Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Nancy Babbitt <nbabbitt2003@adelphia.net>]

Paul,

I'm sorry.  I think I was feeling defensive last night.

Here's my ideas:

If composting does not produce humus, then it's a breakdown process  
similar to composting that does, but obviously SOMETHING is missing  
in the composting process that does happen in nature (which does  
produce humus).

I believe that possibly more humus would be formed if we imitated  
nature.  Laying the compost materials as a ground cover, as happens  
in nature.

Using finished compost as the cover would simply supply less of what  
was originally used as composting ingredients, therefore less for  
nature to use, therefore less humus.

BTW,  I make/use Kombucha Tea, have you ever heard of it?  Tea  
vinegar, the microbes produce this amazing structure right from the  
water, tea, sugar and air.  The structure is referred to as a SCOBY  
(a Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast).  It's like mother of  
vinegar, it's kind of rubbery, jell-like, and quite substantial.

Kefir grains are similar to Kombucha SCOBY, but are used to ferment  
milk.  They too, are quite substancial/durable.

Both of these cultures protect the environment they live in from  
decomposing by acidifying it.

Microbes are amazing in what they can produce.

I understand that humus is still a mystery to science.  No one has  
figured out how it forms, and hardly know what it is, (broad  
definition), but once formed, it has keeping qualities (does not  
break down easily).  Thinking about humus always brings my mind to  
the SCOBYS and Kefir grains.

Nancy




On Jul 1, 2006, at 11:42 PM, TradingPostPaul wrote:

