We talk often about the mindset shifts needed when switching to a regenerative way of growing.
A very important, and counter-intuitive, regenerative mindset shift needed is this:
- The "conventional" system, which is dependent on soluble fertilizers, has conditioned us that nutrients get applied in the spring
- But in a biological system, nutrition management actually begins in the fall, manymonths before we plant the crop.
Perennial growers already know this. The buds for this year’s crop were formed last year, so last year’s nutrition is largely responsible for this year’s crop.
But it’s also the case for annual crops!
When developing a biological system for annual crops, our goal is for soil biology to provide the nutrients a crop needs, and for those nutrients to be plant-available, but NOT water-soluble (i.e. they don’t leach).
For biology to work this magic, it needs time.
- Time to build up its populations
- Time to extract minerals from the soil mineral matrix
- Time to make those minerals available to the crop
Therefore if we intend to use soil biology to provide crop nutrients, we need to start in the fall, not the spring, to give biology the most possible time to work before the crop is planted.
There’s also a difference between how soil biology behaves in warm vs. cool soils.
Humification is the dominant process in cool soils, during the off season.
- It’s a fungal-dominant process
- It creates stable humic substances that build long-term soil health
Mineralization happens in warmer soils, during the growing season
- It’s a bacterial-dominant process
- It releases nutrients crops need, but doesn’t build soil health over the long-term
So, if you’re going to put on microbial inoculants, the most valuable time is in the fall. These microbes have time to develop vigorous populations that can:
- Break down crop residue
- Solubilize nutrients
- Create stable humic substances
When spring comes, we can easily see the results of winter’s biological activity.
- It’s not just moisture that creates the beautiful, lush green of plants in springtime, like first-cutting alfalfa.
- It’s also the flush of bioavailable nutrients delivered through humification
Maybe Dylan Thomas had humification in mind when he penned his famous line:
