Bacteria Provide the Garden Plant Food But Cause Soil Erosion

The bacteria that live in soil consume and digest organic matter. Aerobic bacteria are the gardener's friend. They excrete soluble substances that are plant nutrients. Given a staple diet of organic material aerobic bacteria will provide the comprehensive array of major and minor nutrients plants need to grow in a healthy manner. Good quality soil will allow aerobic bacteria to provide for plants consistently. The factors affecting bacteria performance are:

• Air, there has to be air in the soil for aerobic bacteria to survive,

• pH, this needs to be 7, nutrient fixing aerobic bacteria enjoy a neutral pH.

• Soil temperature, below 5° Celsius bacteria slow and become dormant.

Aerobic bacteria in the one sense are a gardener's best friend but in another are his worst enemy. The reason for this is they are solely responsible for soil erosion. The organic matter within the soil profile and between soil particles; dead plant material, added farm yard manure, compost and the soil humus are digested by aerobic bacteria. The water soluble substances they excrete are valuable plant food. The problem is rainfall and irrigation washes the soil relentlessly. The organic material is leached out of the soil. Soil eroded in this manner becomes lifeless. Soil particles are pushed together without humus to hold them apart. The airspace is removed from the soil profile.

Bacteria are not essential to grow food crops. Tomatoes, strawberries and barley fodder are grown commercially using a system of hydroponics. This is a sterile aggregate washed regularly with solutions of plant nutrients. These are successful methods but the crops need to have a high value to justify the expensive growing structures, growing media, and continual feeding. In ordinary kitchen gardens bacteria do the work of supplying constant nutrient to growing crops.

Bacteria are important in the right numbers. The scenario of soil erosion due to bacteria activity is only a problem in cultivated soil. Food crops such as: top fruit, soft fruit, asparagus, rhubarb enjoy permanent soil. Permanent soil is a darker colour when compared to cultivated soil just a few metres away. This is because it contains more humus. If we want the plants that grow from seed and yield within one year to enjoy permanent soil we have to consider different methods of cultivation.

Minimal cultivation systems involve drilling or planting directly. This can be disappointing. The plants develop in a stunted manner. Excess surface water prevents root development. Plant root systems develop when the roots grow in search of moisture. When excess water sits in the ground's surface roots are stunted. A stunted root equals a stunted plant.

A compromise between digging over all the top soil and drilling directly is to cultivate narrow drainage channels. A narrow drainage channel 20 mm (3/4 inch) wide and 180 mm (7 inch deep) ushers surface water into deeper soil. Roots grow as they search for moisture deeper in the soil profile. The plants establish and mature in a healthy manner but the amount of soil disturbed to propagate the crop has been minimal.

Andrew Astle has written the book "TINE" How to garden without digging. He has published the website http://www.soilisalive.com to promote his book. People that are infirm or getting old can prepare soil for food crops without the work. Permanent soil offers so many advantages to the crop, wildlife and wider environment the method described in the book "TINE" is best practise for every garden. More at: http://www.soilisalive.com

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