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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Organic delusions

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: "Greg and April" <gregandapril@earthlink.net>
  • To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing" <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Organic delusions
  • Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 09:23:00 -0600

Alan,

Have you thought of using something that was more woody than grass? Something that was more woody, would take longer to decompose.

Greg H.


----- Original Message ----- From: "Alan Whitaker" <alan@dunbrokeus.com>
To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing" <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 6:26
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Organic delusions


My first season here, I planted 9 acres of sorghum-sudan grass and let
it get about 6 foot tall then disked it in. Thinking with a good-soil
mentality, I figured
this would put a lot of organic matter in the soil. It did for about 3
months. After three months, you could dig in the soil and you couldn't
find a trace of the
material there. Here in the deep South, we don't have the luxury of a
cold winter to slow the decomposition of our organic matter. My soil
has a CEC of about
3. Yes, that's 3. It ain't good and I have sure learned a lot about
soils since moving here.
This year is another dry year. The third out of 6 years. Then when we
have a wet year, we get those nasty hurricanes that'll dump 8-12 inches
and show you that
old oak in the back wasn't so tough after all.
When I first moved here, I called the local farmers co-op and asked
what they used for a plow-down here. They didn't understand the
question. So I asked what they used for organic matter. They said they
didn't carry anything "organic"...............the extension agent found
out I was organic, and he asked me "I hear
you use soap to kill bugs?". They are clueless. I believe the problem
here is that the soil types don't hold the organic matter long enough to
help you out unless you are using a good amount of mulch. We don't have
the luxury of a cold winter, and high CEC soils.

Alan Whitaker
Georgiana, AL
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