mistakes made overseas, such as in Australia and the United States. 

Digital Harvest & Agrifert believe that this is what a healthy soil should contain, and that after a number of years, using more environmentally beneficial fertilisers such as the Agrisol Range, farmers will find big changes for the better in their soil  bacteria activity. A fertile soil has an abundance of nutrients and micro-nutrients, it just has to be given a chance to cycle these nutrients and make them available.

pH;  An inevitable consequence of plant growth in soil is 'acidification' which decreases soil pH. The ideal pH for soil is between 6 and 6.5. This pH maximises the absorbtion levels of most of the major nutrients and trace elements. The rate of acidification in pasture soils requires between 100 and 200 kg lime/ha/year to neutralise it to maintain a constant soil pH and calcium content.

Where the soil pH is less than 5.6 there is increased probability that clover growth will be retarded and at pH less than 5.5 ryegrass growth is also affected due to poor root growth. P travels very little through the soil, therefore plant roots must reach out for it and so the soil conditions must be right.....not just the top 3 inches,but deeper down as will. Plant roots won't go where the pH's are low and aluminium levels are high. 

Low soil calcium levels are also associated with poor soil physical structure with low water holding capacity, which may affect late summer and autumn seasonal pasture production by up to 30%. Microbial activity is reduced affecting the organic matter cycle and reducing the supply of nitrogen to grass. The alternative to maintaining healthy soils for pasture productivity is to apply high rates of nitrogen fertiliser on a regular basis, this is not a low input  cost farming option and may not be sustainable. And further application of nitrogen fertiliser increases the rate of soil acidification and the lime requirement.

Application of lime to achieve adequate soil calcium and pH is required and then regular applications should be made to compensate for the rate of acidification. Failure to do this will compromise the investment that farmers make in fertilisers, seed and other inputs aimed at a achieving optimum pasture production. Source J Tuner, RJ Hill Laboratories.

Agrifert products, Gold Lime, Lime Slurry & OptiGrow are ideal for returning your pH to its optimum level and  Agrisols' neutral pH, rich seaweed base encourages microbial activity.  This is why farmers that have been using these productsl for many years are reporting an abundance of earthworms, healthier stock...... and improved nutrient levels.

SOIL TESTS, YOUR FARMS' FUEL GAUGE

The "fuel gauge" analogy is a good one for a number of reasons: with these tests we are measuring the level of available nutrients (fuel) in the system, on a productive farm as with a moving car, the fuel gauge is usually dropping.The seasons and weather act as bumps in the road which jolt the needle, a soil test is a "snapshot" of that moving jolting fuel gauge. On a farm, as with a car there are other ways to measure performance: production, stock health, visual, crop harvests, annual balance sheet, etc. So the soil test is important, but only as one factor out of several.

All soil tests are conducted independantly by RJ Hill Laboratories. 

To book a Soil Test please complete our contact form or call 0800 476 472 NOW!