Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Terry Wereb <frosted-acres@sbcglobal.net>]

Your understanding if the nutrient exchange is
correct. The only "flaw" I can see is that you have
put in a nutsehell, the main idea behind soil
chemistry!! The writers of all those "Dry" textbooks
and research papers will need to find other work!! 
Your understanding is an excellent point to  jump off
into a deeper understanding--

the electical bonding charge of clay is such that it
may biond with  several small nutrient atoms, or they
may actually get "bumped off" ( leaching!!!) by fewer,
stronger atoms. Hydrogen ions play an important role
in this-- they affect the pH as well as the ability of
nuttrients to bond  with the clay particles.

 When we do soil testing, we use something to break
the bonds so that the nutrients become available to
the reagents. Any soil testing, other than temperature
done without the use of distilled water and a breaking
agent is suspect. The results will not be totally
accurate.

Terry W

--- BT Benjaminson <btbenj@netvision.net.il> wrote:

> Please, anyone out there, can you correct and
> amplify on this? I've been 
> carrying around this (almost certainly flawed)
> understanding for years and 
> I'd just love to know more about it at a level I can
> understand.
> 
> Bat-Tzion
> Negev, Israel
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Patricia Ruggiero" <ruggierop@earthlink.net>
> To: "'Healthy soil and sustainable growing'" 
> <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 8:22 PM
> Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Humus - Understanding
> the Soil Processes
> 
> 
> > Marty wrote:
> >> How can I visually identify humus in my garden,
> compost piles or wooded
> > area? I thought it was that rich black looking
> stuff after compost breaks
> > down. I'm not so sure now.
> >
> >
> > That's what I think it is.  I will be interested
> to learn more.
> >
> > Pat
> >
> > 
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