The Soil Food Web
The soil food web is the community of organisms living all or part of their lives in the soil.
The soil food web diagram below, shows a series of conversions (represented by arrows) of energy and nutrients as one organism eats another.
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As organisms decompose complex materials, or consume other organisms, nutrients are converted from one form to another, and are made available to plants and to other soil organisms. All plants - grass, trees, shrubs, agricultural crops - depend on the food web for their nutrition.
At the base of the web are bacteria and fungi which consume and decompose organic matter directly, converting nitrogen to plant-usable form and storing it in their bodies. Protozoa and nematodes prey on bacteria and fungi, releasing nitrogen to plants.
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How does the Soil Food Web influence your lawn?
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Perennial grasses thrive when the ratio of rootzone fungi to bacteria by weight is between 0.75:1 and 1.5:1.
If your lawn is full of weeds, it will be closer to 0.1:1.
Randles Lawn Care: Our Fertilisers
We believe the best method to achieving a sustainable lawn for the future is to embrace the Soil Food Web and therefore we are using Symbio Fertilisers in our Lawn Care programmes.
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Symbio offers a full range of products to support Golf course, Football pitches, Cricket pitches and domestic lawns, with the key focus on promoting and developing healthy soil. This ensures the the soil microorganisms work for you, and you reap the benefits of healthy, strong grass.
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Why we use Symbio Products
We believe Symbio fertilisers support the Soil Food Web, and will result in healthier more sustainable lawns
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From the Symbio Company profile page online:
'Soil is at the heart of a healthy planet, and soil conservation is key to feeding our growing population. Healthy soil is a living, biologically diverse environment that recycles nutrients and captures carbon to create the food we eat, the natural environment we enjoy, and the playing surfaces for many of the world’s major sports. Too often these natural systems are disrupted by our management practices. Agriculture, horticulture and turf management have come to rely on inorganic fertilisers and pesticides to stimulate plant growth and disease control. Fertiliser and pesticide costs are increasing, while the productivity of compromised soils is declining. Symbio works with nature to reintroduce soil biology and restore life to degraded soils.'
www.symbio.co.uk/company-profile
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Working with academic and commercial partners Symbio has developed a product range to suit a variety of different environments. Using beneficial soil bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi and other microorganisms in the soil food web, Symbio products help their customers to grow strong, healthy and nutritious plants.
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Symbio harnesses the benefits of nature and resolves poor soil health, by restoring the soil food web and providing cost effective management programs.
Mycorrhizal Fungi
'Mycorrhizae helps you grow better, healthier plants.
Mycorrhizae (it means fungus root) are a group of about 400 fungi that form symbiotic relationships with plants. They live in or on the roots, extend their hyphae into the soil and make phosphate, nitrogen other nutrients and water available to the host plant. They extend the effective root area many hundreds of times so plants grow faster, larger and stronger with less fertiliser and water.
Farmers, horticulturalists, greenkeepers, landscapers and gardeners give your plants the mycorrhizal advantage!'
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Arbuscular Mycorrhiza(AM)
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Whats included in Symbio's Fertilisers
Healthy perennial grasses grow in biologically active soil, where microorganisms provide natural defence mechanisms against disease, dry patch and thatch build up. Healthy soils contain mycorrhizal fungi which extend root systems and increase access to nutrients and water.
Symbio provides the correct combination of biology, chemistry and physics for the growth of fine grass, reducing the need for chemicals, and resulting in less disease, less physical disruption, reduced management time and lower costs.
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Symbio Organic Soil Conditioner Fertiliser
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SYMBIO Caviar is a low salt organic fertiliser granule containing slow release nutrients. It contains 25% Fulvic acid and 15% Amino acid, with excellent biostimulant and soil building properties.
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Symbio MycoGro Fertilisers
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SYMBIO MycoGro fertilisers provide a total fertiliser package with beneficial soil fungi and bacteria, mycorrhizae and biostimulants, designed specifically to encourage development of the soil food web. Mycorrhizae promote the establishment of fescue, bent and rye grasses, expanding the root system and increasing water and nutrient uptake. The biostimulants provide a food source to increase the populations of beneficial soil microbes, improving soil structure and promoting a healthy sward.
Make Your Lawn Look it's Best
We aim to customise your treatment plans to fit around your budget and expectations. Looking for a perfect lawn, or a simply treatment for weeds, we can offer you a number of options and treatment plans throughout the year.
Get the most from your lawn
Customised to meet you needs