[dropcap]B[/dropcap]eing a living soil gardener has its challenges.
Full refrigerators and pantries; wishing you actually owned stock in the Mason Jar company; and neighbors not answering the door because you have infected them with your overflow.
Not to mention the social stigma of crop envy that we have to contend with ; - )
Now that you are all happily enjoying the increased yield from your living soil gardens, let’s bring this system to your potted plants. Your citrus, plumeria and other captive specimens will love you for it.
Most soil blends are growing mediums. They offer a very good structure for root growth. However there are some manufacturers that offer growing mediums that contain mycorrhizae.
These are the beneficial bacteria for the soil. Extensive studies at Texas A&M have proved that plants and trees grown with mycorrhizae are significantly healthier and more disease-resistant.
The symbiotic relationship between plant and fungi is quite fascinating.
The fungi use the carbon produced by the plants to support their own functions, in turn helping the plant to reach farther into the soil by creating an extensive network or web of fungal filaments.
They are called hyphae, and they look like root hairs.
The degree to which further botanical engineering is used is also pretty stunning.
Combinations of bacilli and fungi are strategically mixed to allow one very fast growing fungi to act as the freight train to move other beneficial bacilli and fungi quickly across large expanses of soil to ‘do their thing.’
Once this fungal net is established, it will become a self-sustaining colony needing some simple feeding of molasses and organic material to continue to grow.
At our nursery, we offer 3 options for living soil for pots: Pro-Mix BX, MycoStim from Organic Laboratories and Happy Frog potting mix.
Just to give you an idea, let’s dig a little deeper and look at the amazing contents that you get when you buy a bag of Happy Frog:
General ingredients: sphagnum peat moss, perlite, earthworm castings, bat guano, humic acid, and oyster shells.
Micorrhizae content: 12 different forms of beneficial fungi, including root growth enhancers and soil innoculants.
Bacterial content: five types of bacillus, to help fight root rot and stimulate growth. In addition to creating a symbiotic relationship with the plants these bacilli stimulate growth and remove heavy metals, pathogens and other non-beneficial contaminants from soils.
It is important to remember that by creating living soil you are creating a living net of interconnected microorganisms and care should be taken when transplanting or replanting to avoid disturbing ‘the net.’
For pots this means you will have to reestablish the bacteria at each replanting and for raised beds and in the ground gardens stick to low till or no-till practices.
Remember that ‘fast acting’ fertilizers will kill your living soil, so commit only to organic fertilizers. With living soil colonies in place you will need to fertilize less, and the addition of horticultural molasses is all that you will need to feed the soil.
Happy gardening everyone!
