Microorganisms
Seldom do you see 'microorganisms' as a 'feature' but it is
absolutely the case, for the healthy vitality of the food that we grow
at Healing Dreams Retreat is directly the result of the health of the
microorganisms. We keep microorganisms out of the bedrooms but
encourage them in our gardens.
A cubic meter of healthy soil
is home to billions of bacteria and fungi, millions of nematodes, tens
of thousands of spring tails and mites and several hundred earthworms.
These "critters" are nature's recyclers, converting plant residue and
animal manures into usable nutrients and soil organic matter. The
microorganisms dissolve hard minerals from rocks and thus make them
available to plants. The roots of plants have very fine root hairs to
interact with this "living soil" which provides for their every need.
Chemical
agriculture tries to replace the multiple billions of helpers with
expensively produced chemical solutions. This tends to burn the soil
and kill off the helpers. An active soil - promoted through organic and
bio-dynamic methods - makes for healthier plants with more mineral and
nutrient content.
The microbial population can increase
rapidly to take advantage of a favorable change in the soil
environment, doubling in a few hours. The size of the microbial
population is usually controlled by soil moisture, aeration,
temperature and their distribution in the soil.
Our
responsibility is to care for the soil, then the plants are taken care
of nicely. You can ask us for more information about organic and
bio-dynamic methods.