Are nutrients in organic matter immediately available to plants?
A. No, the nutrients in organic matter gradually become available to plants. Under suitable conditions, including pH and moisture level, organic matter is decomposed by soil-dwelling organisms such as; fungi, algae, bacteria, molds, and earthworms. During this process, insoluble nutrients, which are not available to plants, are gradually changed into available soluble forms. For example, nitrogen is converted from its unavailable organic form to an available inorganic form (nitrate) by soil organisms through a process called nitrification. The soil organisms slowly release nutrients from organic matter for plant uptake. Therefore, periodic confirmation of soil pH is necessary for good performance.
