Your Yard is a Scary Place!

Your landscape is a scary place.

Large herds of grazers feed on grass as the predators roam in search of prey. Sounds a lot like the African plains, only much smaller. Yet, the life inside your yard is just as savage.

Bacteria feed on dying grass blades absorbing the nutrients into their bodies. Some bacteria convert nitrogen from the air into their bodies, Microscopic organisms called protozoa eat the bacteria. As they feed on bacteria they release Nitrogen to plant roots. Microscopic worms called nematodes feed on the protozoa and release more nitrogen to the plant roots in the surrounding soil.

Each predator in the food chain needs less nitrogen than is contained in the prey item.

Thus the predator releases the excess nitrogen as waste. So by increasing the numbers of soil organisms and letting them feed on each other in a sort of huge gladiator arena, natural nitrogen will be released into the soil for plant up-take. The greatest thing is that once this environment is created it will continue for as long as the soils are not contaminated or applied with pesticides that kill key parts of this food chain. With artificial fertilizers the process is repeated every year. These natural processes act on their own and need little or no additional support once they are established. We know nitrogen is critical for plant growth and a deep green color. It's also the nutrient that is most likely to be lost to the ground water if it is over applied. These natural processes will boost nitrogen levels naturally for free.

Arthropods are the largest of the predators in the food chain.

They include insects familiar to us like beetles, millipedes, and sow bugs. They are also very small, almost microscopic. These organisms help by shredding dead leaves as they feed. This process breaks down dead leaves so the bacteria can feed more easily. Let us look at the 'shredder' arthropods a bit more closely. The act of shredding organic matter is crucial to start the process of nutrient release we spoke of earlier. If you spray your lawn regularly with insecticides these organisms are killed and the dead leaves build up and take much longer to break down. As a result, the dead organic matter builds up and needs to be dealt with. If it's your lawn, then power thatching and core aeration is performed. This burns gas and can cost a lot of money.

Earthworms - The ultimate shredder.

Earthworms are the most famous of the soil organisms. Worm castings have been used as fertilizers for a long time. As they feed, earthworms take dead organic matter underground to feed and leave nutrient rich waste as they move about. These organisms can be killed by pesticides as well. Further reducing the soils ability to produce it's own nutrients. So go to a bait shop and buy a few cartons of earthworms and the smaller red worms to release into your lawn and landscape. Worms are very beneficial to houseplants too.

For more information and the complete set of 'how to' guides got to: http://www.ecolandscapegroup.com

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