August, 2018
Anaerobic soil microbes (microbes that don’t need oxygen) bring with them compaction, pathogens (disease), and a sour smelling soil. Anaerobic soil easily becomes water-logged, but when it dries out it can quickly become as hard as a rock.
The end product created by anaerobic microbes is formaldehyde—the fluid used for embalming. Formaldehyde is not at all good for soil life.
On the other hand, aerobic microbes produce a wonderful “earthy” smell, take out compaction and make for a much healthier plant.
Creating Aerobic Soil
Good farming practices—including rotational grazing, cover crops, balancing soil pH and soil nutrients, minimal tillage and limited use of chemicals—are all helpful for creating aerobic soil. Applying a biological can also help.
MycorrPlus is all about helping the soil transition to an aerobic state. It contains 70 strains of aerobic bacteria and 4 strains of mycorrhizal fungi, but it is much more than just a microbial product. MycorrPlus is a bio-stimulant, a food source for its aerobic microbes. These microbes help balance soil nutrients and pH and aggregate the soil so that aerobic microbes thrive.
MycorrPlus helps create conditions that encourage a greater amount of carbon sequestration. The more carbon that is sequestered, the more highly structured the soil will be—meaning more oxygen is available to support aerobic bacteria.
Rain and Aerobic Soil
Normal amounts of rainfall help aerobic microbes by pushing out stale, oxygen-depleted air. As rainwater flows deeper into the soil, it draws fresh, oxygen-rich air behind it.
However, super saturated soil is very hard on aerobic microbes. Although water does contain a small amount of oxygen, it is quickly used up. Once super saturated, the soil becomes depleted of oxygen and aerobic microbes can drown.
Additionally, there’s a constant battle between aerobic and anaerobic microbes—and between beneficial microbes and pathogens. When the soil is super saturated for more than a few days, anaerobic bacteria start to take over, making it a challenge to restore aerobic dominance.
On the other hand, when conditions favor beneficial microbes, they will thrive and reclaim the soil from pathogens and anaerobic microbes. Once again, MycorrPlus helps by highly structuring the soil and creating conditions for beneficial microbes.
Restoring Aerobic Soil
Has your ground been water saturated for a week or more? Once things dry out a little, you can apply a quart of MycorrPlus ($20 per acre) to help quickly turn things around.
Elaine in Georgia experienced this on 100 acres of flat, exposed land hit hard by 5 days of frost. After applying a quart of MycorrPlus on April 4th, Elaine reported on July 9th that her fields showed no difference—her grass was thicker and the clover was still thriving.
Gideon in Pennsylvania applied a quart in June 2017, and despite a cold, wet spring that stressed his grass, a subsequent application after the soil dried helped restore aerobic microbial dominance.
Perhaps your fields could use a boost—either in creating an aerobic condition or restoring it. Please consider MycorrPlus. Keep in mind that summer and fall are excellent times to apply it.