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Kocks create 90 percent of soils, with the remainder being made up of organic matter. A whole food-chain system works symbiotically, including the micro-organisms, minerals and organic matter to create biologically active, nutrient rich soil.
For truly healthy soil, a cycle of reciprocity between soil, plants and animals (humans, too) must be upheld. Break the cycle and imbalance sets in.
Elaine Ingham, an innovative soil biologist, refers to the soil organisms as micro-herds, comparing them to underground livestock - a great concept to help with understanding the importance of these soil Animals.
There are three classes of decoirmosers: primary (bacteria, fungi, algae, actinomycetes, worms, sowbugs, mites), secondary (protozoa, ptillids, mites, .springtails) and tertiary (centipedes, ants, spiders, ground beetles arid rove beetles). >vr These creatures do the initial grazing, waste and gums jMtbdation as well as aerating the soil, all creating fertility and structure. The goal is humus, the most important element of good soil. Some types of humus containing fulvic acids .provide plant nutrients. The most desirable type of humus contains humic acids, which ■create stability, slow decomposition, plus resistance to disease and metal toxicity, s Some humus soils resist decomposition for 100’s of years. Further, the colloidal nature of humus attracts cation nutrients (calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, boron, etc. ) thus maintaining neutral ph levels. A lack of nutrients in soil creates acidic conditions. A ph level of 6.2 — 6.8 , which suits the most plants, is an optimum ph range offering in terms of plant nutrient availability and beneficial microbial activity.
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