WaterSense with the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
The secret life
13
Beneath the
surface of our soil is a
secret world of amazing
life! It has been said that
if you pick up a handful of
healthy organic soil you are
holding more living creatures
than the total amount of
the human population that
has ever lived on planet
earth.
The secret life of soil
of soil
with Marcus Ragus
The term ‘dirt’ is often used to describe soil, but that term really
does not do this marvellous material justice. If people knew
more about what makes up a good soil and understood that soil
is truly one of the miracle factors for overall life on earth, we
would be far more respectful.
Soils are essentially made up of a few key components:
• the mineral fraction such as the sand, silt and clay;
• the organic fraction including living and decaying organisms;
• air and water, which play an incredibly important role in making
life happen.
Soils also contain the mineral nutrient elements required by all living
creatures to grow; these in turn form the basis of the enormous and
complex living systems of the soil.
Soil ecosystems
There are thousands of different organisms that inhabit the soil
ecosystem, from the very small or micro organisms such as bacteria,
protozoa, nematodes and fungi to the large, such as earthworms.
Many of these creatures co-exist in symbiotic relationships with plants,
benefiting both plants and organisms. More than 98% of plants have
some form of relationship with independent soil organisms on or near
their roots. These relationships assist plants with nutrition and water
intake as well as protecting their roots from other potentially harmful
organisms.
Examples of these relationships are legume plants such as peas, beans
and clover and many others that have adapted parts of their roots to
host specialised bacteria that turn atmospheric nitrogen into plant
usable forms of nitrogen.
Many plants have specific fungal root associations known as
mycorrhizal relationships that can actually increase the surface areas
of roots and therefore absorption of certain nutrients. These can also
help the plant to conserve water in difficult times.
These natural associations should be encouraged to
develop as they enable the plant to absorb essential
nutrients as they require them rather than through the
addition of fertilisers. Using fertilisers can often lead to
excess nutrition and plants requiring more water.
WaterSense with the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
Looking after your soil
In some cases certain horticultural practices can
harm the delicate balance of the soil organism
relationships with plants. Therefore it’s important to
not only know what is good for the plants but also
what is good for the soil life!
To learn more about WaterSense gardening, check
out the online videos at
www.rtbg.tas.gov.au or taswater.com.au
Secret life of soil
Some things which can encourage beneficial soil
organisms in your garden include:
• When working an existing garden bed try
minimal digging or even No Dig Gardening (see
the No Dig Jig factsheet). If you must cultivate,
only cultivate to a maximum depth of 200mm
using a shallow hoe or cultivator and only do this
to a maximum of once every 6 months.
• When planting seedlings only cultivate a small
area in the immediate planting zone rather than
the entire garden bed, for example 10cm circles
are more than adequate.
• Try setting aside a part of your garden bed
to compost pathways made of hay, they limit
compaction underfoot and provide an ideal
environment for beneficial soil organisms as well
as reducing water inputs.
• Limit or avoid fertilisers that provide sudden
high doses of nutrition such as commercial
liquid and granular fertilisers, and if you must
add fertilisers add well-made home compost
plus some organic fertilisers which, if used in
moderation, are fine.
• Mulch with high organic and quick breakdown
mulches such as hay and compost, which are
ideal for rapid ‘good’ organism growth.
It’s easy once you know what to do; healthy
organisms mean water savings and great plant
growth!