Living Soils Organic Dry Amendment Fertiliser Bundle (3 x 400ML)

Product Information

The exterior of the plug is completely biodegradable, so all you have to do is make a small space in the middle of your pot of soil, place the plug in it, slowly cover the plug with water and watch the coir expand. The success of such an endeavor lies in a unique collaborative approach between all value-chain actors from farm to fork: farmers, the agri-food companies, distributors, scientists, policy makers, shareholders and agronomists… Living soils brings together these actors in the land where they live and operate to think in realistic and pragmatic ways about soils and the form of regenerative agriculture that creates transformative solutions. The most attractive aspect of growing using living soil and no-till methods is what happens at the end of the growing cycle. Rather than throwing away the soil or adding it to outdoor beds, growers can retain the same containers of soil for reuse. That means no tipping out containers, no dust, and no re-filling. If you look after the soil, it will improve over time, and your harvestable goods will also get better. If intending to re-use the soil from the start, you should already have worms doing their work and a mulch layer creating a compost effect from the top. This way, all that is needed is the addition of new plants as space becomes available. Just dig a little hole and go again! Reinvigorating Living Soil Most living soil growers use a mulch layer to cover the soil’s surface, keeping moisture in and allowing root and microbial activity at the soil surface. Popular materials for mulches are chopped straw, hay, and even stalks and leaves from the previous crop’s waste trimmings. If you can create a good layer of composting nutritious mulch, it will feed the soil as you water. If you have worms in your soil, they consume the decomposing mulch and create vermicompost on the soil surface. No-Till We like to build create our soil layer by layer with a recipe you will find in our article. By creating such a rich mixture, you will have a nutritious medium for your plants to grow. Let’s get right into it so that you can learn everything you need to know about it with this guide on the Green Pinky. Soil Science

As with our standard Bloom products, the phosphorous and potassium have been maximised via incorporating seaweed meal, bat guano, wheat bran and mined potassium sulphate, but this one has minimal amounts of bone meal. At Living Soils we are committed to building a learning network that consists of context specific training and skills development interventions. The learning philosophy on the farm is of co-creation, empowerment and inspiring individuals to take ownership of their future. Organic matter– this is dead plant material – roots, stems, leaves, etc., in various stages of decomposition.If you look closely, you can see that our frass sometimes contains small exoskeletons from the mealworm and contains less wheat bran and more frass than any other commercially available frass on the market! Previously, she worked as a sustainability and environmental scientist for the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and is a project manager for a programme that provides pro bono environmental services to disadvantaged groups and businesses across South Africa. She has also worked as a researcher with the Climate Systems Analysis Group (CSAG) at the University of Cape Town, with research focused on socioecological freshwater systems and how local ecological knowledge held by different stakeholders affects their water management priorities.

These powerful solutions help preserve soil biodiversity, improve water infiltration, enhance carbon sequestration capacity and boost soil microbiome activity all the while contributing to higher productivity of the land. Did you know that on just one hectare of land up to 2 tons of earthworms can live and naturally work the soil? They help soils act as gigantic sponges that retain water – an essential function in times of drought or heavy rains. Soil is the foundation of life — especially plant life. Rich in nutrients, it gives plants the essential elements for healthy growth and bolsters their resilience against pests and diseases. In nature, the earth is brimming with tiny microscopic lifeforms, which are an integral part of the ecosystem.Bloom AUTO is particularly effective in organic cultivation for auto strains when Grow AUTO has been used in the vegetative stage: this should provide all macro and micro nutrients as well as trace elements. Incorporate as a top dressing when your plant first starts flowering to maximise available P & K. Add it to the top of your growing media and water in well after application. She studied Horticulture, and during her early career she was introduced to Permaculture. Permaculture enables her to do what she loves, which is working with people where everyone shares and learns in ways that are sustaining human lives. She is inspired by being able to work with nature through growing food in a manner that respects the earth, while also co-creating beautiful living spaces in a landscape that humans will enjoy for peace, silence, beauty and learning.

Natural soil building can take decades, but we can make our own garden mix that is rich in organic matter and feeds the worms, fungi, and bacteria that return the nutrients to your plants. The Base Mix The macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are the N-P-K that you see on a fertilizer bag and are needed the most after hydrogen and oxygen, which are provided by air and water. Steps to Building a Live Soil Step 1: Testing Mineral content – this is the inorganic part: the sand, silt, and clay. Sand particles are much larger than silt, which is larger than the tiny clay particles. These particles determine its structure and texture. Its structure impacts how well it drains and how nutrients are made available to the plants.

There are lots of articles out there about the ratio of brown to green and rules about how often to turn it, but nature has been composting since plants first began and will do it for you over several months. What to Put in Your Compost

pH level. pH stands for “potential for Hydrogen” and tells you how alkaline or acidic it is. Zero is highly acidic, fourteen is highly alkaline, and seven is considered neutral. Most plants like a pH around six or seven. The pH is determined by mineral content, texture, climate, and water. Most of these elements are impossible to change – it’s better for growers to choose plants that will thrive in the dirt they have rather than to try to change the pH! Wood ash– high in potassium and phosphorus, calcium, zinc, manganese, and iron. Useful for reducing acidity; a little goes a long way. As our AUTO mix may be slightly too hot for germinating a seed straight in initially, we now provide a free coco plug with every 20L bag: this allows the seedling to have a soft start: it will grow through the coco, so the roots gradually become acclimatised to the mix. Take three to five samples from a few different spots in the garden and label the location – for example, “vegetable garden'” or“lawn.” If you have different areas you want to be tested, please try to keep samples from each different location separate. This way you can have specific recommendations for each area tested. Because of our soils' unique mix, they retain a lot of water so the greatest threat for those not used to using them is over-watering: we recommend that initially you water the whole surface of the pot a tiny amount but giving the area around the seedling a little more - then, when the plant is a little bigger, water the entire substrate fully aiming for no runoff, so water 'little and often', keeping substrate the moist. If possible, use dechlorinated water.Living soil is rich in microorganisms. These microscopic life forms live together in a soil food web, which is a complex and intricate food chain. This self-sustaining life cycle leads to a greater variety of nutrients in the earth. The plants that grow here are not only beneficiaries of the earth; they live in symbiosis with the other inhabitants. Repeat this for a few growing seasons, and you no longer have healthy soil. And it shows: root development is not robust, growth stalls, and vigor is lessened. Insect and disease problems develop.