What is Organic Soil?

While it may be hard to think of any soil as inorganic or unnatural, many commercially made soils contain high levels of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. Soil is natural designed to encourage healthy plant growth while discouraging insects, fungi, and weeds, commercial soil accomplishes this, but they do so at any cost. Organic soil on the other hand does not contain chemical ingredients, providing a rich substrate for plants to grow by using natural means to control pests.

Instead of using chemical fertilizers, organic soil is is created using compost from organic sources and manure that comes from organically-fed animals. Some organic soils may also be amended with things like mycelium, which helps the soil retain water and nutrients, along with organic mulch to aerate the soil and make it looser. Good organic soil is extremely dark, moist, and fragrant and offers a great environment for you plants.

There are a variety of organic soils which include organic potting soil, organic soil for backfill and there is also organic soil specifically designed for vegetable or flower gardens. You can find a variety of organic soils at any garden center or you can create your own organic soil in your backyard by composting.

Why Choose Organic Soil?

There are many advantages of using organic soil and if you prefer to grow organic vegetable, organic soil is your only option. A major benefit of organic soil over commercially made soil, is that it does not produce harmful runoff which could cause problems in local waterways, making it an eco-friendly choice. Many people believe that organic soil is also better for the garden, since it helps to promote slow, healthy plant growth, rather than rapid growth, which can lead to the loss of nutrients in the soil.

A fundamental principle of organic gardening is to feed your soil and let the soil feed your plants. By providing the natural and organic materials that natural fauna and flora organisms in your soil need to thrive, you will encourage more and more of these organisms to grow and thrive. This provides your organic garden with an ever increasing quality of soil with more and more available nutrients for your plants.

Another benefit of organic soil is that it helps to promote a healthy population of worms. Earthworms benefit the soil by pulling pieces of leaves, grass and other living things into the soil helping to add nutrients. Worms also burrow tunnels in the soil where water and air can move which helps to stop erosion, while letting water and air get down to the roots. Another benefit of worms is the castings they create from what they eat, these castings create a perfect fertilizer for your garden.

Organic Soil Care

The organic approach to soil care is a combination of good horticultural practices and the use of bulky organic materials such as compost and organic fertilizers. The first thing to remember for organic soil care, is that organic garden fertilization does not come from a bag. Composted plant wastes and manures are the main ways of adding plant foods to the soil. There for simple backyard compost will create the best organic fertilizer.

Another great benefit to your organic soil, no matter your soil type is humus content. Soil with increasing humus looks darker and is more crumbly, but no longer shows the organic matter as discrete particles. The more organic matter we add from all sources, the more humus will be produced over time. Humus is considered as fuel for the metabolism of soil microbes and intermixes with clay particles in the soil, making them less likely to stick together when wet. Humus also acts like a sponge in the soil, absorbing rain water when it falls, so the water does not simply pass through the topsoil, which helps to keep the water available to plants in the root zone.

Keys to organic soil care include the following:

Feeding: Using bulky soil improvers help to feed the soil with living creatures and helps with structure and overall fertility of your organic garden.

Access: Try to avoid compacting the soil with excessive foot traffic in your garden. Compacting the soil restricts air movement and makes it difficult for roots to penetrate.

Do Not Over Dig: Over digging can destroy your gardens vital soil structure.

Avoid Overfeeding: You can cause series problems to your organic soil overfeeding it with too many nutrients. Only feed if your plants need it, pay attention to your plants performance to guide you.