Humus Compared Introduction Soil microbiologists originally viewed the soil as the environment in which soil microbes develop. Balancing or increasing a soil's natural fertility. Recommending applications of materials or products to a soil.
Soil microbes live and function in a solution within the soil.
This soil solution forms a coating around the soil particles and fills the spaces between them. The lower the nutrient level within the solution, the slower the development, reproduction, and activities of the microbes. An adequate supply of life sustaining oxygen is also a requirement for many useful soil microbes. All of these components are in constant action and interaction. The natural level of nitrogen in a soil is directly affected by the activity of living organisms.