Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@gilanet.com>]

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On 11/29/2004 at 11:42 AM list@bio-organics.com <list@bio-organics.com> wrote:

>
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>THE IGNORED PARTS OF SOIL
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>
>Over the years, I have managed to get on the mailing lists of several
>trade magazines that deal with commercial agriculture and horticulture.
>Nearly every issue of these magazines contains at least one article about
>soil management, but I rarely see any mentions of either trace elements or
>biological components.
>
>If you knew nothing about soil except what you read in trade journals, you
>would have to believe that the only role of growers is to create the
>proper macro chemistry for their plants. There are thousands of astute
>words about getting the pH and the N and the P and the K just right, and
>the more sophisticated articles even discuss Iron and Zinc.
>
>However, the common attitude about other minor and trace elements seems to
>be that they are either "probably already there" or "don't matter all that
>much", and (with a few exceptions) soil biology is never mentioned at all.
>
>The authors of these advice articles seem to be intelligent and educated
>people, so I have to assume they have at some time been been exposed
>to two fundamental concepts: 1.) That at least 16 chemical elements are
>equally important to the full health and performance of plants, although
>required in greatly differing amounts; and 2.) That a substantial
>percentage of good crop soil consists of beneficial living organisms (tons
>per acre).  
>
>So, why do the ag/hort authors tend to consistently ignore these obvious
>soil issues?  Is it a vast conspiracy by the big chemical fertilizer
>corporations? (And are there any non-vast conspiracies, perhaps only
>half-vast ones?)
>
>No, I would instead speculate that discussions of lesser trace elements
>and/or soil biology have a tendency to get too complicated and confusing.
>Putting out information that is easily understood and giving advice that
>is easily followed does make far more sense from a simple-to-grasp
>standpoint (by editors as well as readers).
>
>I do have to admit that relating to the living things in soil (many of
>them invisible) is not always easy, and that focusing on just three or
>four major chemical elements is more measurable-manageable than worrying
>about 16 or more. However, for those growers who really comprehend words
>like "sustainability" and who are getting tired of constantly battling
>pest and disease problems caused by unhealthy soils, some added depth to
>advisory articles might be a welcome resource.
>
>Perhaps the trade magazines could put a caution on their covers -
>"Warning, contains new ideas!"
>
>Listen to the plants, folks.
>
>Don Chapman
>President
>BioOrganics, Inc.
>______________________
>BioOrganics Inc. News
>11/27/04
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