Benefits of Adding Soil Microbes

1) Microbes naturally occur in your soil.

A single handful of soil is teeming with life – it can have tens of thousands of different species of bacteria and other organisms.

2) Nitrogen fixation means less (or no) chemical fertilizers.

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria pull nitrogen out of the atmosphere and down into the root zone, reducing the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

3) Bigger plants, greater yields.

Plants inoculated with microbes can double their root biomass and increase leaf and stem growth by as much as 30 percent.

4) Healthier plants have fewer diseases.

Soil microbes prevent pathogen infection by coating root surfaces to shield plants from disease.

5) Less water needed.

Larger and more robust leaves and stems can withstand drought conditions and thrive in environments with less water availability.

6) No nitrogen runoff for cleaner waterways.

Nitrogen runoff is toxic to both aquatic and human life. Reducing the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers protects the environment and human health.

7) Your soil gets healthier every year.

Our soil has been subjected to centuries of plowing and over-fertilization, reducing the amount of minerals and organic matter in our soil and threatening its ability to produce healthy crops. Using microbes means adding back that organic material to restore soil to its natural state.

Sources:

https://www.washington.edu/news/2016/09/19/microbes-help-plants-survive-in-severe-drought/