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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] learning curve

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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] learning curve
  • Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2010 07:28:57 -0500

On 12/08/2010 07:33 PM, Debbie McDonald wrote:
When the forest decayed constantly, it kept it's mineral content right. When man started to export from that land, the minerals were never replenished. How does composting overcome that.? Or if the animals graze it and are moved away, same thing. I have this sandy soil, I need to know.

Composting that ground will be exactly getting back to the continually "decaying forest" where the soil is concerned. No part of the organic matter you put into that soil will be lost. It seems to disappear but will be retained as humus, which is no longer visible as particles but only as a darkening of the soil. To the maximum extent you're able: Composts, cover crops every chance you get, and yes, grazing animals on it--how do you suppose the plains of the Midwest got so deep and fertile?--bison in herds up to a million individuals grazing them and pooping on them, one of the most beautiful examples of a symbiotic ecology you could find anywhere.


I have one of the books by Prince Charles about his land Highgrove. In that book that I have, they talk about oak leaves not being good for compost as the high tannic acid content would not be good. I have not found answers to that here.

Please do *not* incorporate oak leaves *into* the soil which haven't completely decomposed. I did that once and it seriously limited availability of N for an entire year. Using oak leaves whole or in any stage of breakdown on *top* of the soil as a mulch should be fine.

Best luck.

~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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