The soil food web - nature's secret to a thriving garden
/Our gardens are living ecosystems where the success of every plant, tree and lawn relies on the microscopic community beneath our feet – a system known as the soil food web. This intricate network of organisms acts as nature's own engineering team, turning inert matter into a thriving, fertile environment. Understanding and nurturing this hidden world is the key to creating landscapes that are not just beautiful, but genuinely resilient and self-sustaining. For gardeners, this means avoiding, where possible, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and fungicides and embracing instead, a holistic approach to soil health, writes Robert Wilkins, operations director for Ruskins, one of the country’s leading soil specialists.
The soil food web is a community of organisms ranging from the microscopic to the macroscopic, all of them interconnected. It begins with the decomposers, which include bacteria and fungi that break down dead organic matter such as leaves and roots. These primary consumers are the foundation of the ecosystem, converting detritus into essential nutrients plants can absorb. The next level includes tiny invertebrates like nematodes and protozoa, which graze on the bacteria and fungi. This process, in turn, releases excess nitrogen and other nutrients back into the soil, making them readily available for plant roots.
A vibrant and diverse soil food web provides two primary benefits - enhanced nutrient cycling and natural pest control. When the web is balanced, organisms work efficiently to break down organic matter and mineralise it into a form plants can use. This removes the need for chemical fertilisers, as the garden's own ecosystem provides a continuous and steady supply of nutrients. Plants grow stronger and healthier as a result. Furthermore, a balanced food web includes predators such as mites, centipedes and beetles, which naturally prey on common garden pests. This biological control removes the need for chemical pesticides and fungicides, promoting a healthier environment for both plants and people.
The life within the soil also directly influences its physical structure. Earthworms and other burrowing invertebrates aerate the soil, creating channels that allow water to drain efficiently. Fungal networks bind soil particles together, improving its structure and preventing erosion. A healthy, living soil structure drains up to ten times better than compacted, degraded ground, reducing waterlogging and water-related stress for plants. This natural engineering creates a permeable, breathable soil that is the perfect medium for strong root growth and long-term plant vitality.
Mycorrhizal fungi are the key
The symbiotic relationship between soil organisms and plant roots is equally crucial. Mycorrhizal fungi, a key component of the food web, form a partnership with a plant's roots, extending their reach to access water and nutrients from a much wider area. In return, the plant provides the fungi with sugars produced during photosynthesis. This remarkable network is an essential part of a plant's resilience, helping it to withstand periods of drought and disease. Nurturing the soil food web is therefore an investment in the plant's natural support system, a critical factor in its ability to establish and thrive.
Degraded soil, by contrast, fails. It lacks this thriving network of microorganisms, fungi and invertebrates. This results in poor drainage, with water pooling on the surface. Without the natural nutrient cycling provided by a healthy food web, plants struggle to find sustenance and rely on a constant, but often unsustainable, supply of external fertilisers. The lack of natural predators also leaves plants vulnerable to a growing number of pests. The soil's compacted structure resists root growth, leading to stressed, weak plants that are susceptible to disease. In short, the difference between a garden that struggles and one that flourishes often comes down to the health of the unseen life beneath its surface.
For gardeners, the path to a thriving landscape lies in nurturing this biological network. Instead of simply feeding the plants, the focus must change to feeding the soil. This can be achieved by incorporating organic matter like well-rotted compost, which provides a food source for the entire web. Avoiding the use of harsh chemicals and over-tilling the soil helps to protect the delicate ecosystem.
However, for many gardens, particularly where soil has been heavily compacted, the natural biological life is suffocated and destroyed. This turns a once-living medium into a dense, lifeless substance that struggles to drain water or support plant roots, creating a hostile environment for new planting. This is a common and often overlooked issue that requires a specific, targeted intervention to reverse.
To address this, Ruskins has developed a proactive solution using a natural liquid known as "Compost Tea." This is not a fertiliser - it is a living, nutrient-rich mixture containing billions of beneficial microorganisms - including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes. This creates a highly concentrated liquid solution that is ready to be applied directly to the damaged soil.
The application of this natural liquid is designed to reintroduce the necessary microbes and organisms to kick-start the soil food web. The tea drenches the compacted ground, delivering a thriving community of biological life directly to the root zone. These microorganisms immediately begin to break down organic matter, improve aeration and create the symbiotic relationships with plant roots that are essential for long-term health and growth.
By prioritising the health of the soil food web, gardeners can create landscapes that are more sustainable and require less intervention. Landscapes with a healthy soil biology establish faster, with lusher growth, resilient shrubs and thriving trees. For homeowners and professional gardeners alike, this translates to fewer problems, lower maintenance costs and an enhanced, self-sustaining landscape that works with nature, not against it. The ground beneath our feet is not just a base for our plants - it is a living system that determines whether our gardens succeed or fail. Restore it and everything built on it thrives.
