In the previous articles we’ve gone through lots of “surface information” and have just begun to dig deeper. The last article was mainly about the function and energy needs of bacteria and the importance of soil carbon. At Bio Green USA and Greene County Fertilizer Company, our focus is to develop a strong soil life system so that plants can thrive. So how is this actually achieved? Before I continue with the explanation, I want you to think of all the things you’ve said to people or to yourself when trying to rationalize this soil Fertility/Organic Matter conversation…

1. We use humates which have carbon
2. Sea kelp adds needed organic matter and micronutrients to feed the soil
3. Our products have organisms that expand Top Soil
4. Our products are carbon based fertility products that add carbon with every application.

Does any of this sound familiar? Now, how many times have you heard me say these things? Probably never, and more than likely it is conclusions you’ve made by listening to things that have been taught over the years. A couple of those bullet points are true, others are not. Well, not in the context of how we build OM in the soil. The reality is that there is nothing out there that can build OM and soil fertility as quickly as we do and there is no real magic behind it. First let’s do some math (my favorite!); hopefully no one is getting tired of looking at mathematics…

For the sake of argument, let’s say that you take on a client with 1.9% organic matter. We know that the soil has a potential release rate of close to 40 lbs. of nitrogen through the soil life cycle. Okay, in the top 6 inches of soil over and acre, this 1.9% equals 38,000 lbs. of OM. Now… let’s say that in the course of 2 seasons with this acre, we apply 60 gallons of various Bio Green® or Greene County Fertilizer products or 625 lbs. of liquid concentrate. At the end of these 2 seasons, we pull another soil test. This test reveals that OM has jumped to 3.2%. We have added 26,000 lbs. of organic matter on 625 lbs. of liquids.… Um, what?

“First of all, (antagonist speaking) that’s impossible. You cannot get that kind of jump in the soil health that quickly. What kind of snake oil are you peddling? You’re going to have to prove it.”

Sound familiar? Now it’s time to make the doubters shut up. How is this achieved? I don’t care what bullet point or explanation you’ve given potential customers or peers, this will not make sense to them. You’ve just told them that our product adds organic matter because it contains carbon, right? Well, I am not sure in which universe someone is capable of putting 450 lbs. of any material into a gallon jug, but it would sure be fun to watch them try to do it here.

Up until now, the best way to gain organic matter is with these methods:

Prairie grass planting/natural habitat species introduced into dead soils. Plants will find balance and begin to rebuild the soil. (decades to rebuild)

Tillage. Placing biomass back into the soil. Flawed technology depending on tillage timing. Net carbon gain is Zero because of the turned soils loss to atmosphere. (Never a gain in OM)

Manure/Green waste/compost. Again, a method of exposing carbon material to the air. Not good. Loss to the atmosphere is considerably greater than what can potentially be retained. Heat, moisture, exposure, all bad for carbon transference to the soil (minor gains over decades).

So let’s take a look at what actually happened. By show of hands, how many of you know that all Bio Green® and Greene County Fertilizer Company products build healthy roots? All of you? Good. Now, by show of hands, how many of you know why? A few? Great. Again, by show of hands, how many have seen a 2, 3, 5x root growth expansion in both depth and total amount of shoots? Great, most of you. Does anyone see where I’m going with this?

Before the climax of this article, let’s talk about the functionality of root growth and how it’s achieved. Using key stimulants and micronutrients as well as an insanely low amount of N, plants are forced to go deeper. This is a method of top growth starving. We are not supplying enough N to give grass the burst of growth they are used to and in doing so, they have to look further to find a food source. Plant roots follow food and water, but only if it isn’t hard work. A typical lawn will only have a 2” root zone, this doesn’t allow for a whole lot other than surface feeding of nutrients. The “net” isn’t dense or deep enough to capture everything, so the plant focuses solely on its ability to reproduce. Essentially, turfgrass knows it will die when the food runs out, which means that from a biological/evolutionary standpoint, it needs to get to seed as fast as possible so as not to go extinct.

So then we show up. Suddenly, the grass is getting a measure of food with some minerals and amino acids it hasn’t ever received. Suddenly, a different switch goes off, one that says “…ahhhhh…” We’ve just given the plant something to make it slow down and relax a little. “No need to stress little buddy, we’ve got you. I’m not sure if you knew this, but you are a lawn, not a crop.” Now the grass is doing something it should have been doing all along, supplying its growing medium with carbon.

Here’s how; plants grow roots right? How many and how deep rely on a plethora of factors. Technically speaking, grasses aren’t the best topsoil builders, especially when compared to weeds. But in these top 6” of soil, they do the trick just right. Here comes the best part… Turf grass will shed its entire root system twice in a growing season. Let that sink in.

We’ve just doubled, tripled, quadrupled roots in 2 seasons. This equates to HUGE amounts of biomass that was just produced and left in the soil profile. No clippings, no manure, no ash, no additions of organic matter in any other form but through root shed. This means that simple carbon that can be easily digested has been created, not added the soil profile. You’ve just given years of free nitrogen for the plants, as long as no one goes back to standard fertility that is. This next statement will lead into next month’s topic and perhaps get more people thinking, now that we’ve made this correction to the growth model of the plant, the soil’s ability to use inorganic nitrogen sources and its ability to easily handle low inputs of N though foliar feeding has just been expanded.

To sum up the article in an easy to remember phrase, “the favorite food of plants and soils is ‘ROOT LOOPS.’”

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