Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Phosphorus Theft

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Phosphorus Theft
  • Date: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:07:04 -0500

Keith Johnson wrote:

It is not merely the "current infrastructure of agriculture" that depends on phosphorus but all life on earth, i.e. the original infrastructure. It is a component of key molecules such as nucleic acids, phospholipids, and AdenosineTriPhosphate, and, consequently, plants cannot grow without a reliable supply of this nutrient. All organisms that eat plants also need phosphorus and we are included in this. It happens to be a nutrient that can be lost from soils and once it is gone it must be replaced. That would normally be done by cycling ANIMAL manures (especially from insect eating birds, and humans) back into the soil. If your soil doesn't have enough you will need to provide it. *Get a soil test.* The continents are "leaking" what they should be conserving and this loss generates vast dead zones in our oceans. Its for this reason that I have supplemented rock phosphates in my own and client's gardens. So far it's still relatively cheap despite substantial price increases.

(snips from http://www.energybulletin.net/49686)

*Mobilizing phosphorus present in the soil *

MAGNIFICENT POST, Keith! This added to a few others should become a stick post (how would we go about building a collection of them? a moderated companion list? this is as perfect use for a wiki). We should do this and build a new Permaculture FAQ; the original, created by Steve Diver is at ATTRA, a lot of the raw material for that FAQ was redived from early discussion in this forum, the early 1990's).

Phosphate as rock phosphate and colloidal or soft phosphate ban be bought in large quantities from Fertrell or in lesser quantities from Fertrell dealers.

I won't quote the rest but I do have one comment.

*Superphosphate fertilizers are made from chemically treated phosphate rocks. They are not recommended for use as they are highly concentrated and reactive. When applied on the field they react with calcium, iron, magnesium and aluminum, creating within seconds compounds that make phosphorus unavailable for plants. They may react also with trace elements, locking them up and causing deficiencies of micronutrients. Superphosphates are water soluble and they can be easily washed away by rains before plants have a chance to assimilate them, which later may cause the eutrophication of lakes and rivers. Not to mention that high concentrations of phosphorus in fertilizers (above 10) are lethal to mycorrhizal fungi.

Commercial, synthetic phosphate or its concentrated version superphosphate is to be scrupulously avoided in the garden or on the farm. At the plant is made by combining phosphate ore with sulphuric acid and heating it to a high temperature in a "crucible" using electrodes. Creating this product uses a lot of electric power.




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page