permaculture

["Elijah Smith" <elijah@hilobay.com>]

In the literature I've read about glyphosates, it's mentioned that while
there's a drop in the populations of many fungi in treated soils, a few
fungi have increased populations - indicating (to me at least) that those
funguses are cleaning it up.

Steve, I think you mentioned biodynamic preps as a strategy for cleanup, and
since soil life seems to be the main way Roundup gets decomposed, I was
thinking of making aerated compost teas with some of the soil from the land
to try to spread that fungus that cleans glyphosates.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Diver" <steved@ncatark.uark.edu>
To: <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2002 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Cleaning up land....


> Claude Genest wrote:
>
> > What role might cover cropping serve in cleaning out chemical laden
> > land ?
>
> A cover crop crop has roots; roots have a rhizosphere; the
> rhizosphere is a zone of rich biological activity where microbes
> find food and shelter; microbes peform thousands of functions;
> microbes produce enzymes; microbes break down products
> from organic matter all the way to carbon-based pesticides;
> microbes engineer and build other products like soil humus
> from simple building blocks like sugars and amino acids.
>
> A cover crop mowed or left to die down on its own leaves a
> crop residue on the surface; crop residues serve as a a mulch;
> a mulch is a wonderful place for worms; worms are practically
> near guaranteed with a mulch.  Large, incredible populations
> of worms inhabit agricultural fields with lots of crop residues
> and mulches.
>
> A cover crop that is turned down and incorporated as a
> green manure is a source of organic matter.  Organic matter,
> when added to the soil, is a microbial food source.  Bacterial
> populations explode to decompose the organic matter.  All
> kinds of bacterial slimes and glues are produced which help
> bind and aggregate the soil.  Aggregates provide crevices
> and nooks and crannies for microbes to live in.  Humus
> is built from organic matter.
>
> Essentially, when you feed the soil through humus management
> (cover crops, green manures, crop rotations, mulches, composts,
> proper tillage) the microbes proliferate; where microbes are you
> have a lot of biological action including degradation of chemicals
> and toxins.
>
> Steve Diver
>
>
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