Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

Right on all points, far as I'm concerned.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 3/8/2007 at 4:33 PM E. E. Mitchamore Jr wrote:

>Like most things we deal with, just being "natural" doesn't necessarily
>make it simple.  In fact, the role of fungi in agriculture is probably
>less well understood than any of the other factors.  For example, it was
>only about 11 years ago that glomalin (an important fungal exudate), was
>isolated, because it is so tightly held in the soil.
>
>Mycorrhizae are extremely beneficial in a mature biosystem but unless
>you're 1) Farming in a relatively undisturbed environment (no fertilizer,
>which encourages bacteria at the expense of fungi; no pesticides, which
>kill everything; and NO TILLING, which shreds the hyphae), and 2) growing
>the same sort of crops which grew there before human intervention, then
>most likely your mycorrhizal population is sub-optimal.
>
>Having said that, it's not at all clear how to improve the fungal
>environment.  For sure, no-till is beneficial.  Also, it's likely that
>inoculants would be beneficial but, since mycorrhizae are, indeed,
>plant-specific,  a "shotgun" approach is all that is readily available
>today.
>
>One perspective is useful: Most of our intensive crops are annuals, which
>thrive in a bacteria-dominant environment.  Perennials and woody plants
>prefer a fungal-dominant environment, which is why, as a tree grower, I am
>interested in mycorrhizae.
>
>In any case, a bacteria/fungus balance is most beneficial, wherein diverse
>and mutually supportive plants, bacteria, fungi, and other critters
>coexist.
>
>E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
>www.hillcountrynatives.biz
>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: TradingPostPaul 
>  To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org 
>  Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 11:57 AM
>  Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Growing Micorizzal Fungi for Inoculant