Teaming with microbes: the organic gardener's guide to the soil food web

Description

The Basic Science. What is the soil food web and why should gardeners care? ; Classic soil science ; Bacteria ; Archaea ; Fungi ; Algae and slime molds ; Protozoa ; Nematodes ; Arthropods ; Earthworms ; Gastropods ; Reptiles, mammals, and birds -- Applying Soil Food Web Science to Yard and Garden Care. How the soil food web applies to gardening ; What do your soil food webs look like? ; Tools for restoration and maintenance ; Compost ; Mulch ; Compost teas ; Mycorrhizal fungi -- The lawn -- Maintaining trees, shrubs, and perennials ; Growing annuals and vegetables ; A simple soil food web garden calendar ; No one ever fertilized an old growth forest -- The soil food web gardening rules.;This book provides information on ways to strengthen and cultivate the soil food web to grow healthy plants without the use of chemicals. Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life, not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants and become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial, often toxic, substances. But there is an alternative to this vicious cycle. We can garden in a way that strengthens the soil food web, the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. The book extols the benefits of cultivating the soil food web. First, it clearly explains the activities and organisms that make up the web. Next, it explains how gardeners can cultivate the life of the soil through the use of compost, mulches, and compost tea. The revised edition updates the original text and includes two completely new chapters on mycorrhizae (beneficial associations fungi form with green-leaved plants) and archaea (single-celled organisms once thought to be allied to bacteria). With the author's help, everyone, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals, can create rich, nurturing, living soil.