You can give your houseplants the real nature experience! How, you ask? With Living Soil – with “living soil” – probably the most natural alternative for all house plants. Living Soil combines your gardening skills with the power of nature, because Living Soil is the attempt to take advantage of the natural symbiosis of plants with living, proactive microorganisms - in other words, to bring living soil into your living room.We will explain to you here what living soil is, what it is important and how you have to deal with living soil.
Was ist Living Soil?
Living Soil generally consists of soil, organic matter and the inhabitants of the microbiome. So from a wide range of bacteria, protozoa, mycorrhizal fungi, nematodes and microarthropods that live in symbiosis with each other and with land plants. A Living Soil has the advantage that the living creatures it contains take over the fertilization of the plants - and do so individually tailored to their needs. It doesn't have tobe fertilizedand can be watered with pure water.
bacteria
The earth is a composition of various mineral clusters and organic matter. ThisNutrients in the soilcan be broken down, converted and stored by different bacterial strains. To achieve this, many bacteria work together in symbiosis. These in turn are eaten and digested by predatory protozoa. In this way, the nutritious content of the bacteria is released into the soil and made available to plants - mineral nutrients became organic nutrients.
Mykorrhiza
Mycorrhizal fungi permeate the entire soil by forming a fine network of branching hyphae. This creates an extremely thin and huge microscopic root network - the mycelium. A healthy mycelium can be visible to the naked eye and looks like thin, white roots. On their way through the soil, the mycorrhizal fungi extract mineral nutrients and excrete them as organic nutrients. This changes the soil climate and creates fine cracks in the earth. The cracks are important because they loosen the soil and make it more air-permeable and water-bearing. Mycorrhizal fungi are also able to transport nutrients across the mycelium directly to the roots.
Nematodes
Nematodes should also inhabit the living soil. Nematodes are a variety of roundworms that feed on bacteria, fungi and dead plant remains. During their forays they also loosen the soil and keep the population of microorganisms stable. The secretions of concentrated nutrients from bacteria and mycorrhiza are immediately bioavailable for your plant. The plant can absorb it straight away and thrive.
Arthropods
Arthropods are arthropods that live in the soil and also feed on bacteria, fungi, dead plant parts and smaller nematodes. They are part of a complete soil food web. However, since they have a similar job to nematodes, they are often omitted from Living Soil. However, if you don't want to do without them, we recommend springtails and soil mites.
It is also a good idea to introduce an earthworm. This digs through the earth again while it eats. At the same time, it breaks large mineral clusters into smaller clusters that are easier for the bacteria to break down. To keep the worm alive, you should add mulch or optionally leaves to the soil.
Living Soil and the plants
The roots of the plants fit perfectly into the symbiosis of the soil food web. They have a very sought-after raw material underground: sugar, i.e. carbohydrates. When the plant needs certain nutrients, its roots secrete carbohydrates. This attracts soil bacteria and they begin to provide the nutrients the sugar needs. The mycorrhizal fungi also deliver stored nutrients in exchange for sugar through the mycelium. So that the mycorrhiza and the bacterial strains mentioned do not lose their raison d'être, the living soil should always be lightly planted during a rest period. Various shallow-rooted seed mixtures are suitable for this.
What should you pay attention to?
Loose soil is life insurance for all useful creatures in the soil, because they all need oxygen to survive and small air pockets form in loose soil. If the earth becomes too compact, neither sufficient water nor oxygen can reach the earth. This promotes the growth of anaerobic bacteria that do well without oxygen. Unfortunately, these anaerobic bacteria are harmful to plants and compete with the good bacteria. For this reason, adequate aeration of the soil is extremely important. Indoors, the air permeability of Living Soil can be improved using suitable containers, such as airpots and fabric pots. The pots should be of sufficient size, because with Living Soil the principle applies: the larger the container, the better. The larger the volume, the larger the community. The larger the community, the more stable the pH and water content remain - and all living beings involved are happy about that.
The water
All living things need water to live. Therefore, the soil water content of the Living Soil should be kept as constant as possible at all times. Garden irrigation systems, the Blumat or regular (with an emphasis on moderate) and conscientious watering are suitable for this. The deeper soil should have an active water value of approx. 0.6. The active water value refers to the part of the water in the soil that is freely mobile and thus becomes available for soil organisms. Keeping it constant is particularly important because a substrate that is too dry stresses the organisms, including the plant. A substrate that is too wet, on the other hand, displaces the oxygen and thus suffocates the probiotic microorganisms, which makes it easier for the harmful microorganisms. Getting the floor back in shape is difficult. Therefore, the principle also applies to casting: less is more. With a drainage layer and a suitable drain for excess irrigation water, the risk of overwatering can also be minimized.
The pH value
It is recommended to protect the Living Soil from evaporation by mulching. A layer of mulch also increases the active volume of the living soil. The upper layer of soil can therefore remain permanently moist and work actively. Mulching with pine bark or other softwoods is not recommended here, as this acidifies the soil over time. This disrupts the pH value – and only a few organisms can tolerate this. The pH value is generally relatively constant thanks to the living activity in the soil and does not need to be adjusted separately, but it doesn't hurt to measure it from time to time, especially if something looks unusual.
Autor: Christopher Stass –Garden of Eden | Light and Greenhouse Technology GmbH
Garden of Eden is a grow shop in southern Germany. In addition to the offline and online business, Garden Eden operates an Instagram and aYoutube-Kanal, where we try to create added value for the gardening community with interviews, how-to texts and news about current events. We look forward to a visit.
