Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>]

Mitch,

 

You wrote:

> .... there is approximately as much organic matter contained in the

> root system of a plant as in the top growth.  This (root) organic matter is

> widely distributed through the soil, and capable of generating humus

> at least as well as anything we do on the surface.

 

Some plants have more root mass than top growth.  Especially rye

can have a massive root system.  It's a petty to blow it all by ploughing.

 

Dieter Brand

Portugal

 

"E. E. Mitchamore Jr" <emitch@att.net> wrote:

If I may be so bold as to double-emphasize a couple of Harvey's comments (often attributed to Joel Salatin, but also stated by Alan Savory):

 

"In order to re-establish balance between top growth and root mass after
being grazed, perennial grasses and legumes that have co-evolved with
grazing animals shed root hairs".

 

And,

 

"Also, when the roots of the cover crops die, they
decay (are consumed in place, undisturbed, by microbes) and like the
worms open channels deep into the soil".

 

Put these two thoughts together, and you have the concept that there is approximately as much organic matter contained in the root system of a plant as in the top growth.  This (root) organic matter is widely distributed through the soil, and capable of generating humus at least as well as anything we do on the surface.

 

E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
www.hillcountrynatives.biz

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

From: Harvey Ussery

To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 11:41 AM

Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] no till

>
> My experience is also that to simply stop ploughing is not
>   always enough to improve soil structure of a field that has been
>   ploughed for many years. A soil management, which in my
>   case needs to include deep-rooted woody perennials to loosen
>   the soil, may be necessary.  ~Dieter
 
Just to reinforce Dieter's excellent point here: It is not sufficient
simply to stop plowing, or even to use mulches. To my mind an essential
part of no-till is the regular growing of cover crops. The cover crops
encourage earthworms and other soil life, both of which change soil
conditions profoundly. Also, when the roots of the cover crops die, they
decay (are consumed in place, undisturbed, by microbes) and like the
worms open channels deep into the soil. All these life and death
activities help loosen the soil at depth without the need of shaped steel.

~Harvey

--
Harvey in northern Va
www.themodernhomestead.us

"How we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used."  ~Wendell Berry

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