How to Build a Living Soil
Organic Fertilizers Build the Soil
What is a Living Soil?
A living soil is a nutrient-rich environment teeming with organic matter and humus, hosting millions to billions of microorganisms. These include microscopic organisms like bacteria, amoebae, and protozoa, as well as larger soil dwellers such as earthworms and insects.
Earthworms are a Clear Sign of a Living Soil
In this diverse ecosystem, organisms engage in a continuous cycle of consumption, creating a natural nutrient exchange that enhances soil structure and provides a steady supply of nutrients for plant growth. Earthworms, positioned at the top of this food chain, are a key indicator of healthy, thriving soil—their presence signifies an active and balanced soil ecosystem.
Organic Fertilizers Feed Microbes
The key to a living soil is using the best organic fertilizers and weed controls, proper lawn mowing and proper lawn watering. It is literally that simple.
The Key to a Healthy Lawn is a Healthy Soil
Why Compost Creates the Best Soil
When people think of healthy soil, they often associate it with organic compost. Compost is one of the richest and most beneficial soil types, teeming with billions of microorganisms such as bacteria, protozoa, amoebae, fungi, and earthworms. These microbes break down organic matter—like grass clippings and leaves—into nutrient-dense soil, playing a vital role in maintaining a balanced soil ecosystem and supporting plant health.
As organic materials decompose, they form humus, which releases essential nutrients for grasses and trees. Healthy soil is typically dark, loamy, and loose, promoting better aeration, water absorption, and root growth, creating an ideal environment for thriving plants.
Organo-Lawn’s Philosophy, “Feed the Soil and the Soil Will Feed the Grass”
Soil is the Key to a Healthy Lawn
Soil is the most important aspect of organic lawn care. Organo-Lawn’s approach to natural lawn care focuses on creating an environment that stimulates beneficial microbial activity in the soil. We achieve this through a combination of proper lawn watering—using the principles of the 1-2-3-2-1 lawn watering technique —proper lawn mowing (mow the lawn tall), and applying only the best organic fertilizers.
High Quality Organic Compost
Chemical Fertilizers Slowly Kill The Soil
Fast Release Nitrogen
Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Consequences
Many chemical lawn care companies rely on frequent applications of fast-release nitrogen fertilizers to maintain a green lawn. While these fertilizers provide an immediate boost in color and growth, they come with significant drawbacks over time.
The Hidden Cost of Fast-Release Fertilizers
The high salt content in synthetic fertilizers and pesticides can deplete soil health, making the lawn increasingly dependent on chemical treatments. As the soil structure deteriorates, the grass struggles to retain nutrients naturally, leading to yellowing, weak growth, and necrotic spots when synthetic fertilizers are not regularly applied. This cycle creates a chemical dependency, reducing the lawn’s resilience and long-term vitality.
Problems Begin to Surface
After just one year on a chemical lawn care program, lawns often develop fungal diseases, such as necrotic ring spot. Ironically, the same companies that apply these chemicals often recommend fungicides to treat the problem—when in reality, these issues arise because the chemicals destroy beneficial microbes that keep the soil healthy.
Restoring a Chemically Dependent Lawn
Reversing chemical damage requires eliminating synthetic fertilizers and rebuilding soil health through organic treatments, including:
✔ Organic fertilizers to replenish nutrients naturally
✔ Core aeration to improve soil structure
✔ Proper lawn watering to encourage deep root growth
Depending on the level of chemical damage, it can take 1 to 2 years to fully restore microbial activity and bring your lawn back to a healthy, self-sustaining state.
Organic Lawn Care Expert
How to Stimulate Beneficial Microbial Activity in a Lawn
- Mow the Grass Tall – This promotes the roots to dig deeper and the deeper they dig the deeper the microbes can survive.
- Water Deeply and Infrequently – Follow the 1-2-3-2-1- lawn watering technique.
- Organic Fertilizers and Soil Conditioners – Avoid chemical fertilizers because they kill microbes and soils.
- Core Aeration – Promotes air flow in the soil.
