How It Works

• This demonstration shows how Soil Renew (developed as Bacteriosol in France)increases the amount of humus in sand in only 6 weeks.
• The pellets are placed on the surface and are allowed to disintegrate. They should not be dug in as the living microorganisms both aerobic and anaerobic will find their own level.
• Within 2 weeks the wheat seeds start to germinate and the microorganic life in the soil starts to produce humu.
• Wheat grown in the pots with Bacteriosol/ Soil Renew thrives much better.
• 3 kilos of Soil Renew produce as much organic matter as 1 tonne of farmyard manure!

Nature’s Way

When nature is left to its own devices without any intervention by man, microorganisms in the soil act to provide plants with the nutrients and mineralsthey require.

Microorganisms break down natural organic mattersuch as leaves, branches, animal waste and the remains of once living plants and animals.

Earthworms munch through organic matter dragging it down into the soil. Their castings fertilise the soil and the holes they make aerate it.

All this organic matter becomes humus when it is stable and has fully broken down. It is at this point that it is of maximum benefit to the soil.

However in this form, it cannot be directly absorbed by the plant.

Other microorganisms convert humus into a mineralised form which allows absorption by the plant and still others help the plants to fix the elements they require.

To grow and thrive, plants need 63 different elements from the soil in different quantities.

The most common and best-known are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium but there are many more that are used perhaps in minute quantities but are essential for the plant to fight disease, pests and to be nutritionally balanced.

Humus is retained in the soil and is used as and when the plants need it. It acts as a sponge, regulating water content, retaining it but also allowing better drainage.

The Chemical Way

When chemicals are used to promote plant growth, the process is very different.

Chemical fertilisers are already in a form that can be absorbed by the plant and do not require the presence of microorganisms.

They increase the acidity of the soil over time creating an environment which is less conducive to life. Microorganisms diminish in number as do earthworms.

The soil is more prone to compaction and water-logging and because of the reduction in life there is a reduction is oxygen. Natural humus creation is reduced.

The roots of the plants tend to remain near the surface where the fertiliser is applied rather than growing deeper into the soil in search of the nutrients and minerals they need.

Chemical fertilisers contain primarily nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium but plants need much more.

Chemical fertilisers, unlike humus, are soluble and excess unused fertiliser is washed away by rainwater into the water courses causing environmental damage to fish and other life.

Plants are less resistant to extreme climate events due to shorter roots. They are nutritionally imbalanced due to the lack of certain minerals and elements and so more susceptible to disease leading to the application of pesticides.