Soil Improvement With Organic Materials

The main indicators of soil health are the amount of fresh organic matter and the level of biological activity. The entire food production system depends for its viability on healthy soil. Healthy soil produces the healthy crops that give nourishment to people. Organic farming is intimately related to the concept of soil health because its advocates have always believed that a healthy soil is the key to the sustained production of healthy, nutritious food.

Soil is a living ecosystem, and healthy soil is filled with different organisms, microscopic and larger ones, responsible for converting minerals and decomposing matter into nutrients plants can use. The microscopic organisms include bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi and algae. Biological activity is dependent on organic matter content.

A healthy soil system, then, involves not only soil fertility but also soil structure, acid build-up and erosion. Its functions include the conversion of decaying organic matter into stable humus, the retention of various nutrients including nitrogen and delivery of nutrients in a form plants can readily assimilate, the formation of aggregates, the protection of root systems from parasites and diseases, the production of plant hormones to promote growth, and the retention of water.

Potting soil by name is hypocritical since it is not really a soil. It is actually any of a number of possible mixes that vary in weight and composition. These mixes often contain peat moss, composted barks, drainage materials, such as perlite, and other nutrients and conditioners such as bone meal, potash, and timed released fertilizers to help stabilize the mix. Topsoil is literally loaded with nutrients and is therefore also useful in helping your plants thrive.

Worm castings are by far the least known, but almost definitely have significantly more nutrients than both potting soil and topsoil. Worm castings are produced on worm farms where worms are put to live in extremely rich soil which is already loaded with nutrients. These worms live there for a while until they shed their skins. This is the best possible source of plants' nutrients, since worms exude the most nutrients naturally. The end result is an extremely nutritious "soil" on which plants can thrive.

As far as the prices for these three products go, they are generally all about the same price. You should probably be looking to spend a couple of dollars per bag depending on the quality of the soil that you are purchasing. While topsoil and worm castings are generally the same stuff and cost the same wherever you go, there are many different kinds of potting soils ranging in price from two dollars to thirteen dollars per bag, or more. The price fluctuates based on what is in each particular potting soil. A richer one will cost more, while potting soil without so many nutrients will cost less.

If you are planting a flower bed or have pot plants, either indoor or outdoor, worm castings is the best way to go. These is because the soil will not clump up and harden, and will even time-release the water and fertilizer to make sure your plants get what they need when they need it. Worm castings are generally hard to come by since most people do not know about them causing most landscape supply stores to not sell them. Since this is the case, potting soil is the next best thing, and some experts even insist that potting soil is better than worm castings.

Topsoil will often harden and clump up and rather than absorb water, it will just let the water runoff. The plant can become soaked when watered and dry up when it's not. Potting soil and worm castings, on the other hand, stay damp and give the plant or flower bed what it needs when it need it. The price that you pay for potting soils will directly affect how effective it will be and how many nutrients it will contain. The expensive bags of potting soil will certainly help your plants reach their maximum potential. The cheaper bags will definitely contribute to the health of your plants, but not as much as the more expensive bags. It is completely up to you to determine how much your plants mean to you to determine which bag to get. Worm castings can also attract worms which will eventually shed their castings contributing even more nutrients to the soil, which essentially helps the plants or flowers.

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