Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Mark Nagel <activism98201@verizon.net>]

Thanks for confirming what [my application of] logic seemed to dictate...

Not in defense of Wikipedia, but I had also stated that "other" sources also 
tended to apply the attribute of "static" to humus.  I was merely taking this 
opportinity to bring this point up, and Wikipedia, just being currently 
referenced, happened to be expedient.


-Mark Nagel
Everett, WA


=====================
From: Soilsecrets@aol.com
Date: Fri May 19 12:27:42 CDT 2006
To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org, activism98201@verizon.net
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Humus - Understanding the Soil  Processes

While Wikipedia is a fun site to surf and look up stuff, it is not a solid 
source of information as it can be edited easily by anyone.   Humus is made 
by an aerobic Humification process using only bacteria (never fungi 
directly*) which depend on oxygen and the proper calories and precursors to 
manufacture the organic acids that are arranged in a conglomeration of 
molecules we call humus.  The final material is not static nor stable and in 
fact continues to break down in time with a half life of about 50 years.  
Unless more oxygen and nitrogen are introduced into the equation, in which 
case it breaks down faster.   * Fungi being the goats of the soil will 
decompose more difficult materials such as the lignins of wood, resulting in 
those calories becoming useful to bacteria.  So indirectly fungi are involved 
in the process of Humification.  Michael Martin Melendrez Ph.D. Soil Secrets 
LLC