What is soil biology and why is it important?

When thinking about planting your garden or caring for your houseplants people often think about how they can grow healthy and productive plants without turning to toxic chemicals and salt-based fertilizers. Afterall, part of the benefit of growing plants at home is that you get full control of what goes into them. Compost and planting mixes are a great way to introduce organic matter, create fluffy aerated soil, and to add some nutrition to a home planted garden, this alone can get a good result, but you are really missing out if you aren’t improving the biology that lives in your garden soil.

Fostering the right balance and species of microorganisms can lead to bacteria that add nitrogen to your soil, fungi that make phosphorus more available, and soil predators like nematodes that eat pests and pathogens. Through the introduction of this kind of beneficial biology, you can take better advantage of the natural resources in your environment and get the most from potting soil, compost, and the soil that is naturally in your yard.

This is how nature intended for plants to grow. Plants have spent millions of years building relationships with microbes that help them interact with their environment. They have become so interdependent that plants will send sugars through their roots out into the soil to help feed the bacteria and fungi that grow around them. These sugars are called exudates, and they are a big part of how plants communicate with the soil. Plants aren’t just feeding the biology around their roots for free though, the fungi and bacteria help the plants get access to nutrients that they need and can even help fight off pests and diseases.

When soil doesn’t have a strong microbiome around its roots, the plant struggles to get adequate nutrition and will become more susceptible to pests and diseases, leading to sick plants and lower quality produce. This is why adding a good biodiverse inoculum to your soil is so important, it sets the stage for healthy plants from seed to fruit and will help grow higher quality produce for your family.