Market Farming

["David Guthrie" <dguthrie AT egyptian.net>]

Hi Paul:

I looked at the penetrometers (sp?) since we have clay soils.
Refractometers are a bit down the road for me.

see the following:

www.pikeagri.com

this is the company (i think) Dr. Dan Skow is associated with.  they build
on Carey Reams principles of brix levels in plants etc.  Skow's book,
Mainline Farming (i think that's the title) discusses what you ask about.
Kinsey emphasizes testing brix etc. to determine soil fertility isn't
necessarily the best idea, but for measuring rfv etc. refractometer is the
point.  Skow is interesting.  The point from some of these predecessors of
modern alternative ag is that soils determine nutrition of the food that's
grown on them.  Skow also talks about ionization of nutrients in the plant
that then is more consumable to animals and humans, I seem to recall.

David Guthrie
dguthrie AT egyptian.net




----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul A. Bock" <bockpa AT plesh.com>
To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, August 15, 2003 6:55 AM
Subject: [Market-farming] refractometers and soil penetrometers


> Hello everyone,
>   I am curious if anyone out there uses refractometers to analyze plant
sap
> to determine plant health?  refractometers are used to measure sugar
> concentrations in a water solution.  They are used for measuring maple
syrup
> concentration, as well as sap concentration.  I have heard that they can
be
> used on the sap of any plant, specifically to test when the best nutrient
> density is achieved in hay before it would be cut, or before a green
manure
> would be cut down.
>
>   Also I have heard of a device called a soil penetrometer, which
indicates
> soil density, more specifically it is used to determine hardpan
conditions.
>
> Paul Bock
> Stone Gully
>
> _______________________________________________
> Market-farming mailing list
> Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
>
> Get the list FAQ at: http://www.marketfarming.net/mflistfaq.htm
>
>