Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Function of organic matter in soil

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] Function of organic matter in soil
  • Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 19:55:15 -0600


Thank you for the explanation. I do understand the complexity of humus is
beyond current soil science; hence my quote from Aldo. My concern with
humus-rich soil is due to its ability to hold nutrients in stable form to
resist leaching, cultivate needed microorganisms, and hold moisture with good
drainage. To me this is the key to the kind of growing that gives us far more
for our time and energy. And in hard times that's the make or break for food
security.

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 5/16/2006 at 9:36 PM Soilsecrets@aol.com wrote:

>In an attempt to expel information on humus, soils, and organic matter
>the
>information is often so grossly over simplified that it becomes gobble
>gook and
> unreadable to most laymen. Many a scientist have spent their entire
>adult
>life trying to understand this process, earning Ph.D.'s in the process and
>still don't truly understanding it.
>
>My idea is to keep it simple and stick to some basic facts:
>1. organic matter or debris turns into compost which in time will turn
>into
>humus a stable polymer called Humic substances in the arena of science.
>2. in the process of turning into humus the minerals of the organic matter
>
>is re-mineralized into the soil and made useful to all life.
>3. Organic matter is a source of nutritional calories or energy. This
>provides fuel for the microbiology process of the soil. In essence,
>organic matter
>is solid solar energy temporarily tied up in a biomass form of calories
>consisting of sugars, proteins and fats (oils).
>4. Humus has many benefits beyond the comprehension of mankind and many
>claims that cannot be easily substantiated or proven for the objective of
>getting
>the stuff properly label approved in many states. In other words, there
>are
>about 20 states that will not let a manufacture make any claims about
>humus
>on a label because the research to prove the claims is still not solid.
>Even
>the components of humus such as the Humic acid and Fulvic acid are
>debated
>with some states not recognizing a difference between the two.
>
>Dr. Michael Martin Melendrez
>






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page