Complexity and Charade in the World of Soil Microbes:

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Many gardeners and growers today are discovering a new awareness of microbes in soils and composts, prompted by sometimes seeming extreme claims to healthfulness resulting from “microbial inoculation”. These developments may be seen as generally positive, leading to an enhanced appreciation of the role microorganisms play in the environment.

However, is the way in which concepts of microbiology are being simplified, popularized and commercialized not also compromising the topic itself? And does this not itself raise disturbing, unsolved questions about how much is really known about compost microbes? Do microbes actually “go to work” when put to the soil via composts? Is it a wasted effort?

This important, challenging paper explores what is known and not known about biodiversity and soil microbial webs, presenting at the same time some new findings suggesting that the complexity is far more intriguing than imagined. The author argues that we may not really be inoculating our soils with added compost microbes at all: we are rather feeding them “as in a slaughterhouse” to the indigenous populations which are far better equipped to survive in their milieu than are the microbes “being parachuted in”. One supposes, if that helps the soil indirectly get better, then let’s call that good.