Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Clay, compacted soils and Carrots

livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Clay, compacted soils and Carrots
  • Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 12:35:01 -0600


Our list doesn't accept attachments so those interested should definitely
look at Michael's carrots, mail to soilsecrets@aol.com . I am the humus and
microbe believer so I don't doubt those results, but I haven't used microbial
innoculants in my soil building yet. My own focus is microfarming
vegetables, and I don't know how much humus per 100 sq.ft. or how much
microbial material would be recommended for this high desert soil. I go with
more is better and rely on finished compost to form humus in the soil with
sufficient moisture. I'd be interested in more specifics about the
preparation or history of that carrot bed, and how it holds moisture. How do
you add humus without working it into the soil?

You're on the mark about this soil. Low humus content and all that goes with
it is definitely associated with our low rainfall and little annual growth of
vegetation and root mass.

paul, tradingpost@riseup.net
---------------

The outstanding scientific discovery of the twentieth century is not
television, or radio, but rather the complexity of the land organism. Only
those who know the most about it can appreciate how little we know about it.
- Aldo Leopold in Round River, 1933
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 4/20/2006 at 12:23 PM Soilsecrets@aol.com wrote:

>I'm a native of New Mexico, I'm a sixth generation farmer, the Great
>Grand
>Nephew of Geronimo and I own the largest growing operation of plant
>mutualistic
> microorganisms in the industry. Now with that in mind, if allowed, I
>could
>send you a photo of carrots that were grown on the worst of all crummy
>clays typical of New Mexico's high desert region. Low to no measurable
>indigenous humus content and very little organic matter to contribute a
>future
>pipeline of humus formation. Yet without tilling or mixing compost and
>other
>mechanical manipulations to this soil type, we were able to grow carrots
>that
>looked more like baseball bats and they tasted wonderful. The trick was
>in
>Restoring the Natural biology of the soil and to use a pure biologically
>viable
>humus as the carrier of the inoculation of these mutualistic mycorrhizal
>material with their helper bacteria. The soils found in and about the
>community of
>Eldorado, New Mexico are high desert soils which have not seen the true
>native ecotone of Oaks and grasslands for about 300 to 400 years and
>consequently
>have not had a pipeline of organic biomass needed to replace the natural
>loss
>of humus. This results in what is called locally caliche which is just
>bone
>dry and compacted clay. Humus and microbes can easily fix this problem.
>
>If you would like to see this photo of the amazing carrots, send me a
>personal
>email.
>
>Dr. Michael Martin Melendrez
>Soil Secrets LLC
>Los Lunas New Mexico
>_soilsecrets@aol.com_ (mailto:soilsecrets@aol.com)
>
>_______________________________________________
>Livingontheland mailing list
>Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
>http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
>
>No virus found in this incoming message.
>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.4/319 - Release Date: 4/19/2006







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page