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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] TWO AGRICULTURES, NOT ONE, By John Michael Greer

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Harvey Ussery <harvey@themodernhomestead.us>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] TWO AGRICULTURES, NOT ONE, By John Michael Greer
  • Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2010 08:37:39 -0400

Unless I missed it in the thread, I don't think anyone has mentioned very deep rooted fertility plants (dynamic accumulators) in the equation. Certain plants with extremely deep roots "mine" the deep subsoil of minerals not available in the top layers of the soil profile. When they die or shed their leaves on going dormant, the minerals become available to more shallow rooted crops. Of course, they can be cut and applied elsewhere as mulches or to make compost.

Examples are alfalfa (which has been found to grow roots as much as 23 ft deep) and comfrey (roots 8 to 10 feet)--there are many others.

I read the observation somewhere that in a typical soil profile there is enough mineral fertility in the depths to support agricultural production for 100,000 years. A fanciful claim, perhaps, but it illustrates the value of certain useful plants that can serve as "pumps" of deep subsoil mineral fertility.

~Harvey

--
Harvey in northern Va
www.themodernhomestead.us

My book, THE MODERN HOMESTEAD POULTRY FLOCK, will be published next year by
Chelsea Green Publishing.





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