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  • From: Elizabeth Hilborn <ehilborn@mebtel.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Long term soil sweetening
  • Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 07:49:21 -0500

Hi folks, I am a newbie to the group and to permaculture.

I just started a project (still at the thinking and planning stage) in the mid-Atlantic US for a sloping parcel with a plan for pasture at the flat top, fruit trees on the slope, and vegetables on the fertile bottom.

My overriding issue is the inherent acidity of the soil. Can I spread crushed oyster shell (sold for chicken feed) on the land for a long-lasting solution. I am looking for longevity, because I do not want to be spreading lime every 2-3 years.

In colonial New England, they used crushed oyster shells to sweeten the soil. The bigger fragments of shells are still there in old fields, slowly leaching away, so I know this is potentially a long term solution.

However, I do not know how to calculate the correct amount of crushed shell to apply given pH, and area. Do I need other soil quality parameters?

Any thoughts?

Betsy Hilborn




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