Why Are Deep-Digging Roots Essential for a Healthy, Living Soil?
Roots Do More Than Just Absorb Nutrients
Contrary to common belief, plant roots don’t just take in water and nutrients—they also release sugars that serve as a food source for soil microbes. These sugars attract the first wave of beneficial bacteria, setting the stage for a thriving underground ecosystem.
Building a Microbial Network
Once the initial bacteria are established, they attract secondary bacteria, followed by protozoa, amoebae, and beneficial fungi that feed on each other. This chain reaction continues as nematodes and soil insects arrive to feed on these organisms. Finally, earthworms enter the cycle, consuming organic matter and further enriching the soil. A high population of earthworms is a clear sign of healthy, living soil teeming with microbial life.
Deep Roots: The Foundation of a Living Soil
Creating a living soil starts with encouraging deep-rooted grass. The deeper the roots grow, the more they stimulate microbial diversity, improving soil structure and nutrient cycling.
How to Promote Deep Digging Roots
✔ Water deeply and infrequently using the 1-2-3-2-1 lawn watering technique.
✔ Mow at 3 inches or taller to protect root systems and retain soil moisture.
By fostering deep grass roots, you create an environment where microbial life flourishes, resulting in stronger, healthier soil that naturally supports a vibrant lawn.
Deep Digging Grass Roots Are the Key to a Healthy Soil
Learn More About the Importance of Soil Health
What Causes a Soil to Die?
The Harmful Effects of Overwatering and Chemical Fertilizers on Soil Health
A soil rich in microbial life is essential for a thriving lawn, yet human practices can unknowingly disrupt this balance. Two of the most common culprits are overwatering and the use of chemical fertilizers, both of which can degrade soil health over time.
The Dangers of Overwatering
Excessive watering drowns microbial activity by displacing oxygen in the soil. Microbes rely on oxygen to survive, and without it, their populations decline, leading to compacted, lifeless soil that struggles to support healthy plant growth.
How Chemical Fertilizers Harm Soil
Chemical fertilizers, primarily made of concentrated salts, are toxic to soil microbes. Over time, repeated applications disrupt microbial communities, making the soil dependent on synthetic inputs.
Soil Recovery Timeline
✔ 1 to 3 months to begin restoring beneficial microbe populations
✔ 3 months to 2 years to establish a thriving, self-sustaining soil ecosystem
Dead Soil? These Common Mistakes Could Be to Blame!
5 Common Lawn Care Mistakes that Will Kill Soils
- Overwatering a lawn: (too much water replaces the air in the soil and without air the microbes can’t breathe)
- Under Watering a lawn: (moisture is important in sustaining beneficial microbial activity, moist but not wet!)
- Compacted Soils (hard clay like soils lack air and without air the microbes can’t breathe)
- Using Pesticides and Fungicides (most chemicals kill beneficial microbes and bacteria)
- Using Chemical Fertilizers (chemical fertilizers don’t have any organic matter and organic matter is what microbes use as food)
Why are Chemical Fertilizers Bad for Soils?
Chemical lawn fertilizers are toxic to soils because most synthetic fertilizers are a concentrated form of salt. Salt is extremely toxic to microbial populations. It is strongly recommended to apply plant-based organic fertilizers to lawns instead of chemical fertilizers.
How Long Does It Take to Reclaim a Dead Soil?
Three Months to a Year
If a lawn’s soil is dead (no microbial activity), it will typically take 1-3 months to get the beneficial microbe populations started and another three months to two years to get the soil in a lawn to be teaming with microbes.
Necrotic Ring Spot
A Sign of a Dead Soil
How to Build a Living Soil FAQ's
What is a Dead Soil?
A dead soil is a term used to describe soil that lacks sufficient biological activity, organic matter, and nutrients to support healthy plant growth. It is essentially a lifeless medium with few to no beneficial microorganisms, fungi, and insects that are critical to soil health.
Characteristics of a Dead Soil
- Low Organic Matter: Minimal or no decomposed plant or animal material.
- Poor Structure: Compacted or powdery, leading to poor water retention and aeration.
