Something is missing
Something is missing
In my last blog, I discussed some of the life activities that take place in Beneath the surface. The activities of these organisms are the source for how the plants we raise get their nutrients. But just where do these organisms their sustenance?
These organisms, much like us, can get their sustenance from either organic or chemical (manmade) compounds. Think of it like setting down and eating an organic meal of meat, potatoes and vegetables, verses a meal made of powdered energy drinks and pills. Both scenarios can provide the basics of what a body needs, but the difference between these are substantial.
When it comes to getting and maintaining proper intake for our plants, we need to look at what our plants need. We have all heard of the three “Big Ones”, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K), but our plants need more than just these, this is where the difference between the organic and chemical compounds come in.
Chemical compounds come in the form of manmade fertilizers. As good as these things can be, they are really a short-term fix to a much bigger problem. We all know the need for proper nutrition, but due to our busy lives, we tend to take short cuts. To give us the boost we need, we take the energizer drinks and pills. These things give us the boost we need for the moment but fail in the long-term deficiencies that our bodies really need that comes from the meat, potatoes and vegetables.
I am sure that you have heard the saying; “You are what you eat”. According to Donald Davis and his team of researchers from the University of Texas (UT) at Austin’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was published in December 2004 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. They studied U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritional data from both 1950 and 1999 for 43 different vegetables and fruits, finding “reliable declines” in the amount of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin C over the past half century.[1]
What is the cause of this loss? The answer to this has many facets, but the underlying reason is we have removed what the organisms need to produce what our plants need, and that is, organic material.
[1] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/