Microbz Soil

Using effective microorganisms
to regenerate soil

What effective microorganisms do

Microorganisms have existed for millions of years and have successfully colonised every corner of the earth and every creature on it. They are essential for the cycle of life, without them there would be no life as we know it.

The benefits of using effective microorganisms on your crop include:

  • Improved soil health and fertility, increased organic activity in soil and reduced erosion

  • Increased humus development, moisture and nutrient retention capacity is improved

  • Increased plant resistance, less pathogenic fungal diseases

  • Stimulation of root growth with rich, high quality yields with strong yields even in drought periods

  • Reduction in toxic residue on crops and no groundwater pollution

  • Faster heating of soil, earlier start to the growing season

  • Plants contain more antioxidants and bioactive substances such as vitamins and trace elements

  • Fertiliser costs are reduced as the availability of organic and inorganic nutrients in the soil to the plant are increased

  • Operational costs are reduced whilst at the same time increasing quality and yield

What do effective microorganisms do:

Effective microorganisms carry out a whole host of functions in the world beneath our feet. These include nutrient cycling, carbon capture, water retention and water purification.

  • Plants need a balanced diet to survive and nutrient cycling is vital to provide that food source. Aside from producing their own energy via photosynthesis, plants uptake nutrients such as potassium and iron from the soil which are essential for growth

  • Beneficial microorganisms, also known as microbes, harvest nutrients from soil’s organic matter. The soil organic matter is the component of soil that contains decomposed plant and animal tissues, in various stages of breakdown. These microbes, including bacteria and fungi, retain nitrogen, carbon and other nutrients in their bodies which they gain from root exudates (excreted nutrient dense fluid) and other organic matter

  • Protozoa and nematodes, which are bigger microbes, consume the bacteria, fungi and other microbes. They digest what they need to survive and then then excrete the nutrients as waste. These nutrients are then available to other microorganisms and can be absorbed by plant roots

  • Without this cycling many nutrients would leach away from the soil. Via this process essential nutrients are retained in soil. Nutrient rich soil means nutrient rich plants. Nutrient rich plants mean increased yields and increased quality

    • Soils sequester carbon; this means soil is capable of storing carbon for long periods of time

 

    • During photosynthesis plants absorb carbon dioxide and sunlight. This process produces oxygen which is released into the atmosphere as well as sugars and other molecules that are mostly made of carbon atoms. Plants synthesise carbon rich compounds via photosynthesis and then release these in to the soil

 

    • Effective microorganisms, including fungi and bacteria, feed on these carbon rich compounds. This is part of the nutrient cycle as it will eventually result in the increase in nutrients for the plant. The carbon is then stored as soil organic matter. It can be stored in the soil for many years by the long filamentous structure of fungi, known as fungal hyphae

 

    • Fun fact, the largest organism in the world is actually a fungus. It is in the soil in Oregon, USA and covers nearly four square miles of earth. Atmospheric carbon is absorbed by plants and stored for years by fungal hyphae

 

  • Soil can also store carbon as carbonate. This is formed when CO2 dissolves in water and combines with calcium and magnesium minerals

  • Bacteria, which is one of the many effective microorganisms, improves water retention by aggregating into biofilms. Biofilms are sticky little colonies of microbes which coat soil particles and trap moisture. These biofilms are able to bind many times their weight in water, meaning they can hold vast amounts of water that would otherwise have been washed away. The biofilm also creates tiny air pockets, improving the aeration of the soil

  • Effective microorganisms are experts at decomposing organic material, which is a process that also releases water into the soil

  • Any contaminants, such as fertilisers which are inorganic compounds, in water that are absorbed by soil are seen by microbes (e.g. bacteria, fungi, protozoa) as nutrients. They absorb and digest these contaminants, converting them into molecules that are normally found in nature, thus taking them out of the water

  • Effective microorganisms are not only beneficial to the soil, they can be used in waste management systems and in many areas where water purification is essential

Why effective microorganisms:

If the explanation above has not yet persuaded you about the power of these incredible invisible microorganisms, then keep reading to discover why we are passionate about them.

  • It does not take much energy to produce effective microorganisms in comparison to intensive farming techniques. All that is needed is virgin soil where healthy microbes can be sourced and some ingredients and processes to ferment them

      • Effective microorganisms ensure a balanced soil food web, which provides prime conditions for healthy soil structures

     

    • Good structure allows plant roots to move easily through the soil giving them stability and increasing the roots ability to uptake nutrients. This healthy structure allows soils to be kept in aerobic conditions where effective microorganisms are able to thrive

    • Weeds need nitrates to grow. Nitrates can only be produced, by nitrifying bacteria, in soil that has a pH above 7. In soil environments that contain no synthetic fertilisers and have plenty of effective microorganisms, the pH of the soil is naturally maintained below 7 meaning weeds don’t get their favourite food

    • Plant roots are protected by aerobic effective microorganisms. These effective microorganisms are also present on the plant above ground, feeding on the compounds released by all parts of the plant. The effective microorganisms protect against disease causing microorganisms, they outcompete them

    • Healthy plants are grown from a balanced soil food web and naturally produce chemicals that deter pests. This reduces the need for pesticides and is also beneficial for humans upon ingestion. The effective microbes in healthy soil and plants are great for our own microbiome and can be eaten from freshly picked food that has not been sprayed with fertilisers

    • Effective microorganisms are experts at breaking down food and water waste

    • At waste treatment facilities, it is effective microorganisms that treat the waste. They convert it into the molecules that are normally found in nature: some solid, some liquid and some gasses. This is incredibly useful in agriculture in relation to silage and maintaining clean environments for animals that spend time indoors