I'm doing mainly hydroponics by now, but still have some pots on my balcony with soil in them, and I don't plan to change that.
Most of them are just "there" and filled with flower mixes for insects, aka weeds.
Those aren't high value crops for me, but still, I'm seeing them as test subjects.

The soil is mostly highly organic and I built it up myself from scratch.
A big portion of it is actually mushroom mycelium blocks, aka decomposed hardwood and millet, with some rock meal, LECA and compost on top.
Maybe that information is relevant, idk.

I pay a lot of attention to the biological activity, e.g. earthworms and springtails. There seems to be lots of decomposition happening.

The pots are already in use for at least one year, and I've always watered them with tap water.

Now, the blackberries, growing in one of my oldest pots, the only one with a high clay content, is showing signs of a deficiency, even though I put more than enough organic fertiliser in it last year.

I suspect it's because of my watering habits. My tap water doesn't contain any chlorine or other harmful stuff, but still, lots of Calcium, Magnesium and carbonates. It has a high pH, sometimes reaching even 8+!

The plants are thirsty and need lots of it, so I just wanna know how bad it really is.

I know that the availability of nutrients is depending on pH and other ions, but does it really matter in soil?

Last year, when I made a new batch, my soil was contaminated with something highly alkaline, and the drain off pH has been 10+ for some time, but still, the plants coped very well with it and didn't show much signs of deficiencies.
It's now in the 8-ish range, but I can't say it for sure because my testing methods are shit, see my other post.

Does it have something to do with the microbes living in it?

Pictures

I have a few pots of soil I made myself on my balcony, and I wanna test following things:

• pH: I already have a pH testing rod for soil, but it seems to be very inaccurate.
  I also have a proper digital pH meter for my hydroponics, which is way more accurate. How do I test the soil in the liquid form? Are there any standards, so it is more comparable?
• Composition: Ratio of organic vs inorganic stuff, and also the water retention and aeration.
• Microbial and biological fingerprint: I saw a huge amount of earthworms last year, but this year, none at all. Did my ants kill them? Are they still there, but just beneath the soil?
  How well do the microbes feel? How active is the soil?
• Decomposition grade (I'm reusing the soil from the last years): how drained and compacted is my soil already?
• Are there harmful nematodes or whatever in there?
• The ratio of Calcium and Magnesium compared to other ions (I suspect nutrient lockouts due to tap water)
• etc.

As a background, I'm a "chemist" and also have some skills, chemicals and equipment average people may not have.

Here are some pictures :)

The blackberry with deficiencies:

And some pics of dirt from different pots. The top layer may look different than the what's below.

Urbanization is reshaping soil microbial communities worldwide, driving an unexpected homogenization of bacterial populations while fungal communities remain more resistant to change.

A new study warns that global declines in soil moisture over the 21st century could mark a “permanent” shift in the world’s water cycle.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/19458072

A new study published in Ecological Processes by researchers at the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reveals that no-tillage (NT) farming could play a pivotal role in combating soil degradation and enhancing carbon sequestration in arid and semi-arid regions.

I had a really bad slug infestation on my balcony garden last year. Because they were eating on everything, and were in the thousands almost, I had to resort to "poison" bait. Not one of the toxic ones, because I have cats, but ones based on Iron phosphate.

Still, it resulted in another pest: all those slimy slugs crawled under the floor cover and died there. Disgusting. Everything was full of flies and stank.
But mainly, it was mentally horrifying.

This year, I want to do it differently. Instead of killing them, I want prevention.

I already looked up online, but all "natural predators" are bigger ones, like ducks and toads, but of course that isn't viable on my small balcony.

So, I thought about already killing them in the egg stage.

What natural killers, like nematodes or bugs, do they have in this life stage?
What can I do to attract them?
How is that regulared by natural balance?

Anyway, I got outside and dug up some soil samples from different locations and spreaded them in the pots, hoping that there are some eggs or critters in there that are currently hibernating and then improve the natural balance in the summer.
It was only one hand full of dirt per big pot, but that should be enough I believe. It's only the catalyst/ starter culture after all.

Btw, I'm currently building up the soil for the following season. Last year has been absolutely great with organic living soil, and I want to improve on that.

The new soil, consisting of spent mushroom blocks, some soil, leaf matter, and more:

And the old one from a few months ago, when I harvested my hemp tree:

I plan to reuse it of course! No-till, a shit ton of organic matter, very well aerated with deep roots from the decaying plant that was previously in there. Extremely healthy dirt 🤌👌

Some pedologists like to split out every little detail when classifying a soil profile. Others? Not so much....

Pedologists are a prickly bunch; tons of strong opinions, so lumpers and Splitters have some epic arguments

To understand what might be lost, ecologist Janet K. Jansson taps molecular methods to explore Earth’s underground microbes, from the permafrost to the grasslands

For all the time I spend looking at various techniques and growing tips, I know shockingly little about soil, especially when you buy it at a garden center. Lemmy has treated me quite well every time I've asked for gardening advice, so once again I come to all of you to ask: What exactly differentiates potting mix and in-ground soil? What should I be looking for when purchasing soil? Is the type I choose all that important? Enlighten me soil scientists, and add any other fun tidbits you think I should know.

New method relies upon seismic technology that normally measures how the ground shakes during earthquakes.

The study