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  • From: Stephen Sherman <spsherm@msn.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Long term soil sweetening
  • Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2015 21:48:55 -0600

I am a bit late in seeing and replying to this post, but I'll give it a go anyway (in case you haven't already applied something to adjust your pH):

I would suggest an alternative soil balancing philosophy, the Albrecht method. This method attempts to bring the various cations (Ca, Mg, and others) into a "balance" with certain specific ratio of each element according to the "carrying capacity" (e.g. CEC) of your soil and your soil type. According to this method, calcium is not just a "Tums" for the soil, but has a specific role to play in the soil. Calcium needs to be in balance with Mg and other soil elements. When using this method and soil amendments are added, they are chosen with regards to moving these element ratios to their desired balance. And typically when this is done, pH is brought into range as well.

You may not know it, but how you adjust the pH by adding Ca or Mg, will have an effect on soil texture. If you would like to change your soil texture then you had better choose the right additive. And that is just one of the side effects which you may encounter.

Do some research on the Albrecht method, and if it looks good to you, have an Albrecht soil analysis done, with recommendations. If nothing else, it should give you a good idea of what excesses and deficiencies you're dealing with, and make choosing future soil amendments easier.



On 1/20/2015 5:49 AM, Elizabeth Hilborn wrote:
Hi folks, I am a newbie to the group and to permaculture.

I just started a project (still at the thinking and planning stage) in the mid-Atlantic US for a sloping parcel with a plan for pasture at the flat top, fruit trees on the slope, and vegetables on the fertile bottom.

My overriding issue is the inherent acidity of the soil. Can I spread crushed oyster shell (sold for chicken feed) on the land for a long-lasting solution. I am looking for longevity, because I do not want to be spreading lime every 2-3 years.

In colonial New England, they used crushed oyster shells to sweeten the soil. The bigger fragments of shells are still there in old fields, slowly leaching away, so I know this is potentially a long term solution.

However, I do not know how to calculate the correct amount of crushed shell to apply given pH, and area. Do I need other soil quality parameters?

Any thoughts?

Betsy Hilborn
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  • Re: [permaculture] Long term soil sweetening, Stephen Sherman, 04/16/2015

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