The plant species from which we grow food crops, pastures or provide quality turf surfaces were all designed to live and flourish in a biologically rich, ‘living soil environment’, where beneficial soil organisms play a significant role in regulating the health of the entire production system.

They achieve this through the maintenance soil structure, the conversion of mineral nutrients into plant available forms and by providing competition to deter disease and insect attack. The same biological processes need to be present in sand profiles (typical in sports turf) and in prepared growing media (common in greenhouses and garden beds) although the strength and diversity of the biological populations in these ‘soils’ are typically not as strong as those occurring naturally in the soil.
 

In contrast to these natural processes, for the past 50 – 60 years we have concentrated most of our management efforts on manipulating our plant based production systems with chemicals (fertilizers and crop protection products).

While the move to chemicals and to modern land management practices has enabled higher production levels, with time it has become increasingly evident that this concentration on chemical solutions has been having a negative impact on the soil ecology, to the point where our soils are becoming progressively less productive and harder to manage.
 

There are many tell-tale signs of biological decline - soil structure will begin to collapse, and as the pore spaces reduce the soil becomes more compact, reducing air and moisture infiltration. The collapse in soil structure restricts root development and creates anaerobic conditions, favouring pest and disease organisms which thrive in low Oxygen environments.

In sandy soils, which are biologically weaker to begin with, the reduction in beneficial organisms limits the ability of the plant to extract nutrients from the soil, and reduces the competition against disease organisms and insects.

As well as preventing the soil from breathing properly, the declining soil structure has a significant impact on the soils’ ability to receive and retain moisture. Hard setting soils will resist water infiltration.

Poorly structured soils also lack the pore spaces, reducing its ability to retain moisture, as a consequence the soil will dry out more quickly, feel the affects of drought conditions more quickly and take longer to recover, while plants trying to grow in these conditions will be more easily stressed.
 

In reality, to produce healthy crops we need to manage the whole soil system, including the biological soil environment in which the plants are growing. It’s not all bad news though, because we don’t need to drastically change what we are doing.

The solution to these problems is about recognising and accepting the fact that current practices do have an impact on the soil environment, and then incorporating the right products and techniques into your management plans to reduce the impact.
 

Soilsmart can help you achieve a balanced approach to soil management, so rather than simply treating the symptoms of soil decline, you can address the underlying causes and progressively rehabilitate and restore the overall health of the soil system.

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