Homeostasis is a biology term that simply means a balanced internal metabolism of a living organism, be it human, plant or animal. Bottom line, when life is balanced, we feel as if we are ''home sweet home.''
For humans, a sign of homeostasis is a body temperature of 98.6 degrees; for dogs, a nice, cool nose; and for a plant, a green, turgid leaf. When something is awry, our temperature spikes, the plant's leaf pales or wilts and our best friend's nose becomes warm. Even though this term is reserved for living organisms, I think as gardeners we can take this theory down under ... to our soil.
We know soil particles are non-living, and the term homeostasis really can't be applied. However, I challenge you today to consider soil in a more expansive way, with all the microbes, worms, pH and organic matter mixed with the particles. When we do this, we begin to see just how important healthy, internally balanced, homeostatic soil is to our plants.
Since it's fall, our gardens are closing for the season, so it's the perfect time to rebalance our soil. Our soil's homeostasis can literally be measured by the amount of our harvest; when our soil is not homeostatic, our harvest is poor; when it is in balance, our basket runneth over.
Ah, where to start? You see it every year when farmers turn under their fields once the harvest is over; they are letting nature refuel herself. We can do the same thing by tilling our vegetable gardens under and letting the soil microbes decompose the plant debris over the winter months.
Perennial gardeners, same idea. If your gardens are formally mulched, working plant debris back into the soil may be a chore, but it's not impossible. For those of us that have un-mulched beds, it's a bit easier, in that we need only cut or mow the plants down, then work the chopped debris down into the soil. Understand you do not want to simply cut the stems down and leave them lying on top of the soil. If they are not incorporated into the soil, the microbes can't get at them to break them down, and they become a haven for disease and insects to overwinter. Come spring, they are soggy piles that must be removed.
Fallen leaves and grass clippings are another great source of organic matter we can incorporate into our soil now to help it regain its "homeostasis" rating come spring. If you read the article in the Times Union this past week, you are aware of the issues of leaving leaves on your lawn for the winter, so why not rake them and recycle them into the garden?
Manure is still another outstanding addition to our soil, and by incorporating it now we will have fewer weed seeds to contend with than if we spread it come spring. Compost and straw are yet other options. The more organic matter we work into our soil in the fall, the more microbes and soil organisms we can attract that will ultimately bring our soil to life. The decomposed organic matter that results from these microbes and worms feeding is "plant-friendly," meaning it does not need to undergo any change for the plant to use it.
Amendments are step one; pH is step two to a homeostatic soil. Every plant has its declared pH range, which in turn allows the root hairs to absorb needed nutrients and microbes to work at their maximum capacity. After adding organic matter in the fall, remember to check your soil pH come spring.
When we continually amend our soil with organic matter and keep tabs on the pH, we keep breathing life into it. Ask yourself, did you have an abundant harvest this year or just an OK one? Fall is the time to build a well-balanced soil ready for next season. Think homeostasis ... think ''home sweet home.''