> Should I not ask why you believe uncomposted plant material would  
> form more
> humus than finished compost? I expect to have to support what I  
> promote.
> And BTW I'm here to learn just as much as anyone else, and that's  
> why I
> started this particular list.
>
> paul, tradingpost@riseup.net
> ---------------
>
> Many types of jobs will cease to exist: public relations executive,
> marketing directors, et cetera. I think work will be very hands-on,
> and a lot of it will revolve around food production.
>     -- James Howard Kunstler, 2003
> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>
> On 7/1/2006 at 9:42 PM Nancy Babbitt wrote:
>
> > Paul,
> >
> > I'm not a scientist.  Simply a home gardener with an idea.  Maybe I
> > should not share my ideas, without proof?
> >
> > Nancy
> > On Jul 1, 2006, at 8:44 PM, TradingPostPaul wrote:
> >
> > > What do you base this theory on?
> > >
> > > ---------------
> > > tradingpost@lobo.net
> > >
> > > Many types of jobs will cease to exist: public relations executive,
> > > marketing directors, et cetera. I think work will be very hands-on,
> > > and a lot of it will revolve around food production.
> > >     -- James Howard Kunstler, 2003
> > > *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
> > >
> > > On 7/1/2006 at 7:14 AM Nancy Babbitt wrote:
> > >
> > > > Paul,
> > > >
> > > > Is it likely then, that composting (allowing microbes to decompose
> > > > the plant material) before it's applied to the soil, can have a
> > > > negative effect on humus formation.  What I mean is that if less
> > > > plant material is is present in the final compost, than before
> > > > composting, and that lesser amount is added to soil, then there is
> > > > less to potentially become humus.
> > > >
> > > > Is it possible also that the anaerobes assist in the humus  
> > > > formation,
> > > > and they're not the ones doing the decomposing in a hot pile?
> > > >
> > > > Nancy
> > > > On Jun 30, 2006, at 12:26 PM, TradingPostPaul wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Let me try that again easier to read. Point being, it appears
> > > > > that the
> > > > > initial composting process is not humus formation; that occurs in
> > > > > the soil.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > paul, tradingpost@riseup.net
> > > > > ---------------
> > > > >
> > > > > from Humus - Understanding the Soil Processes
> > > > > http://www.petrik.com/PUBLIC/library/ups.html#humus
> > > > >
> > > > > The production of humus is a complex process. In general cyclic
> > > > > substances
> > > > > like phenol groups and also other like organic acids and vitamins
> > > > > (humus is
> > > > > also related to crude oil) are polymerized with help of
> > > > > enzymes,like phenol
> > > > > oxidase. These cyclic compounds are both from plant parts(like
> > > > > lignin) and
> > > > > are also produced by the microorganisms. Mostly fungi,  
> > > > > actinomycetes
> > > > > (Streptomycets) seem to be responsible for humus formation.
> > > > > Aspergillus,
> > > > > Pisolithus, Rhizoctonia, Streptomycets are only but a few
> > > > > examples of
> > > > > microorganisms actually capable of synthesizing cyclic(aromatic)
> > > > > compounds
> > > > > and form them into humus from non-cyclic materials.
> > > > > -----------
> > > > >
> > > > > from Humus: Still a Mystery
> > > > > http://www.nofa.org/tnf/humus.php
> > > > >
> > > > > Humus is essentially a massive storage battery containing energy
> > > > > that was
> > > > > originally derived from the sun. Researchers in England discovered
> > > > > that an
> > > > > acre  (furrow slice) of soil with 4 percent organic matter  
> > > > > contains
> > > > > as much
> > > > > energy as 20-25 tons of anthracite coal. Another researcher in  
> > > > > Maine
> > > > > equated the energy in  that amount of organic matter to 4000
> > > > > gallons of #2
> > > > > fuel oil. This organic energy, which is stored as carbon  
> > > > > compounds,
> > > > > was
> > > > > originally derived from the sun  by autotrophic organisms such as
> > > > > plants
> > > > > that can extract carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide. About one
> > > > > percent
> > > > > of the energy from the sun that  reaches plant leaves is used to
> > > > > photosynthesize carbon compounds. During the  plants' life much
> > > > > of the
> > > > > energy that is absorbed from the sun is utilized for growth,  
> > > > > foliage
> > > > > production, flowering, seed production and other functions.
> > > > >
> > > > > About 10 percent of the absorbed energy, initially from the  
> > > > > sun, is
> > > > > left
> > > > > available to a consumer, e.g. an animal that eats and digests the
> > > > > plant.
> > > > > Like the plant, the animal uses most of the energy it consumes for
> > > > > functions such as growth and sustenance but can offer about 10
> > > > > percent of
> > > > > the energy it derived from plants to the next consumer in the food
> > > > > chain.
> > > > >
> > > > > Humus in the soil has more real value than money, real estate,
> > > > > stocks or
> > > > > bonds. Its value doesn't fluctuate; it doesn't become scarce in a
> > > > > recession; it's worth can't be depleted by inflation and it  
> > > > > can't be
> > > > > stolen. It is the direct or indirect source of sustenance for all
> > > > > life on
> > > > > earth. It can sometimes be lost by environmental changes but more
> > > > > often,
> > > > > its demise is from either the apathy or the inadvertent errors of
> > > > > the
> > > > > steward who tends it.
> > > > >
> > > > > Humus is a renewable resource. Its presence in the soil can be
> > > > > maintained
> > > > > indefinitely. Unfortunately, many agricultural and horticultural
> > > > > practices
> > > > > are essentially mining humus. Like other mined products, such as
> > > > > coal,
> > > > > minerals and oil, the natural resource can eventually be  
> > > > > exhausted.
> > > > >
> > > > > The popular scientific definition of humus is "A more or less
> > > > > biologically
> > > > > stable, dark, amorphous material formed by the microbial
> > > > > decomposition of
> > > > > plant and animal residues". It is difficult to visibly
> > > > > differentiate humus
> > > > > from organic matter in other stages of decay. Compost, well rotted
> > > > > manures
> > > > > and peat are not necessarily humus. However, at some hard-to- 
> > > > > define
> > > > > point,
> > > > > all of these organic materials will contribute immeasurably to the
> > > > > humus
> > > > > content in the soil.
> > > > >
> > > > > It is not realistic to think that one can quantify or qualify  
> > > > > humus
> > > > > production from contributions of organic matter to soil. There are
> > > > > too many
> > > > > factors that control its formation and existence in the soil
> > > > > environment.
> > > > > One can only assume  that cultural practices that both minimize  
> > > > > the
> > > > > depletion and contribute to the formation of humus will maintain
> > > > > the best
> > > > > possible level of soil humus for each individual environment.
> > > > > ----------------
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
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