Tacoma Grow: Beneficial Microbes
by Jen Drake
My first thought upon waking up this morning was Plasmodium protozoan Malaria. Why? Because I have been studying Microbiology and recently read a fantastic book entitled Invisible Enemies: Stories of Infectious Disease by Jeanette Farrell. The average person on the street shivers with fear when microbes are mentioned because the tiny microscopic bugs are associated with death and disease, despite scientific knowledge that disease-causing bacteria are a small fraction of the beneficial or non-harming microbes.
Without microbes, we would all be dead. There might not even be any rain or snow since bacteria assist in their creation. There definitely would be no plant or animal life, since scientists know that oxygen was originally produced by cyanobacteria. Without beneficial bacteria hanging out on our skin and mucous membranes, we would have died long ago. They help us digest our food, synthesize vitamins (E. coli synthesizes vitamin K, niacin, B12, etc.), and occupy niches otherwise empty for pathogenic microbes. Probiotics, or good bacteria in our guts, help strengthen our immune system, reduce allergies, helps us digest food better, and in new research, probiotics may even be directly related to weight gain or weight loss, depending on one’s intestinal probiotic make-up. Even more exciting is the new discovery that bacteria are passed on from mother to child and may be as much of a factor in obesity as genetics.
Our entire ecosystem depends on microbes — specifically, soil microbes that are responsible for decomposition of organic matter into reusable food sources. Bacteria, fungi, and protozoa (all microbes) release enzymes that drive the life-giving carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles in soil that facilitates organic matter turnover into nutrient-rich soil for plants. Microbes make or break healthy soil by affecting its structure or even soil’s ability to hold water for plants.
These microbes—bacteria, fungi, and protozoa—release enzymes that drive the important carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles in soil and facilitate turnover of organic matter, making nutrients available to plants.
Microbes affect soil structure by breaking down needed nutrients and retaining moisture for plants. By monitoring microbes in the soil we can watch for early warning signs of nutrient and moisture depletion that affect plant growth. Using pesticides and other chemicals to kill pathogenic microbes also kill beneficial microbes, causing a lose-lose situation for microbes, soil, and plants. Farming practices may disrupt the soil ecosystem and decrease the effectiveness of microbe communities, such as tilling the soil that disrupts their life cycle in soil.
Recently my soon-to-be-wedded-hubs smacked a bumper sticker on my car that stated “Admit it, Tacoma. You are beautiful.” This now sits above my “I Heart Tagro” bumper sticker. Tagro, short for Tacoma Grow, has won three Environmental Protection Agency Awards and three sewage/biosolids awards since 1995. We are nationally-known for our beautiful Tacoma sewage-turned-potting soil. All-natural TAGRO products are made from pasteurized waste-water byproducts called biosolids, sawdust and other gardening elements. Research at Washington State University and the University of Washington show that plants using TAGRO grow taller, greener, and produce more than plants grown in commercial or chemical products. Since Pierce County has had septic waste issues in the not-so-distant past, TAGRO is a welcomed relief to unite friendly environment products with solid waste disposal. Tacoma is on the forefront of the the recycling sewage movement into usable soil additives, and I can only hope that this venture spreads elsewhere in the country.
The cost of TAGRO is $8 per truckload (U-haul) if a Tacoma resident and $10 per truckload if a Pierce County resident. Truly, those prices are unbeatable. If you are looking for a small amount of potting soil, there is a free pile at the TAGRO facility or for a small fee, in individually-packed bags.
TAGRO builds up soil nutrients, fosters healthy microbial growth, and produces beautiful plants. Soil microbes love good organic fertilizers. Texas Scientists have discovered that microbes release nutrients from fertilizers at an impressive rate, unlocking those nutrients at the precise time strawberry plants need them the most.
When humans are long gone, microbes will still be around, accomplishing their important tasks. We can be destroyed by them or choose to utilize them properly, replacing our foolish misconception that we are Nature’s Overlords to rather work in conjunction with the invisible world to unify humankind with our rightful place as a part (not the whole) of nature.
