May 8, 2024 Your Source for Brentwood News

Column: Let’s talk About the Soil

Everyone knows that we are undergoing a climate change not seen on the earth before. We all understand what is happening and have many points of views and suggestions as to how correct the problem. I am here to talk to you about the soil. The effects of this climate change, combined with the bad practices of human beings, have developed a tipping point in the health of the soil, worldwide.

How is the health of the soil and the health of all living things related? They all depend on the soil for minerals.

The key to healthy trees etc is a functioning healthy soil. For the soil to properly function, it must have a variety of living microbes and a source of trace minerals. It is the job of the microbes to assimilate minerals and make them available in a form that then it can be used. Different microbes have different tasks to perform. Some have the main job of attaching themselves to the roots and then passing on the nutrients. Others have the job of seeking out minerals and converting them into an available form that can be used by the trees, plants etc.

All living things have a relationship between what minerals they are lacking in and pests and diseases. It is all about minerals. There are 96 trace minerals all of which are required for a being to be healthy. This system has been developed over millions of years with specific diseases and pests evolving to deal with this. I will only be talking about trees and other plants but it is also true about other living things.

My experience with trees has taught me the law of cause and effect. Pests and diseases are only the effects and not the cause.  I ask myself why diseases and diseases only attack one tree and not the one right next to it? One tree was healthy and the other was not. In the case of the two trees, I asked myself what was different between the two. I discovered that one tree was near a water bib and it was getting watered every time the bib was being used while the other tree was far enough away not to get this constant watering. 

Microbes die (actually drown) if the soil becomes water logged. When they die, the supply of nutrients to the trees, is cut off. The trees get stressed and will be attacked by pests and or diseases  (diseases follow pests). Chemical fertilizers only make it worse. The opposite is also true in that if you do not water correctly, the microbes will die from lack of water, and the results are the same.

Let me guide you through the process of how to heal your soil.

To be continued…

any questions or comments

Please email me at andylopez@invisiblegardener.com

Please put the name of the paper or magazine and date you are reading in subject

Thanks
Andy Lopez
Invisible Gardener

in Opinion
Related Posts

Opinion: Toxic Exposure May Impact Veterans’ Health Even Today

April 29, 2024

April 29, 2024

By Cristina Johnson  Military service members spend years in hazardous environments unknowingly, often developing fatal illnesses decades after their service....

If You Have a Loved One Experiencing Severe Mental Illness, We Can Help

February 15, 2024

February 15, 2024

By Lisa H. Wong, Psy. D Many families across Los Angeles County know what it’s like to watch a loved...

Brentwood Beat: Mike Feuer vs. Nick Melvoin: a Really Tough Choice

February 15, 2024

February 15, 2024

By Jeff Hall As we enter the political season, many in Brentwood will have their eyes on both Mike Feuer...

Brentwood Beat: From Brentwood News to OUR NATIONAL CONVERSATION

November 16, 2023

November 16, 2023

Back in 1991, when I started the Brentwood News, I wrote that Brentwood’s new community newspaper would remain politically neutral...

A Hopeful Future

May 25, 2023

May 25, 2023

A Hopeful Future I attended two events this last month that made me feel better about the state of the...

New Program Can Help Protect Southern California Homes in the Event of an Earthquake

May 13, 2023

May 13, 2023

Residents Have Until May 31 To Apply For Seismic Retrofit Grants By Janiele Maffei, Chief Mitigation Officer for the California...

Column: Tired OF Declinists? Some Enduring New California Positives

April 18, 2023

April 18, 2023

By Thomas D. Elias California has taken a beating lately, with (mostly Republican) governors of other states blasting many aspects...

Brentwood Beat: New Leadership – and an Old Question

March 31, 2023

March 31, 2023

I attended the recent Brentwood Homeowners Association annual meeting. Like all BHA meetings, this one didn’t disappoint. One reason for...

Column: SB 9 Ended R-1 Zoning, but It’s Not Meeting Goals

March 11, 2023

March 11, 2023

By Tom Elias More than a year after it took effect, the landmark housing density law known as SB 9...

Column: The Inevitable Conversions Begin Multiplying

February 25, 2023

February 25, 2023

By Tom Elias It’s a phenomenon from New York to Dallas to Fresno and Los Angeles, one that seemed inevitable...

Brentwood Beat – Westside Urban Forum: Small Can Be Good

February 24, 2023

February 24, 2023

I was invited by fellow Brentwood resident Josh Stephens to moderate a recent panel conversation conducted by the Westside Urban...

Column: The Fantasy World of California Housing Policy

February 20, 2023

February 20, 2023

By Tom Elias If you’re looking for sure things among bills under consideration in the state Legislature, think of one...

Column: State Usurping Key Powers From Cities

January 28, 2023

January 28, 2023

By Tom Elias All over California last fall, hundreds of the civic minded spent thousands of hours and millions of...

Column – A California Positive: Kids Swarm Extra Classes

January 24, 2023

January 24, 2023

By Tom Elias It’s become a cliché, the shibboleth that California has lousy public schools and most of the kids...

BrentwoodMeet: What a Great Idea!

December 23, 2022

December 23, 2022

I started seeing signs pop up around Brentwood about an upcoming gathering of something called “BrentwoodMeet” (see BrentwoodMeet.com).   It sounded...