Soil — the 4 Pillars to healthy living soil.
Soil basics: the absolute foundation for healthy soil. Understanding the 4 most basic pillars that create and sustain healthy, living soil.
This knowledge will…
- ensure that plants will have all the nutrients they need;
- increase plant resilience to disease and pests;
- teach you why NH₃ is so bad for your soil;
- show you how to repair the damage made by saturating the soil with chemical fertilisers.
When the soil conditions change, so does the recipe. This is why you need a solid understanding of how soil works.
The four pillars
From the AfrEcoSoil reference chart.
Organic %
The humus colloid — building the soil’s storage plates. Organic content is what drives soil fertility, from 20% up to 100%.
Calcium / Magnesium Ratio
The right load on the colloid (Dr. Albrecht). Calcium loosens, magnesium binds — and the ideal ratio differs for sandy versus clay soils.
Micro-Organisms
Living microbes start composting and make nutrients available; soil diseases disappear in a healthy bio-diverse environment. Ammonia (NH₃) sterilises soil and kills microbes.
Fertilizers — Macro & Micro
Macro (N P K Ca Mg S) and micro (Fe Cu Zn Mn B Mo) elements. A shortage of any one limits yield — balance matters more than high NPK.
The reference chart
Tap the chart to open it full-size.
Swipe to explore · tap to enlarge
The next step: evaluate your soil.
We have the tools for that right here.
Test your soil Get Bio-1: Soil · R330Next in the series: Take a Soil Test →