Secrets of the Soil, Revealed

Let's talk about the soil.

Everyone knows we are undergoing climate change that has not been seen on the earth before. I am here to talk to you about the soil. The effects of climate change, combined with the bad practices of human beings, have developed a tipping point in the health of the soil worldwide. It has severely affected our soil. How is the soil and all living things' health-related? They all depend on the soil for minerals. They rely on the soil for health. If there were no soil, there would be no life. Soil is the foundation that life requires, along with water, oxygen, etc.

The key to healthy trees, etc., is functioning healthy soil biology. For the soil to properly function, it must have a variety of living microbes and a wide source of trace minerals. It is the job of the microbes to assimilate minerals and make them available in a form that plants can then use. Different microbes have different tasks to perform. Some have the main job of attaching themselves to the roots and passing on the nutrients. Others seek out minerals and convert them into an available form used by the trees, plants, etc.

All living things have a relationship between what minerals they lack and what pests or diseases they will get. It is all about minerals. There are 96 trace minerals, all of which are required to be healthy. This system has been developed over millions of years, with specific diseases and pests evolving to deal with this. I will only be talking about trees and other plants, but this is also true about other living things, especially us humans.

My experience with trees has taught me the law of cause and effect. Pests and diseases are only the effects and not the cause. I ask myself why a disease will only attack one tree and not the one next to it. One tree was healthy, and the other was not. In the case of the two trees, I asked myself what was different between the two. I discovered that one tree was near a water bib, and it was getting watered every time it was being used, while the other tree was far enough away not to get this constant watering.

Throughout the many years I've been in business, I have learned why Pests or diseases attack a particular tree with a particular disease. The disease or pest has evolved along with the tree. The disease or pest has genetically evolved to that tree. That is why diseases attack certain trees and not others. Yet the solution is always the same. Use the good guys against the bad guys.

Microbes die (actually drown) if the soil becomes waterlogged. When they die, the supply of nutrients to the trees is cut off. Also, the supply of oxygen to the soil's bacteria is cut off when it gets waterlogged. The trees get stressed and will be attacked by pests and diseases (diseases follow pests). Chemical fertilizers only make it worse. The opposite is true: if you do not water correctly, the microbes will die from lack of water, and the results are the same.

Let me guide you through the process of how to heal your soil.

So what happens when a tree gets stressed? The higher the stress, the greater the pest or disease will be. Stress causes the tree not to absorb all the proper minerals needed to be healthy. So, it comes down to a trace mineral deficiency. It is the same with diseases in our bodies, a trace mineral deficiency.

The standard method of treatment for diseases is to attack the disease. This is not the solution; it also causes more damage as it does not deal with the cause. There is a law of cause and effect. The disease is just the effect. Good for business, right? Sells more chemicals. Eliminate the cause, and the effect will disappear.

People ask me what I can spray for this pest or this disease. I will always answer the same- That is not the correct question that you should be asking me. You should be asking me- What is wrong with my soil, and how can I help it? Once you correct this problem with the soil, the problem with that tree will be solved. In healing the soil, it will take time, so till then, there are many things that you can spray that will help to control. First, try compost tea. But for the Tea to be effective, it must be made from compost that was made with the proper biology. Not all composts are the same. If the biology is not in the compost, the problem will not be solved. So, next time you make compost tea, add a source of trace minerals. Try Sea90. It comes from an ancient salt bed, and it has 90 trace minerals. Always get biology together with minerals.

Any questions or comments, please email me at andylopez@invisiblegardener.com please put All Things Malibu Thanks

Watch my podcast on YouTube for lots more information.

Andy Lopez, Invisible Gardener