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  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Quora question: How does one build soil? http://www.quora.com/How-does-one-build-soil
  • Date: Sun, 25 Dec 2011 22:22:46 -0500

How does one build soil?
http://www.quora.com/How-does-one-build-soil
"Two words: organic matter. Organic matter is carbon-containing
compounds associated living organisms. Well-built soil is full of
organic matter, which comes from decayed/decaying organisms, like
plant litter, compost, manure and generally looks dark by nature.Some
of these complex compounds stay around for a long time (centuries)
while others are consumed by microorganisms and lost from the soil as
CO2 (carbon mineralization). Some soils called 'terra preta' (black
earth in Portugese) are soils with high organic matter content,
traditionally built out of charred organic matter, ash, and pottery
shards. Soil building is building with carbon, and leaving it in a
stable, solid form, and is therefore pulling greenhouse gas CO2 from
the atmosphere.

So to build soil, add plant material or animal waste- fish are even
used, if you can get it to the right temperature. Composing the
organic material before adding it is much more efficient soil building
than adding it straight. A good compost will heat up with microbial
activity, and decompose very quickly.When you compost or bury the
organic matter, it becomes converted to stable forms, and much more
likely build the soil, rather than become lost as CO2.

Well-built soil can do some magical things. It has more pores for
water to penetrate into it, and it tends to hold onto water like a
sponge, giving plants more time to utilize it. It holds onto
nutrients, preventing them from leaching into the groundwater. It
provides a long-term reserve of nutrients for plants. It serves as a
great buffer against change in pH and can sometimes immobilize
otherwise toxic compounds."




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