Description: Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life ― not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web ― the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals. Review "All gardeners who take this important book seriously will learn how to make their gardening practices more effective." -- HortIdeas, September 2006 "Lowenfels oh-so-thorough investigation has resulted in one heck of a good book...written it in a style so on-the-spot clear and easy to grasp that my dog, Sadie, could understand it." -- The Oregonian, August 10, 2006 "Read this book and you'll never think of soil the same way." -- Anchorage Daily News, September 14, 2006 "This is sure to gain that well-thumbed look than any good garden book acquires as it is referred to repeatedly over the years." -- Pacific Horticulture, Fall 2006 "This is the most complete book on the market about biological or organic methods in horticulture...highly recommended for all gardeners, landscapers, or anyone taking care of a lawn or garden." -- Nature's Way Resources, October 11, 2006 From the Publisher Teaming With Microbes describes the activities of the organisms that make up the soil food web and explains how to foster and cultivate the life of the soil. The straightforward text is accessible to a wide audience of gardeners who want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals. From the Back Cover Winner of the Garden Writers Association Gold Award for Best Book Writing Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life—not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web—the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals. This revised edition updates the original text and includes two completely new chapters—on mycorrhizae (beneficial associations fungi form with green-leaved plants) and archaea (singled-celled organisms once thought to be allied to bacteria). About the Author Wayne Lewis is a lifelong Alaskan gardener. He has worked with Jeff Lowenfels on many projects over the past 25 years, including the now national Plant a Row for the Hungry program, which encourages gardeners to donate a portion of their harvest to charitable organizations in their community. Jeff Lowenfels is the author of a trilogy of award winning books on plants and soil, and he is the longest running garden columnist in North America. Lowenfels is a national lecturer as well as a fellow, hall of fame member, and former president of the Garden Writers of America. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The images in this book have forewarned you: you may find things in your soil that, upon closer examination, will scare the daylights out of you. (In general we advise against putting anything under an electron microscope. At that level, all life has teeth!) The point is, when you get a good look at some of the microarthropods present in soil, you may never want to put your hands in the soil again. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss; however, in this instance a little knowledge is not going to hurt you and will actually help you be a better gardener. Just remember, you put your hands in the soil before you knew what was there and never got hurt. You will want to repeat the following procedures with soils from each of your gardens and lawn areas, and even around specific trees and shrubs. We have done this dozens of times in our own yards, and what we find never fails to astonish us. Start by digging a hole in the soil at issue, about 12 inches (30 centimeters) square. Use a spade or trowel — it doesn't matter, and measurements don't have to be exact. Put all the soil you dig up onto a tarp or in a box so you can then sift through it, looking for the bigger animals you might find in the soil: worms, beetles, insect larvae — any living organism you can see with the naked eye and pick up without having to resort to tweezers. Keep track of what you are finding. None of us are trained at identifying all the organisms in our soils, and frankly the variety of them is so great as to be beyond the scope of this book. Do your best in making identifications. Seek help from others. In time you will become sufficiently proficient for the purpose. This is new stuff, and just being exposed to it will make the learning experience easier. It didn't take us very long, and it won't take you long to become familiar with soil food web organisms. ASIN‎0881927775 Publisher‎Timber Press (July 15, 2006) Language‎English Hardcover‎196 pages ISBN-10‎1604691131 ISBN-13‎978-0881927771 Item Weight‎1.3 pounds Dimensions‎6.28 x 0.76 x 9.32 inches
Price: 29.99 USD
Location: Woodland, California
End Time: 2024-12-30T17:05:34.000Z
Shipping Cost: 4.99 USD
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Book Title: Teaming with Microbes : the Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition
Number of Pages: 220 Pages
Language: English
Publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated
Publication Year: 2010
Item Height: 0.9 in
Topic: Life Sciences / Ecology, Life Sciences / Microbiology, Life Sciences / Biological Diversity, Organic, Ecology, Agriculture / Agronomy / Soil Science
Illustrator: Yes
Features: Revised
Genre: Nature, Technology & Engineering, Science, Gardening
Item Weight: 21.8 Oz
Author: Wayne Lewis, Jeff Lowenfels
Item Length: 9.1 in
Item Width: 6.1 in
Format: Hardcover
