Gardner's; Start the replenishing
There is no better time to start replenishing your garden than right now, whether you are having 70 degree weather or have 3 feet of snow on the ground and winds of 50 miles an hour blowing it all around as is happening as I write this blog.
When it comes to replenishing the nutrients in your garden, it needs to be something that is an on going process. Remember, we need to think of our soil as a living organism, because that is what it is.
In my last blog, "Something is Missing" I stated that the reason for our de-pleated soil nutrition is "we have removed what the organisms that live in our soil need to produce what our plants need, and that is, organic material."
This organic material is also referred to as "SOM" or Soil Organic Material. In many of our big agricultural operations, the SOM is almost non-existent. They are trying to increase this today by what is called the no-till planting process. Instead of burying the material deep into the soil beneath the organisms that can decompose it, they are allowing more of it to stay near the surface.
Just what is "SOM", think of it as food for the soil. "SOM" is, decomposeable organic particles that provide some level of nutrient density. Each type of SOM contains different kinds nutrients. When considering the SOM you are using in your garden, the simple thing to remember, variety is the key. This variety needs to be in type and size of material. More on this in another blog.
When it comes to SOM, we need to understand that plants cannot take this up, they can only take up the nutrients that come when the SOM is broken down or digested. To read out how the SOM is broken down, go back and read the past blog, "Beneath the Surface." As the organic material is broken down by the organisms beneath the surface, the waste they produce, is what the plant is then able to take up.
When it comes to how much organic material a question arises, just how much SOM should I have. This varies depending on who you talk to, but the average for a good garden should have between 3% - 7%.
Can you get too much SOM? In most cases the answer is no. To increase the SOM on a typical 1 acre of land, you will need to apply 150 tons of Organic material. So to increase your SOM on one acre you will need to add over 1000 tons of product. So if you have a small garden, you are talking about a couple semi loads to reach 7% SOM.
Why is SOM so important? It is the foundation for your ANDI.
More on that in my next blog,
#SOM #digested #decomposing