Our compost and extracts are lab tested to ensure they contain all the key microbes of the Soil Food Web.
The Soil Food Web
The Soil Food Web is the interaction of all the organisms who make their home in the soil. The lives and deaths of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes, among others, go largely unnoticed by most gardeners. But they form the bottom of a very large food web in the soil — a web where even one missing organism puts the entire system out of balance.
Fungi
Fungi are the premier decomposers in the food web. They are Mother Nature's #1 recyclers and break down much of the organic matter in the soil, immobilizing the nutrients and holding them in their bodies until they can be mineralized (released) by higher organisms. Fungi secrete acidic enzymes to break down complex molecules that other organisms can't. They also create a subway system in the soil that shuttles nutrients and water back to the plant, and some even build barriers around a plant's rhizosphere to protect it from disease and predators.
Bacteria
Bacteria are among the chief decomposers in the web, second only to fungi. They break down 'green,' easy-to-digest organic matter, ingesting nitrogen, carbon and other nutrients. Those nutrients become immobilized in the bodies of the bacteria, keeping them from leaching out of the soil, and are released later when the bacteria are consumed by higher-order organisms or die and decay.
Protozoa
Protozoa are the premier nutrient cyclers of the food web. They feast on bacteria and fungi (and each other), releasing (mineralizing) the nutrients held in their bodies. Any nutrients they don't use for their own survival are released into the soil in plant-useable form. There are three types in the soil: ciliates, flagellates and amoeba.
Nematodes
Nematodes are non-segmented, blind roundworms that mineralize nutrients contained in bacteria and fungi. These little guys are everywhere, but most gardeners only know the bad guys. There are fungal-feeding, bacterial-feeding and predatory nematodes — all beneficial organisms in the soil food web. Besides mineralizing nutrients, they help keep populations of other members of the web in check.