- Nutrient Deficiency: Lacks essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
- Lack of Microbial Life: Few or no beneficial microbes, fungi, or earthworms.
- pH Imbalance: Often too acidic or alkaline.
- Chemical Residues: May contain harmful levels of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or salts.
- Erosion-Prone: Loose and dusty, leading to high erosion rates due to wind or water.
What is a Dead Soil?
A dead soil is a term used to describe soil that lacks sufficient biological activity, organic matter, and nutrients to support healthy plant growth. It is essentially a lifeless medium with few to no beneficial microorganisms, fungi, and insects that are critical to soil health.
Dead Soil
Characteristics of a Dead Soil
- Low Organic Matter: Minimal or no decomposed plant or animal material.
- Poor Structure: Compacted or powdery, leading to poor water retention and aeration.
- Nutrient Deficiency: Lacks essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
- Lack of Microbial Life: Few or no beneficial microbes, fungi, or earthworms.
- pH Imbalance: Often too acidic or alkaline.
- Chemical Residues: May contain harmful levels of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or salts.
- Erosion-Prone: Loose and dusty, leading to high erosion rates due to wind or water.
Causes of a Dead Soil
- Excessive Use of Chemicals: Over-reliance on synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides can kill beneficial microbes.
- Over-Tillage: Frequent and deep tilling destroys soil structure and microbial habitats.
- Soil Compaction: Heavy machinery or foot traffic compresses soil, reducing aeration and water infiltration.
- Loss of Organic Matter: Lack of composting or cover cropping depletes organic matter.
- Erosion: Loss of topsoil through wind or water reduces fertility.
- Salt Accumulation: Poor irrigation practices can lead to salt buildup, making soil inhospitable to life.
Excessive Thatch is a
Sign of a Dead Soil
Signs of a Dead Soil
- Plants struggle to grow or appear stunted.
- Water pools on the surface or drains away too quickly.
- Soil has a hard, compact texture or a dusty, sandy appearance.
- Few or no earthworms or other visible soil life.
- Difficulty breaking the soil apart with tools or hands.
Dead soil is a challenge to rebuild, but with commitment, it can be transformed into a vibrant, fertile environment for plants and other organisms.
Compost is Teeming with Microbes
Additional FAQs - How to Build a Living Soil
Microorganisms break down organic matter, release nutrients, improve soil structure, and suppress plant diseases. They play a critical role in creating a fertile, sustainable soil ecosystem.
- Add Organic Matter: Compost, organic matter, and plant residues like grass clippings provide food for microbes.
- Reduce Chemical Use: Limit synthetic fertilizers and pesticides because they can harm microbial populations.
- Maintain Moisture: Microbes thrive in moist but not waterlogged soil. Following the 1-2-3-2-1 lawn watering technique is a great way to stimulate microbial activity in lawns.
- Avoid Disturbance: Reduce tillage to preserve microbial habitats.
Compost provides a rich source of organic matter and introduces beneficial microbes into the soil. It improves microbial diversity and helps kickstart microbial populations.
Microbial activity is optimal in soils with a pH between 6 and 7. Extreme acidity or alkalinity can reduce microbial diversity and activity. Colorado soil pH is usually between 7 and 9 depending on many factors.
Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic relationships with plant roots, helping plants absorb nutrients (like phosphorus) and water. Adding inoculants or promoting conditions for their growth boosts soil health.
Yes, mulching grass clippings slowly adds organic material as it decomposes.
Yes, synthetic fertilizers can harm microbial activity by reducing organic matter and altering soil pH. Synthetic fertilizers are usually a salt based fertilizer which kill beneficial microbes.
Microbes need moisture to function, but excess water can create anaerobic conditions that favor harmful microbes like Necrotic Ring Spot fungus.
With consistent efforts like adding high quality organic fertilizer, eliminating the use of chemicals, and maintaining proper moisture (follow the 1-2-3-2-1 lawn watering technique), and mowing the lawn at 3 inches or taller, noticeable improvements can occur within a few months to a year. Applying compost can significantly increase the recover time of a lawn.