Here’s something you may or may not know about your soil: it can contain BILLIONS of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms; all within just a single teaspoon. Most of these microorganisms are things that you want in your soil… they can form beneficial relationships with the plants you’re trying to grow!
So, what is inoculant? It’s a specific type of beneficial microorganism that attaches and lives on the roots of legumes, such as peas and beans. Legumes have the unique ability to form a symbiotic relationship with certain types of naturally occurring rhizobium soil bacteria. In return for the plant feeding the rhizobia carbon from photosynthesis and giving it a home, the bacteria can “fix” atmospheric nitrogen into a form that the plant can use. After colonizing the roots, the rhizobia soil bacteria encourages the formation of protrusions on the roots, called ‘nitrogen nodules’, where the transformed nitrogen…
View original post 313 more words
Strafford County Master Gardeners Association 