Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Art Corbit" <art_c@cox.net>]



Hi Laurie,

 

Your horse is doing exactly what a lot of us people are. We are eating a lot of food and pooping a lot. What causes that is the fact we are getting very little actual food value in the food we eat. The reason the seeds are passing on through the horse is it's digestive system is all out of whack from over eating. Humans do the very same. Horse manure is normally about as good as you can get as far as grass seeds are concerned. A horse will normally digest the seeds. This isn't true with a cow. I never liked to use Cow manure because of the seeds.

 

Here is what you are into. The minerals are way down in your pasture and probably any hay you buy. The horse eats the grass and all the manure isn't going back on the pasture where it came from. Any that you use on the garden slowly depletes the minerals in your pasture.

 

Early in the Spring you need to put Urea (Nitrogen 46-0-0) on your pasture. This will improve the food value in the grass your horse eats. Our bodies, and your horse's, is loaded with sensors that alert the brain to many different things concerning the human body our brains live in. When your energy level starts to drop these sensors pick this up and inform the brain which starts to demand you eat. This is the biggest reason so many people in this country are over weight. They are not getting what they should be from the food they eat. The only problem your horse has is over eating trying to stay healthy.

 

As for your compost operation it sounds like you are doing pretty good but you may need to remove the plastic and water the pile now and then.

 

Art

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Laurie Ann Powell

To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 9:55 AM

Subject: [Livingontheland] Soil Building

Thanks again, everyone, for the great information flying back and forth on this list! It's so helpful!

I'm working on beds for next season with Materials On Hand, and would like suggestions on whether there is anything in particular that is way out of balance.

I'm layering:

Cardboard
Feed Sacks
Fresh Horse Manure
Composted Goat Manure
Wood Chips
Last year's compost
Leaf mould
Hu-more (a commercial product containing humate)
Plastic sheet over all

Am I missing anything obvious for getting the best soil in the shortest time?

Also, a Horsey question: I know and can testify personally that horse manure heavily reseeds the grass and weeds they eat.  Ours seems to actually digest very little of what she eats, which I've heard is "normal" but I wonder. I notice that ours eats a lot, poops a lot, and is never satisfied. How did horses work in ages past if they needed to eat so much?

Is it possible that there is an enzyme shortage, just as most people have because of our pathetic food? Should I put making silage high on my priority list, for the sake of my horse, my garden and my goats, who have to share the pasture? Would it help?

Thanks,
Laurie Ann

---

_______________________________________________
Livingontheland mailing list
Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland