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Bacteria in the Soil
Microbe population in soil:
I am offering an analogy to you that has many synergy's to soil health, namely,
human health.
When a human, in this case a woman, takes an antibiotic, a majority of the time
the will manifest a yeast infection. This is caused because the antibiotic has
damaged the balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria.
She can eliminate this imbalance in the bad bacteria by take more friendly
bacteria. This is not done by taking modern yogurt(it does not have the bacteria).
It can be done by finding old fashion yogurt with four types of bacteria or going
to a health food store and buying bacteria complexes found in the cold section.
The conventional doctors/wisdom will tell them to take the leading selling drug
called Lotrimin. This does nothing to solve the problem, but masks the
symptoms.
This analogy applies to the soil. The chemicals that have been used on the soil
have destroyed a great deal of the beneficial bacterial that used to be in the soil.
This is evidenced by the huge business in fungicides. Another is the epidemic
growth of the pathogenic nematode. It is a result of the killing of the nematode
trapping fungi that used to exist in the soil. In this case just adding compost
doesn't stop the problem.
I know of bacterial product/complexes that can be added to the soil to stop many
of these fungi.
If practical you can add a composed manure and get some of the same benefits.
The immune system of the soil needs to be revived. Addition Humates could help
to begin the process. Adding a bacterial complex called BioL.F.E. will do that
even better because it will supply bacteria, some of which is nitrogen fixing
(average 167 pounds/acre), build humus and help to produce organic matter by
the breakdown of the trash from crops, etc. It will also, in many cases, increase
the uptake of nutrients and make the soils more malleable. This product
manufactures phosphorylated polysaccharides and helps to keep the pH balanced
for crops needs.
In tobacco it has eliminated the need for fungicides for black shank
(Phytophthora parasitica) and blue mold (Peronosporatabacina) in a multi-year
trial in Kentucky. In a trial in New Mexico it was used on cotton for fusarium
wilt and stopped it completely in one season. Further trials are planned.
Therefore we know and have seen the control of disease in soil by adding
beneficial microorganisms and restoring the soil bacteria levels.
If the soil has been badly damaged and the normal complex of microorganisms
are no longer present the have to be replaced. Mere stimulation of the remaining
bacteria will not be sufficient if they no longer exist in sufficient complexes.
Balance is the key to disease stress.
Just a side note: this approach has worked to stop cancer without
drugs/chemo/radiation, arthritis, heart disease, psoriasis, etc. It is a powerful
approach to human health and a powerful approach to soil health.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Rankin
Global Farming Systems, Ltd.
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