5 CAUSES
FOCUS ON THE PRIORITIES
Soil Simplified / 5M's
Degraded soils produce many problems but it is not so easy and obvious how to improve them. Soil is complex and many components and processes are hardly visible to the eye, so we cannot react before visible symptoms as we see in plants.
To understand the complexity of soil we will have to simplify it without losing respect and a holistic view of nature. Soil is not only organic matter, microbiology or fertilization, it is a combination of multiple factors working together in a well-defined natural balance. To facilitate a holistic simplification, Soil Balance has gone so far as to define soil in 5-Ms:
1. Minerals Balance
2. Microbiology
3. Organic Matter
4. Soil Management
5. Monitoring
A degraded soil is unbalanced in one or more of the above 5 areas; lacking organic matter, excess/deficient in certain minerals, excess/deficient soil humidity and poor microbiology conditions OR balance (“good vs bad”). A healthy soil tends to be balanced on all 5 areas.
M1. Mineral Balance
We have put this M-cause on the first place because fertilization and liming is an area that is often not in balance. Putting at least the 12 main nutrients in balance within their min-max ranges, prevents excesses and deficiencies in the soil that cause nutritional problems in plant and fruit as well as pH and toxicities in the soil. But in order to make these minerals available we need the help of our best friends in the soil: microbiology.
M2. Microbiology Balance
The soillife of beneficial bacteria, fungi and other microbes and microlife is the basis of soil health, balanced pH, soil-structure, available nutrition, root health, disease resistance and plant health, productivity and fruit quality.
Microbes like humans, like to live a good life too and need favorable conditions like open soils (not compacted), water, air, carbon, minerals, specific nutrients, roots & plants but also they need eachother. The more biodiversity in the soil, the better. But that also works vica versa; broadly spraying fungicides and killing biodiversity, makes the soil and plant weaker. In order for the soil-life to flourish we need to work all 5 M’s.
M3. Organic Matter
Organic matter is the black gold in the soil. It regulates so many factors like compaction, pH, nutrient-availability, root-development, improves microbiology, water & nutrient retention and overall plant health & productivity. A soil rich in organic matter aids plants in is more resilience to climate change and agricultural mistakes.
Working on the right quantity and quality of organic matter creates impact in many of the mentioned problems, as long as it is done with the other M’s. A mineral unbalance still creates malnutrition in the plant where fungicides still kill the microbes that do a lot of the work.
M4. Soil management
With everything in order in the soil we still need to maintain it in good conditions. Practices like plouging, weed control or lack of covercrops can create erosion or compaction. Missing mulch or other fresh organic matter cuts the ongoing process to maintain organic matter in the soil. This in the end will cost more in yield, quality and plant health than the cost of adding compost or maintaining a healthy soils through practices.
M5. Monitoring
Where the 4 first M’s focus on implementing solutions towards improvements, the 5th M is all about measuring results and adjusting solutions. Nature cannot be reduced to a simple advice and agronomy still needs to be checked in the field. All the suggestions we do we want to see how the plant and the soil react. Are we happy with the results, great, continue with the solutions. Do we see it can be better, even better, we learned how it works and can improve our strategy,
These 5 M’s work in synergy, meaning that if you work on all instead of one, you get a bonus in productivity, quality and plant health. 5M Solutions.
