[permaculture] [Fwd: Re: [SANET-MG] weed control in perennials, was: Blueberry farming]

Lawrence F. London, Jr. lflj at intrex.net
Mon Dec 24 12:56:38 EST 2007


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [SANET-MG] weed control in perennials, was: Blueberry farming
Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2007 13:30:39 -0500
From: Elaine Ingham <soilfoodweb at AOL.COM>
To: SANET-MG at LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

Sorry to be slow in answering on this, but I wasn't in town.

What we find to be effective in controlling weedy species is to alter the ratio of beneficial fungi to bacteria from a 
very bacterial dominated condition typical of disturbed, over-tilled soils, and convert that to a fungal-dominated soil, 
especially when you are working with perennials.

Addition of one or two applications of a questionable compost will not get you to the condition of fungal-dominated.? 
ANY application of a sulfate fertilizer, and you can just start over, since the beneficial fungi will have been reduced 
dramatically by the sulfate application.

I don't really care that there are no reports in the scientific literature that show that sulfates harm beneficial fungi 
in soil.??Just because scientists haven't gotten around to doing replicated scientific studies does not mean what hasn't 
been studied is not true.??You can run the experiment yourself?and document that significant concentrations of copper 
sulfate, calcium sulfate (which is gypsum), magnesium sulfate, etc can all do incredibly detrimental things to the 
beneficial fungi. And PLEASE,?beneficial fungi INCLUDES, but is much more than mycorrhizal fungi alone.? In fact, we 
just finished an experiment in South Africa showing how detrimental gypsum and Epsom salts are to the beneficial fungi, 
including mycorrhizal colonization of the roots.? You want that data, I can?put you in contact with?them.

When you consider the habitat needed and therefore the forms of nutrients when?aerobic bacteria are growing, versus 
anaerobic bacteria are predominant,, versus aerobic fungi being the majority of the soil life,?then you can understand 
why weeds are serious problems when the soil is aerobic only for the first few inches and then becomes compacted (and 
therefore limited in oxygen) be;low that.

Destruction of the organisms that build soil structure along with tillage that compacts below the plowshare (or ripper, 
or discs, whatever you are using) sets the stage for the problems most people experience in current ag practices, 
regardless of whether you are growing annuals or perennials.?

The solution is to stop killing the life in the soil, stop wiping out the beneficial fungi by using soil amendments that 
harm them (i.e., strong concentrations of urea, sulfates, anaerobic organic matter which some people may still, 
incorrectly sell as?compost, copper, etc) and let the biology build soil structure.??People may think?they are doing the 
right thing by tilling and therefore getting air back in the soil,?but tillage only?aerates the soil for a couple inches 
(depending on the depth the tilling equipment goes down), but below that depth, the soil is being compacted?both?by the 
compression of the plowshare, and well as by the heavy equipment used to pull the tillage equipment.??As soon as it 
rains or irrigation occurs, the soil collapses and compacts again, UNLESS you get the proper sets of organisms growing 
(I said GROWING, not just dormant and doing nothing) and building structure.?

I know lots of people have made compost extracts, or teas, or thrown?untested "compost" out, but they have never checked 
to see if the fungal component survived, or grew.? If you don't get the fungi growing, and PRE-DOMINANT (i.e., more 
fungal biomass than bacterial), weed control isn't going to happen.??

Please note, we're talking BIOMASS, not numbers.??You can't obtain?ratios of fungal to bacterial biomass, which is the 
metric being used here, if?the assessment tool is "plate counts".? Direct microscope methods are required.?


Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Roxburgh, New Zealand
SFI Culiacan, Mexico
SFI Canada West, Vulcan
SFI South Africa, Polokwane
SFI England, Laverstoke Park
SFI Canada East, Halifax
http://www.soilfoodweb.com




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