Good soil is made by many living things! (Agriculture)

Hello. I am Takahiro Ogawa, an agricultural management supporter. It has been a while since I last talked about soil preparation.
I am often consulted by people who have just started organic farming, saying that even though they apply a lot of compost, the plants grow poorly or do not grow well. In fields with little organic matter, the number of soil organisms is low, so even if you suddenly add a lot of compost or fertilizer to such soil, it will not function sufficiently.

It is said that 1 billion to 10 billion soil organisms live per gram of soil in fields where organic matter has been added for many years. Soil organisms are broadly classified into soil microorganisms and soil animals. Soil microorganisms include fungi such as filamentous fungi and bacteria that chemically decompose organic matter with enzymes. Soil animals refer to creatures that eat and physically decompose organic matter, such as pill bugs, earthworms, and springtails.

Unlike chemical fertilizers that vegetables can absorb immediately, organic fertilizers such as chicken manure and oil cake cannot be absorbed by plants unless they are decomposed. Creatures play a major role in this decomposition. When organic matter is added to the soil, they decompose it into carbon and inorganic substances. Vegetables take in fertilizer components that have been broken down to a size that can be absorbed through the cell walls of the roots. Also, the humus that remains after organic matter is decomposed binds clay and minerals to create the aggregate structure of the soil. It becomes the fluffy soil that is considered the ideal for so-called soil preparation. In this way, diverse soil organisms interact with each other to participate in the decomposition of organic matter, and in the process, they promote the aggregation of the soil.
By adding organic fertilizers and compost, the types and numbers of microorganisms increase, making the soil rich and suitable for plant growth.
By the way, although we call them soil animals, they vary in size and are divided into three types: large soil animals with a body length of 1 mm or more (earthworms, millipedes, pill bugs, etc.), medium soil animals with a body length of 0.2 to 2 mm (mites, springtails, oribatid mites), and small soil animals with a body length of 0.2 mm or less (nematodes, tardigrades, etc.).

These soil animals eat organic matter and the microorganisms that decompose organic matter, and microorganisms decompose the leftovers and excrement of other soil animals, as well as the remains of creatures eaten by predatory soil animals. In this way, they weave a complex and intricate ecosystem. Soil animals that can barely be confirmed with the naked eye are those of medium size or larger. Springtails and oribatid mites are particularly numerous in species and individuals, and are also called "plankton of the land." They also serve as food for other soil animals and support the soil ecosystem.

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