permaculture

[Jody Troupe <jodyt2@mac.com>]

Lisa wrote:
"...the soil test recommendation for one of my hills (in the Ozarks) 
specifically said NO SOFT ROCK PHOSPHATE.  There was 
too much calcium up there already."

I guess part of the question might be, what will you be doing with the land? 
Will you be wanting to grow flowering plants or something that goes to seed? 
The strong anionic energy of the excess calcium & SRP wouldn't be conducive 
to flowering growth. Also, if you were using it to amend soil that is already 
planted, the significant energy release when the calcium binds with the SRP 
could kill anything young.

But frankly, I'm a student of this right now, so I'm learning. But we do hope 
to buy land in the near future to start a farm under these priciples (we're 
now in flood-zone Florida, in the keys).

I'll submit your message to the student forum and I'll get a reply directly 
from my instructor (the one that worked with Reams). He's had his own farm, 
work with Reams for years, and can answer just about anything. I'll be gone 
though through next Monday though, so I'm afraid I can't get any answers 
before then.

Good luck!

Jody





On Wednesday, November 15, 2006, at 08:20AM, "Lisa Rollens" 
<rollens@fidnet.com> wrote:
>Hey Jody,
>
>I am also a follower of the Carey Reams school, Dan Skow, Arden Anderson, 
>etc. and am very familiar with soft rock phosphate.  I buy it by the ton.  I 
>definitely use that, however, the soil test recommendation for one of my 
>hills (in the Ozarks) specifically said NO SOFT ROCK PHOSPHATE.  There was 
>too much calcium up there already.  I use it down in the bottom gardens on 
>everything...according to the soil test.  Actually, I have been using it for 
>years in several different states.  Somehow, I don't think of that as a 
>"rock powder", altho I guess it really is.
>
>Where are you located?
>
>Lisa, in the MO Ozarks
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Jody Troupe" <jodyt2@mac.com>
>To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:29 AM
>Subject: Re: [permaculture] rock powders
>
>
>> Lisa Rollens wrote:
>>>As long as the topic is rock powders, could I ask a question?
>>>What kind of "rock powders" are you referring to???
>>
>> People have also been asking about the nutritional value of foods and how 
>> to measure it.
>> It is possible, and its not difficult.
>>
>> Soft rock phosphate is an extremely key ingredient in the method of soil 
>> amending I'm currently studying (developed by Carey Reams). Its the slurry 
>> that remains after mining rock phosphate. It was thought to have no value, 
>> so it was left to sit in slurry ponds, but it has since been proved it was 
>> more valuable than the rock phosphate they were mining. Its important to 
>> note the word 'soft' in SOFT rock phosphate, not just rock phosphate.
>>
>> S.R.P. contains a mineral colloid that allows it to be 100% available to 
>> plants and will NOT be leached out of the soil. There is supposedly 
>> nothing like it in terms of what it provides to the plant (and ultimately 
>> to the food value of the plant and any fruit/vegetable it produces). SRP 
>> is extremely, extremely fine and has an electrostatic quality that is 
>> extremely unique. Once its on your soil, you don't have to reapply it for 
>> several years. When the soil has been turned, it migrates upward in the 
>> soil, picking up mineral on the way, helping build the topsoil. And, it 
>> will prevent calcium from leaching downward. In a way, its like it helps 
>> to stabilize everything else. It helps build the carbon in the topsoil 
>> too... the carbons helping to hold the water, again preventing leaching.
>>
>> Higher nutrition in the fruit or vegetable itself is measurable with a 
>> refractometer (kind of expensive, but you could buy a used one), you just 
>> need about 2 drops of the juice, that's all. Or if you're talking about a 
>> seed crop, measure the plant juice in its milk stages.
>>
>> You are actually measuring the refractive index of the juice. A little 
>> scale in the refractometer tells you its 'Brix' number (this is a 
>> measurement of the sugars, which directly reflect the mineral make-up of 
>> the plant). The resulting 'Brix level' of the fruit or vegetable can be 
>> compared to the established Brix Table and that reveals the foods' 
>> nutritional quality. I've been measuring quite a bit of produce from 
>> stores - including organics, as well as some produce from farmers 
>> markets - and across the board, almost everything falls into a 'Poor' to 
>> 'Average' category. Sadly I haven't found much that falls under the 
>> heading of 'Good' or 'Excellent'. As an example, all the celery I test has 
>> been a 2 or a 3, which isn't even in the poor category ('Poor' is higher- 
>> a 4!). An excellent rating would be 12. The higher the Brix, the higher 
>> the natural mineral sugars in the plant. That's why everyone comments on 
>> the taste of more nutritious foods... there is actually a higher natura
>> l sugar content. It doesn't necessarily have to taste sweet like a fruit, 
>> but it imparts an improved taste, and reflects its nutritional value. 
>> Additionally, if you've noticed your foods, or some foods, seem to last 
>> longer without rotting, you have a higher-nutrition food. The mineral 
>> sugars act as natural preservers of freshness. Truly nutritious food 
>> doesn't rot... it dehydrates.
>>
>> I have a link to an interview with a farmer that is well-spoken on Reams' 
>> methods and he does give an example of soil make-up for high-brix foods, 
>> but obviously soils vary, so its a guideline.
>> I have the addresses for two soft rock phosphate sources, one in FL and 
>> one in ID if you want them. Unfortunately you can't just buy bags of it at 
>> the garden store. It usually has to be purchased through a broker to get 
>> it in smaller amounts than a truckload.
>>
>> Here is the link to the interview.
>> http://www.westonaprice.org/farming/nutrient-dense.html
>>
>> Enjoy-
>> Jody
>>
>>
>>
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