permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

Talking about plants, water, soil, soluble nutrients, sunlight, climate here 
so those newbie initiates,
those pilgrims, if any, following newage ivory tower gurus propagating 
Permaculture Design Without Nature,
who feel these subjects don't apply to permaculture, permaculture design, or 
learning what permaculture is about,
or are offended by the suggestion that they might be, serve your innermost 
needs and hit the delete key.
LL, aka kudzuman - longtime proponent of permaculture as a living system that 
enables coexistence, cooperation
and coevolution of Man with Nature.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: [compost_tea] Re: Kudzu
Date:   Thu, 3 Mar 2005 04:11:49 EST
From:   soilfoodweb@aol.com
Reply-To:       compost_tea@yahoogroups.com
To:     compost_tea@yahoogroups.com


Nitrogen is stored in the organisms in the soil, and in the organic
matter in the compost.

As Krasilnikov said, 75% of the nutrients in soil are stored in the
microorganisms.

We have to feed soil microbes, so they can perform their storage
function.   But by tying up nutrients in the soil bacteria and fungi,
then these nutrients don't leach out of the soil when snow melt occurs.
Or when irrigation events are performed in the summer, or in any event
where water moves into the soil and past the root system.

Inorganic forms of N are the most leachable forms of N.  And therefore
really stupid to have in soil, unless you really want to destroy water
quality.  .

Nitrate, nitrate and ammonium are highly leachable.  If the soil becomes
anaerobic, then these aerobic forms of N are converted into the
anaerobic forms of N, and lost by volatilization.

I have to laugh at a number of soil scientists who have actually said
that nitrate is not leachable in heavy clay soils that are saturated
with water.  First of all, in saturated soil, oxygen is likely limited,
and the soil will be anaerobic.  Nitrate is not present in these
conditions, so of course it isn't leachable.

In anaerobic conditions, inorganic forms of nitrogen are converted
to anaerobic forms of N, and is lost as ammonia (smelly!), or as nitrous
oxide, for example.

Nitrate isn't leached in anaerobic conditions, but it sure is being lost!

But, back to Butch's question.

In soils with good organic matter, N is retained in the bacteria and
fungi, stored for later nutrient cycling by protozoa, nematodes, and
microarthropods.  These cycling processes produce plant available forms
of N, in the place, time and amounts the plant needs.

Hope this helps!

Elaine

In a message dated 3/2/2005 1:21:41 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
wilddog_202@yahoo.com writes:


    Where is the N stored.
    --- soilfoodweb@aol.com wrote:

     >
     > Harry McCormick gets the same kinds of results,
     > using leaf litter and  clover
     > compost.  He picks tomatoes from June to December in
     >  Oregon.  He protects
     > the tomatoes from wind in plastic covered hoop
     > houses,  but the houses stand
     > about 20 feet high, because the tomatoes reach 12 to
     > 14  feet high.
     >
     >
     > If you want Harry's e-mail to talk to him yourself,
     > just e-mail me and I  can
     > send you to him.  Alternatively, read some of Eliot
     > Coleman's books,  where
     > he gets similar results.
     >
     >
     > Part of the "secret" is using a nitrogen-fixing
     > plant in the  compost mix.
     > Kudzu is a nitrogen-fixer, which is why the USDA
     > brought it  into the US from
     > south-east Asia.  They just neglected to pay
     > attention to  its ability to
     > produce rhizomes, and the fact that it grows so
     > fast, it smothers  other plants
     > out.  Otherwise, it would be a great N-fixing cover
     > crop.

Elaine R. Ingham
Soil Foodweb Inc., Corvallis, Oregon
Soil Foodweb Inc., Port Jefferson, New York
Soil Foodweb Institute, Lismore Australia
Soil Foodweb Institute Cambridge, New Zealand
Laboratorios de Soil Foodweb, Culiacan, Mexico
Soil Foodweb Inc., Jerome, Idaho
Soil Foodweb Inc., South Africa

--
L.F.London
lfl@intrex.net
http://market-farming.com
Market Farming Forum
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