Soil Food Web Approach

IDENTIFY which groups of microorganisms are lacking in the soil​

BOOST their numbers using Biocomplete™ Compost and Liquids

ADOPT natural farming & landscaping techniques to ensure biology survives

Nutrient Cycling. This is the process by which beneficial microorganisms harvest nutrients from soil organic matter and also from the ‘parent material’. Rocks, pebbles, sand particles, silts and clays are all considered ‘parent material’. On a molecular level, they comprise crystalline structures that are not easily broken down. These structures contain atoms of iron, boron, phosphorus, calcium, potassium etc. Plants are not capable of directly accessing the nutrients in these structures.

​Bacteria and fungi, however, produce enzymes that break-down these structures, thus releasing the nutrients they contain. The bacteria and fungi readily absorb these nutrients, which are later made available to plant roots when bacterial and fungal predators consume their prey and subsequently excrete their waste. It is this waste material that plants absorb – a nutrient dense liquid food source that can be absorbed directly into the plant root.

Control Pests & Disease

The vast majority of disease causing microorganisms are anaerobes, meaning they thrive in low oxygen conditions and that they shut-down in oxygen rich environments. The opposite is true for beneficial microorganisms. A well-structured soil allows air to flow in, creating an oxygen rich environment (>6ppm) which selects for beneficial microorganisms and suppresses disease causing organisms.

With the Soil Food Web in place, the plant is nutrient rich and therefore better able to protect itself, whilst diseases are inhibited by the conditions in the soil.

Weeds

The presence of beneficial fungi in the soil has been shown to significantly inhibit the growth of weeds. This is because beneficial fungi secret acidic enzymes which lower soil pH. The reduced pH levels inhibit the ability of nitrifying bacteria to transform ammonia, one form of nitrogen, into nitrates, a second form of nitrogen that is vital for weeds to flourish.