• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Dirt Diva Diaries logo with roots at the bottom of the letters and flowers/leaves coming out the top

Dirt Diva Diaries

Grow Your Own Way

  • How To Guides
    • Herbs
    • Fruits
    • Vegetables
    • Supplies and Technical Guides
  • Resources
    • Gardening Terms
    • Plant Index
    • Products
    • Our Books
  • Ivy’s Diary
  • Get My Free Stuff!
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Protist

Protist: In gardening, protists are often single-celled organisms in the soil that can be beneficial, like algae, or harmful, like some types of fungi that cause plant diseases.

Protists in the garden are a bit of a mixed bag. They’re like the tiny, often unseen, residents of your soil. Some are helpful, like the algae that can contribute to soil fertility. Others can cause trouble, like certain fungi that can lead to plant diseases. It’s like having both good and bad neighbors in your garden community.

Think of protists as your garden’s microscopic workers (or troublemakers). The good ones can help break down organic matter and make nutrients available to your plants. It’s like having a team of tiny recyclers working to keep your soil healthy.

The not-so-good protists can cause problems like root rot or damping off, especially in seedlings. It’s like having a tiny vandal going around and damaging your plants. So, while you can’t see most protists, it’s good to be aware of their presence and take steps to encourage the beneficial ones while preventing the harmful ones.

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as health, wellness or nutrition advice. Please see our full disclaimers here.

 

« Back to Glossary Index

Written by:
Kevin Mansoor
Published on:
February 25, 2025

Primary Sidebar

I want FREE stuff

I want personalized freebies to help me on my gardening journey!


Search our site

Recent Adventures

someone using horticultural oil spray to protect their garden

Horticultural Oil Spray: Your Go-To for Healthy, Happy Plants

Horticultural oil is a time-tested and environmentally conscious solution for managing various pests …

Continue Reading about Horticultural Oil Spray: Your Go-To for Healthy, Happy Plants

Explore more

Newsletter Sign Up For a Free Gardening Book

Dirt Diva Diaries in a custom logo font with flowers and roots coming out of the letters

Footer

Dirt Diva Diaries

Grow Your Own Way

Copyright © 2025 · All Rights Reserved · Dirt Diva Diaries

Check Us Out on Social Media

InstagramFacebookPinterestThreads
  • About Dirt Diva Diaries
  • Get My Free Stuff!
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate & Health Disclosures
  • Opt-out preferences
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}