![\"Beginners](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greensideup.ie\/media\/Sieving-home-made-compost-in-the-garden-2015.jpg?resize=940%2C542&ssl=1\")
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When I started growing food in the earth as opposed to container gardening<\/a>, one of my first conundrums was how to treat the soil. I\u00a0 remember gazing around, thinking that if I’m taking plants out, surely I must have to put something back in. But I didn’t know how much or what. Everything I read pointed to adding fertilisers, (chicken pellets, blood, fish and bone etc.,) but they fed the plants: add this for extra nitrogen for your cabbages or that for potassium for your tomatoes. What about the soil?<\/em> I knew that worms were great, but what should I be adding to keep them happy? Alongside that, magazines were talking about organic matter, manure, soil conditioners and compost as if I knew what they were talking about. I didn’t.<\/p>\n Hoping to learn more about soil was a primary reason that I enrolled as a mature student to study horticulture.\u00a0 As it transpired, soil science was the module I had to work the hardest to get to grips with given its ions, cations and anions. Chemistry was a\u00a0 subject I’d barely looked at 30 plus years ago, never mind one I’d be tested on in middle age. I almost quit on the first day.<\/p>\n Thanks to technology, we’re learning more than ever about the complex world that lives below our feet. We’re finding that it’s the millions of microbes, fungi, nematodes and their associations within the soil that are so beneficial, how they communicate, live and get along with one another. Feed the soil and the soil will feed the plants<\/strong>. As a result, no dig and no till methods of soil care are becoming popular as they cause the least upheaval to this microscopic world. Matthew Wallenstein, associate professor and director of the Innovation Center for Sustainable Agriculture at\u00a0Colorado State University,\u00a0wrote a piece <\/a>for\u00a0The Conversation<\/a> about feeding the microbes which is worth a look at.<\/p>\n If, like me, you’ve ever wondered what the common terms are in relation to organic matter (OM), you might find the following guide helpful. In no particular order and with links and tips to some interesting videos and slideshows I’ll be looking at:<\/p>\n I hope this helps to dispel some of the confusion. Adding well-rotted organic matter to soil is a more holistic and sustainable approach to gardening and one of the underlying principles of ‘organic’ growing methods.<\/p>\n Soil most definitely matters! https:\/\/t.co\/UcbFBEn3y8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Organic Trust (@organictrust) February 21, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n One of the simplest definitions for OM is that it’s something that was once alive. Organic matter is derived from a living thing. Whether that’s us, farmyard manure, twigs or leaves, over time the materials will rot down to become organic matter. When gardeners talk about adding organic matter, they can mean anything from garden compost, animal manures and leaf mould<\/strong>, to the remains of plants that have been planted as cover crops<\/strong> (green manures), as well as some soil conditioners.<\/p>\n OM adds nutrients to the soil that will feed the plants, and organic materials that will feed the soil microorganisms. It’s great for soil structure. No matter what soil you have, clay, loam, peat or sand, organic matter helps to break it up, increase drainage or improve porosity, allows oxygen to move around and plant roots to find water and nutrients. Organic matter also prevents the erosion of top soil, protecting it from the elements.<\/p>\n Soil conditioners or improvers can be made from organic material that is added to the soil to improve plant growth and soil health such as organic matter above, or fertilisers. Examples include compost, manure, coir, green manures and peat. Soil conditioners can also include inorganic minerals such as clay, sand, lime or silt and some can adjust the soil pH<\/a>.<\/p>\n Just like ourselves who need proteins, carbs and vitamins to keep our bodies functioning healthily, several nutrients are necessary for plants to grow and fight off pests and diseases. The major elements they need in various quantities depending upon the plant include Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), Potash(K), Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg) and the trace or minor elements essential for plant growth but in much smaller quantities include Baron (B), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Chlorine (Cl) and Nickel (Ni).<\/p>\n Seaweed is one example of a soil improver that contains all of these elements in abundance.<\/a> It can be dug in or added as a mulch. Stephen Alexander from Teagasc lists in detail the nutrients required for all common vegetables in his publication A Guide to Vegetable Growing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Organic growers apply regular applications of organic matter, toping up with organic fertilisers to feed the soil when necessary.<\/a><\/p>\n You can find a more detailed explanation about the differences in this slide share from Dr Radhey Shyam below:<\/p>\n\n
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Organic Matter<\/h3>\n
Soil Conditioners or Improvers<\/h3>\n