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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: Vint Lawrence <vlawrence AT nets.com>
- To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Re: soil improvement
- Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 11:07:53 -0700
Joan,
Several things to consider.
1. Why did your pond go dry? Simply surface evaporation or did it leak at a rate greater than it was replenished by rainfall runoff?
2. How was the pond originally constructed/ was it lined with clay(Bentonite) and has this been removed by the previous dredging/soil removal?
3. Have you considered utilizing swales, gabions, and similar structures to trap the sediment before it runs into your pond? This is your topsoil that is ending up at the bottom of the pond where it is obviously less useful than up on the slope where it belongs.
Although clay lining is not harmful, perhaps you should consider lining
the pond after you deepen it. As this would preclude further silt removal,
it would limit its usefulness in this regard, however, riparian/pond environments
are much more productive of protein than land based systems. Food conversion
rates can approach 2/1 in fish pond production. The pond is more valuable
as a resource if it can be kept partially filled and supporting the life
forms in that habitat. It takes a minimum of several years to establish
a balanced riparian habitat/food system. To sacrifice the capacity of such
a productive system for the possibility of "mining" erosion runoff does
not seem like an ecological or labor saving program.
If you prefer not to use bentonite or a membrane liner, another possible
means to seal the bottom of the pond when you have excavated it is a traditional
process called "gleying" where cattle or hogs are temporarily corraled
in the pond bottom area (when it is not full of water, of course). The
combination of their manure and hoof action created a biologically active
layer of microorganisms which, when subsequently submerged, provide a virtually
waterproof layer at the bottom of the pond.
I stongly encourage you to look at creating a multi-function permaculture
system at your pond - fish, aquatic herbs, ducks/geese, edible tubers (wapato
potato), reeds, bamboos, etc. At the same time, control/eliminate the upslope
erosion that is the source of your siltation problem to begin with. In
the long run you will be happier and enjoying much more diverse and abundant
production.
Vint Lawrence
Apache Creek Ranch Permaculture
Santa Fe, NM
Joan Vibert wrote:
I could use some input on this. I am considering renting some sort of a front loader for a day and hauling out several truck loads of soil from one of our ponds that went dry in the drought last summer. I was just up there this afternoon and the soil is wonderful very friable, with a fair amount of sand in it- which we could use. The pond was full of fish and other life forms so I would think that there would be good nutrients in the soil. Plus it wouldnt hurt to deepen the pond. This has to be done before the spring rains hit. Btw the watershed for the pond is solely on our land, its all pasture so I dont have to worry about chemicals, etc. So is this worth the effort? Would it replace the large truck load of compost I was considering buying? I have some compost, always enough for all of our transplants. Im looking to improve the fertility of our soil.joan vibert
windwalker farm
ottawa, kansas ---
-
soil improvement,
Joan Vibert, 01/22/2001
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: soil improvement, Josie Klapper, 01/22/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Marie Kamphefner, 01/22/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Peg Cook, 01/23/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Joan Vibert, 01/23/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Joan Vibert, 01/23/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Peg Cook, 01/23/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Bill Shoemaker, 01/24/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Vint Lawrence, 01/25/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Earthfarm1, 01/26/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Joan Vibert, 01/26/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Earthfarm1, 01/27/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Brian and Jacqueline Potzkai, 01/28/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Joan Vibert, 01/28/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Brian and Jacqueline Potzkai, 01/28/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Joan Vibert, 01/28/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Brian and Jacqueline Potzkai, 01/28/2001
- Re: soil improvement, Brian and Jacqueline Potzkai, 01/28/2001
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