SOILSMART HOME
The interface between the soil and plant is one of the most complex and diverse eco-systems on earth, and to function properly all aspects of the soil system (Minerals - Structure - Biology) need to be maintained in a reasonable balance.
Plants grown in a well balanced soil tend to be healthier, stronger and more resilient to pests and disease. They also require less fertilizer and chemicals, and are able to take up and retain minerals more efficiently. So an understanding or recognition of this complex interface is important for the successful management of plants and soils in any situation.
In contrast, the trend across most commercial soil based enterprises is for increasing pest and disease pressure and a strong reliance on chemicals to control them. This is surprising because there has never been more products available to treat the effects of pests and disease.
The problem however, is that in the quest to find products to rectify or minimise the effects of pests and disease, we have inadvertently focused all our efforts on treating symptoms rather than causes - in reality we need to do both.
Of course we can't ignore the need to treat an infestation, but equally we can't ignore the need to deal with the cause. The best approach is to treat the symptoms (if they are causing economic threat), this should alleviate the immediate pressure, but at the same time we should also begin investigating and treating the causal issues, this way you can achieve longer term benefit and a genuine reduction in severity and reoccurrence.
One of the key differences between well balanced, highly productive soils and those which predominate many of our modern production systems is their biological balance. Building or rejuvenating a beneficial biology can take a lot of pressure off because it enables the soil to manage and cope with many common problems including disease supression and nutrient availability.
We Need Balance - It's Not About One Approach Or The Other
Our range of organic & biologically based products and unique diagnostic services are designed to help identify and address the cause of soil or plant based management issues, and to build and restore biological and mineral balance in both the soil and the plant.
Improving plant and soil balance will also ensure you get the maximum value from fertilizer additions, (an issue of increasing importance with the cost of most chemically based inputs linked to diminishing oil reserves). In fact there has never been a better time to implement management strategies that ensure both plants and soils are well balanced, capable of adapting to climatic change and able to use artificial fertilizers and chemical inputs as efficiently as possible.
See also;
Our Changing Soils
Rebuilding Soil Balance
Defending Against Pests & Disease
