Effective Ways to Boost Your Soil’s Health
Soil health is a long-term investment, and even modest improvements to areas of the soil microbiome can translate into benefits that directly influence your bottom line, according to Wilbur-Ellis.
“What’s novel about soil health is that, like human health, there’s a living component to it,” said Willbur-Ellis Agribusiness National Nutrition Technical Manager, Carl Bruice.
By increasing organic matter and improving the soil microbiome, you improve the physical, chemical and biological functions of the soil, establishing a stronger foundation for higher crop yields and resilience to environmental pressures.
Four effective approaches to boosting soil health include enhancing soil fertility, reducing tillage, increasing cover crops and applying organic amendments.
“Establishing good fertility is probably the first thing one can do to maintain good soil health,” Bruice said. “Fertility impacts soil health by stimulating production of organic matter, the energy source for soil microbes, which are very viable components of soil health.”
By increasing organic matter, you also improve water-holding capacity and the cation exchange capacity (CEC), two important properties influencing soil structure stability and nutrient availability. As you build more natural fertility, you also potentially reduce the need for supplemental fertilizer.
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