Feed Your Plants or Feed Your Soil? Soil fertility and more.

Soil is alive! It’s more than just “dirt;” soil is full of useful bacteria, fungi, and insects that are ready, willing, and able to help your plants flourish. We believe in pumping up your soil with natural ingredients found in our organic products rather than pumping your plants up with synthetic chemicals that may feed your plants, but do nothing for the rest of the ecosystem that lives in your yard.

Organic gardening partners with the life in your soil

Organic gardeners look around at the world and are in awe of how intricately everything works together for the common good. The natural ingredients used in organic fertilizers don’t actually feed your plants, they are in a form that will be happily eaten by the beneficial organisms living in your soil. These organisms convert those ingredients into nutrients your plants can easily use.

By supporting the life in your soil, those beneficial insects, bacteria and fungi will return the favor and help your plants resist diseases and fight off pests. The living organisms that make up your soil ecosystem will also help your soil stay aerated and hold just the right amount of moisture.

Rather than bully a garden into performing on human terms by focusing only on the plant, organic gardening products partner with the life all around us to gently coax the best out of our environment. Regular use of organic fertilizers renews your soil so that it can support a vibrant garden with full, lush plants indefinitely.

Synthetic chemicals may feed your plants, may drain life from the soil

The man-made ingredients in chemical fertilizers don’t need microorganisms to get to your plants. They are already in a form that your plants can easily absorb. This may sound like an easier way to do things, but like many things worth doing well, the easier path may not be the best one.

Because they don’t need soil microorganisms, after regular use of chemical fertilizers, the organisms in your soil will die. Then you will be left simply with dirt! It will be dry and dusty – think dustbowl! It’s possible you may likely have a heavy buildup of salts on the surface, a leftover residue from synthetic fertilizers – never good for a healthy garden. Unfortunately, this is exactly the sort of environment where pests and diseases thrive.

What’s worse – plants that have been pumped up with a steady diet of synthetic nutrients have thinner cell walls. At a time when the soil ecosystem is least able to protect your plants, the plants themselves are most vulnerable to pests and diseases, not to mention the stresses of cold, heat and drought. In short, what “looks” like it is benefiting the plant, is actually harming it and the valuable ecosystem surrounding it.

Slow and steady wins the race

Organic gardening is slower; it takes time for the beneficial microbes to break down organic products in the soil that benefit your plants. You will not be able to green your lawn overnight with organic products. Patience is key to a beautiful, sustainable garden. Feed your soil and be rewarded with a beautiful, healthy garden. After all, it’s not just dirt.