Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

We are familiar with MF and glomalin etc. but I wasn't aware of that
project with potatoes. Their research may result in more practical ways to
produce MF. However, we're not told what kind of soil they got those
results from. They may find that beginning with healthy soil there will be
no yield increases from MF inoculation. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 3/8/2007 at 3:26 PM Marty Kraft wrote:

>Paul
>
>I'm going to keep an open mind a little while longer.
>
>I understand that micorizzal fungi need to be in association with  
>plants to exist. In the city people grow on land that has been very  
>disturbed and often chemically treated. When land is tilled or no  
>cover crop grows on it I believe that these fungi die out. So I'm not  
>sure just what is in the soil that we have on our lot or others  
>around our city. If potato yields are increased by 30% through  
>inoculation then I'm willing to try it. Maybe if people in the city  
>learn to do organic no till well they won't over run you folks when  
>the manure hits the ecofan.
>
>The work of David Douds is to help people find a very economical way  
>to produce micorizzal inoculants instead of buying expensive ones. See
>http://www.newfarm.org/depts/NFfield_trials/0404/mf_update.shtml
>
>Marty
>
>
>On Mar 8, 2007, at 11:57 AM, TradingPostPaul wrote:
>
>>
>> Well, it's about growing food isn't it? Of course I don't pose as  
>> an expert
>> but I have read that whatever micorrhizae plants need is usually in  
>> the
>> soil to begin with, and special inoculants are a waste of money.  
>> After all,
>> the earth is more or less covered with vegetation where soil and  
>> climate
>> permit, and Mother Nature doesn't have a problem with inoculants. I  
>> say
>> usually. There are certain plants and trees that do need their own  
>> brand of
>> inoculant because they're not native to the type of soil you have.  
>> My own
>> suspicion is, if you need inoculants then maybe those plants don't  
>> belong
>> anyway. YMMV.
>>
>> paul tradingpost@lobo.net