Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Soilsecrets@aol.com]

While Wikipedia is a fun site to surf and look up stuff, it is not a solid source of information as it can be edited easily by anyone. 

 

Humus is made by an aerobic Humification process using only bacteria (never fungi directly*) which depend on oxygen and the proper calories and precursors to manufacture the organic acids that are arranged in a conglomeration of molecules we call humus.  The final material is not static nor stable and in fact continues to break down in time with a half life of about 50 years.  Unless more oxygen and nitrogen are introduced into the equation, in which case it breaks down faster. 

 

* Fungi being the goats of the soil will decompose more difficult materials such as the lignins of wood, resulting in those calories becoming useful to bacteria.  So indirectly fungi are involved in the process of Humification.

 

Michael Martin Melendrez Ph.D.

Soil Secrets LLC