permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [SANET-MG] What determines the rate at which
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:08:42 -0500
From: Elaine Ingham <soilfoodweb@AOL.COM>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

Jim noted..... "whether there is enough that becomes available in 
adequate amounts, at the right time and in the right balance is a 
different question."

What is it that determines whether the nutrients tied up in plant 
not-available forms, in the middle of a rock, or grain of sand, while 
become available to the plant at the right time, in the right place, and 
in the right balance?

Those critters I keep talking about........ bacteria, fungi, protozoa, 
nematodes, microarthropods, and earthworms and..... all the rest of 
those guys.

If people have no clue what organisms are present, and whether there are 
enough protozoa and beneficial nematodes to do the job of releasing 
nutrients from the bacteria and fungi, then those folks are basically 
doomed to poor fertility, and to falling back on use of inorganic 
additions to their soil. And that approach fails because nutrients will 
be lost through leaching, or through  volatilization.

Build soil structure, hold nutrients in bacteria and fungi, release them 
in plant available forms in the root zone and loss of nutrients from the 
soil is insignificant.


Elaine R. Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.