Master Gardener: Don’t treat your garden soil like dirt

By Lee Oliphant

Q: I continually hear the phrase “feed the soil, not the plant.” What exactly does that mean?

—Waylon Moore, San Luis Obispo

A: The soil in your garden is alive. It’s loaded with beneficial living organisms, bacteria and fungi that break down organic materials so the plant roots can identify, absorb and utilize them for growth.

Microbes that live in healthy soil help bind soil particles together. Their byproducts act as “glue.” Microbes are most active when the weather warms. This increased action helps to facilitate the increased needs of plants during the growing season.

Also living beneath the soil surface in your garden are beneficial fungi called mycorrhizae (my-co-RISE-e). These tiny fungi attach to plant roots, establishing a symbiotic relationship with the plant. Through threadlike hyphae, they capture moisture and nutrients from the soil and share it with roots of the host plant. In return, they receive nutrients from the plant through its photosynthesis process.

“Feeding the soil’ refers to enriching the soil rather than fertilizing the plant. “Feeding the soil” means feeding microbes that live in the soil and supply nutrients to plants, as well as creating a healthy environment for mycorrhizae. Chemical fertilizers nourish the plant directly for a short period of time but do nothing to improve the health of soil.

Adding organic material to the soil will feed the microbes that live below the earth. To encourage mycorrhizae, avoid:

• Disturbing the soil;

• Synthetic pesticides and fungicides; and

• Soil compaction.

Be sure to mulch with organic material.

Soil is not dirt and should not be

treated as such. Nurture your soil, and it will reward you with healthy, beautiful plants that you can be proud of. — Lee Oliphant

New touch-screens kiosks can help ease pest problems

Want to know what pesky bug is chewing holes in your tomato plants? Find out by using the touch-screen pest management kiosks, on display at Bay Laurel Garden Center, 2500 El Camino Real, in Atascadero through May 23.

From aphids to gophers, users can find details on 50 common home and garden pests, including identification and management, alternatives to pesticides and least-toxic pest control, as well as safe use and disposal of pesticides. The kiosks also include tips related to proper watering, fertilizing and avoiding problems associated with garden chemicals.

The kiosks are part of the statewide University of California Master Gardener outreach program.

The kiosks were designed by the Healthy Garden/Healthy Home project of San Diego County and the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program to help consumers solve pest problems while protecting the environment, their health and preventing runoff from residential landscapes.

Contact UC Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County at 781-5939, Mondays and Thursdays from 1 to 5 p. m. for answers to garden questions and pest problems.

For more information on managing pests and for future kiosk dates and locations, visit www.ipm.ucdavis.edu .