Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

I'm in the high desert of NM myself at 6,250 elev. where we had three
inches of rain all year until a couple weeks ago. Here its obvious the soil
has very low organic matter, some spots more than others. Permanent grassy
areas that get more moisture show more root mass and I assume higher humus
levels than barren hills and plains. I wouldn't grow green manure crops for
turning under and expose what little humus there is to the air - the net
loss you refer to. I see very large hay fields cultivated and irrigated
24/7, presumably at great cost. And I see similar fields alongside them,
barren and lifeless with faded For Sale signs, that someone gave up on
years ago. But it didn't have to happen.  Cover crops can be mechanically
killed and left to protect the soil surface, and that should increase humus
and moisture retention while reducing evaporation. Steve has mentioned his
work with this, and Attra and NewFarm have put out a lot about it. 

I might add there is a guaranteed way to fail with any method, and that's
not to try it. 90% of the area around me used to be the "pinto bean
capitol" but lies unused and useless today. They never tried those
sustainable methods. I'd call that personal failure. 

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 7/8/2006 at 1:18 PM Soilsecrets@aol.com wrote:

>There is  no correct answer for the efficacy and  usefulness of a No-Till 
>system.  The variables are many with the system  capable of great success
>in some 
>parts of the world and complete failure in  other areas.  For example: in
>the 
>high elevations of New Mexico (New Mexico  has the highest average
>elevation 
>of any state) the air is dry, the average  precipitation low, evaporation
>high 
>and the Sunshine abundant.  We run into  a calorie equation limitation
>when 
>trying to use green  manure because we  simply cannot grow enough calories
>as a 
>green manure crop to over come the  oxidation of organic matter in our
>soils. 
> There's a net loss in organic  matter that cannot be compensated for when

>you till in just green manure grown  on the site.  Even the highest
>biomass 
>producing crops capable of growing  in this region cannot compensate for
>this 
>oxidation.  Therefore we are  faced with transporting organic matter
>generated 
>from other sites to  supplement. The one exception to this theory and
>observation 
>are that the genus  of mycorrhizae called Glomus produces proteins called 
>Glomalin that seem to  contribute in an extraordinary rate to the
>formation of 
>humus and may be the  single largest contributor of humus formation on the
>face 
>of the  earth.  That's still being studied!
> 
>I'm apologize to those who refuses to talk about  microorganisms and using

>the power of these microbes.  Glomus is destroyed  easily by typical
>gardening 
>methods and needs to have the correct plants to  associate with in order
>to be 
>present in your soils.  If you are tilling in  a green manure crop that
>did 
>associate with Glomus, the slicing and dicing of  the soil will inhibit
>the 
>perpetuation of that association and consequently  reduce the quantify of
>Glomalin 
>that could be originating on the site. 
> 
>Dr. Michael 
>
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