What Do You Think? · Grow Anything With Living Soil

What Do You Think?

TIP #2: Use Organic Compost or Amendments, Not Chemicals

These roots show the effects of synthetic fertilizer use versus natural growth or the addition of organic amendments or compost. The dark mass of roots on the right fed only by compost is the best foundation for a healthy plant.

With the misguided intent to buoy plant growth, home gardeners add chemical fertilizers and often nitrogen to the soil. Easily half of this nitrogen is unused by the plant and is released into the air as nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. Plants may look good for a while, but over time synthetic fertilizers harm the organisms that digest and sequester carbon in the soil which support healthy plant growth.

Regarding pesticides, over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target. For every 1 targeted pest, you could be killing upwards of 120 or more beneficial soil organisms! A healthy plant, fed by compost and organic amendments, can fend off most pests by itself.

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