Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

Now that answers the questions. You said the arid climate was robbing the
carbon from the soil faster than it  could be built up, but I still wonder
if no-till would have avoided exposing and oxidizing soil organic matter
and humus as it decomposed. Please do give us the  scientific jargon and
details about slow humus buildup.  Humus and Glomalin formation are
critical to living on the land. Most of us have depleted land to deal with
and I'm convinced we simply cannot afford to miss out on the best practices
for restoring the fertility of our land while making it productive for our
needs. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 12/5/2006 at 1:52 PM Soilsecrets@aol.com wrote:

>Paul,
> 
>The area near Snowflake is just as you described, barren and perhaps
>nearly  
>toxic.  The site has no preexisting native grass, only declining Juniperus
> 
>and Ephedra shrubs and maybe if you look hard some snake weed.  The soil
>is  
>decomposed mineral and very easy to dig, but it has absolutely no  humus
>or life. 
> In the case of this site on the original farm plot,  intensive compost 
>application, mulching and double digging was made.  From  the get go the
>soil 
>became productive and growing of produce was successful, but  the growth
>of humus 
>and the formation of a humus rich A horizon was not  happening.  The
>aridity of 
>the site, heat of the summer and   starvation of the soil life was robbing

>the carbon from the soil faster than it  could be applied.  The farm size
>is now 
>being expanded and with the use of  Soil Secrets humus Inoculants the soil
>is 
>very productive from the start, first  season with huge yields.  The areas

>that have been retreated for up to 4  years are those areas showing a
>humus rich 
>topsoil zone that is at least 3  inches deep.  In many areas it is much 
>deeper.  There's a technical  explanation for the rapid accumulation of
>humus that 
>is not happening on the  site, above and beyond what is being applied as a

>supplement, and I'd be glad to  share that with anyone who asks.  But I
>don't 
>want to tie up space on this  venue with scientific jargon and details. 
>If the 
>science is good it will  work.  We are now doing a lot of work with some 
>international agencies and  governments on the concept of carbon
>sequestering via 
>humus and Glomalin  formation in the soil, and that is the same thing that
>this 
>site in Arizona is  exemplifying.  
> 
>Michael M. Melendrez 
>