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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] [SANET-MG] soil organic matter in tropical vs. temperate soils

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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group <SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>, sals3 <sals3@COX.NET>, permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>, Market Farming <marketfarming@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] [SANET-MG] soil organic matter in tropical vs. temperate soils
  • Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2011 14:47:36 -0500

On 1/2/2011 12:50 PM, sals3 wrote:
IMHO that's why I think the best soil test for my trees is taking you
hand and move back the mulch and picking up a hand full of dirt and look
at it. dig around and look how deep it goes . Do the trees look stressed
can you see fungus doing its job can you see the little clumps of rich
dirt alive and can you see wood in different stages of decay. pruning's
you took last year gone new pruning's so strong before turning to soil
in different stages of decay. every thing on top turning into soil, the
ground eating it up. you can see it. smell it . different kinds of
mushrooms, bugs and worms you see branches turning to dust with a little
pressure. you can see it working. after all that talk about soil test
IMHO you can tell a lot by just looking. . look at a forest floor and
look at your floor they should look the same maybe yours may be even
richer. NO hoarding yet sustainable. living . it should go on forever.
hope I'm right . what a nice set up and it was here when I got here all
set up to work for me but not good enough for big ag. who thinks he
needs to lab make dna changed life forms mixing dna from where ever into
what ever mixing up life on earth and they can not control it and they
are polluting the whole earth with their abominations. give me natural
living soil any day . .

That and infinite variations on what Sal has said should work for most people. The farms that have very deep rich black, humus-rich dirt don't have much to worry about other than keeping GMO's, chemicals and all categories of pesticides off their land plus implementing natural strategies to deflect predatory insects, disease and weed pressure and maintaining fertility levels; Great Pyrenees dogs for gopher, vole and
deer control (with adequate fencing).

<>

Look at this great video on a mainland Chinese family who emigrated to Canada to start and successfully run an oriental vegetable farm, using migrant Mexican labor housed on site, sanctioned by their government.
Look at that loose black dirt - see him disk under previous crops preparatory to new plantings. Look at the appearance and size of the napa and bok choy, acres and acres of it and it all has the same excellent quality. This is a must see (free) video for vegetable market farmers:
Hulu - Earth to Mouth - Watch the full feature film now. - Sent using
Google Toolbar
http://www.hulu.com/watch/196596/earth-to-mouth?c=News-and-Information
Earth to Mouth
Feature Film|41:36|
Wing Fong Farm in Ontario boasts 80 acres of succulent Asian
vegetables. Here Lau King-Fai cares for young shoots, with the help of
her son and migrant Mexican workers. It's a long way from a tumultuous
life in China and an oasis of peace for 'Ma.'

<>

I don't have black 12' deep prairie dirt but I do have red Georgeville silt loam dirt turned tan to dark brown with OM, 12-16" deep, and its reliably productive and will remain so through notill or minimum till strategies, light cultivation to remove weeds, naturally cycling through
successive weed communities as cover crops providing OM, weed control and soil moisture retention.





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