What Is Organic Soil?

So what exactly is organic soil?  Isn’t all soil “organic” since it’s soil?  Not necessarily. One way that may be easier to think about it is to substitute the word “organic” for the word “living.” Organic soil is a soil that is created by the decomposition of plant and animal materials to create a nutrient and mineral rich mini-ecosystem with microorganisms that feed and breathe life back into the soil. Or, to put it another way, organic soil is how soil exists in nature. Before chemicals were added. Before synthetic and modified ingredients depleted the soil of its natural power, this is how soil existed. Think of the forest floor. Leaves and trees fall, fruits and vegetables grow and are eaten, animals feed and leave waste. All of this activity directly impacts the soil and creates a power-packed foundation for future growth. It creates a soil that is “living.”

Why use Organic Soil?

So now you know what organic soil is, but what are the benefits to using it?  There are quite a lot actually.  The most obvious one is the environmentally friendly aspect of it.  Using organic soil is using a soil that is made up of all natural ingredients.  Simply put, it is putting soil made from the environment, back into the environment.  That creates soil sustainability that over time continues to further enrich your soil.  What does that mean for you? More lush, healthier plants, fruits and vegetables that are safe for you and your family and safe for the environment.

Organic soils can also save you time and money.  Adding organic material to native soil helps contribute to the balance of drainage and retention of water. In most cases organic material helps keep water in the soil longer than synthetic soils.  This means that what you are growing will have better access to the water it needs and that translates to less frequent watering.

Organic soils can help your plants resist pests and disease, avoiding the need to use chemicals and pesticides.  Because organic soil is composed of nutrient and mineral rich elements, your plants will grow stronger cell wells, giving them added layers of protection from pests and disease.  This eliminates the need to buy chemical heavy pesticides that introduce synthetic elements to your plants.  The nutrients in organic soils also provide a natural protection making plants more resistant to diseases.  All of this adds up to stronger pest and diseases resistant plants that save you from having to spend more to keep them healthy.

Depending on your gardening needs and preferences organic soils come in a range of varieties and uses from organic potting soil to lawn soil and garden soil.

Organic Soil Quick Tips:

Kellogg Garden Organics soils look different! But don’t be alarmed by the texture.  It looks different for a reason!  Many people have been using conventional or synthetic soils their entire lives and aren’t familiar with what organic soil looks like.

Organic soils can help improve the native soil found in your garden or landscape!  By adding organic matter back into your native soil, you can turn nutrient deficient, difficult-to-grow-in dirt into thriving, living soil.  Knowing the different soil types can help you determine how best to treat your soil and how to enrich it.  Soil types from sandy to clay to silt can each be improved with organic matter.

And don’t forget to add an organic fertilizer! As nutrient packed as organic soils are, plants still need fertilizer.  Nitrogen deficiency is one of the major causes for plants to shrivel up and turn yellow. This can easily be solved by introducing a fertilizer regimen.  When growing fruits and vegetables, which are notorious for being heavy feeders, make sure you add an organic fertilizer to your soil at the time of planting to ensure success!

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