Amendments and Fertilizers – Improving the Ecology of Your Soil: A UC Master Gardener Webinar

Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms and their physical environment. This presentation will focus on how to improve the health of plants by emphasizing the connections between plants and the soil, as well as between plants and the other organisms in the soil. The question of how amendments and fertilizers can be used to support a healthy ecology between plants and their environment will be discussed. Broadly speaking, amendments are mixed with soil to improve physical and chemical properties, whereas fertilizers improve the amount of nutrients available to plants. The role of mycorrhizal fungi in combination with fertilizers is considered. An action plan for gardeners is offered.

Bio – Monika Witte is a retired engineer from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She became a Master Gardener in 2017, and now volunteers at Our Garden, the demonstration garden in Walnut Creek, and occasionally gives presentations with the Contra Costa Master Gardener Speakers Bureau. Monika also enjoys answering questions from the public at the UC Master Gardener Program Help Desk and being active in the Growing Gardener Program. At home Monika grows edibles and California natives along with other plants suited to our Mediterranean climate.

This presentation is a result of her personal quest to understand the interplay between plants and the soil.

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