I work with hundreds of farmers and gardeners all over the world, almost
all
of them use organic methods along with permaculture ideas and quite a bit
of
Biodynamic agriculture as well. ALL of them till their soil, and I can
assure you that their soils are not barren or depleted; as a matter of
fact
they get better every year, more productive, more fertile. Likely a good
part of that comes from testing the soil mineral balance and replacing
those
minerals that are lacking, out of balance, or have been taken up by the
crops and exported from the farm.
I see stable or increasing levels of organic matter and fewer and fewer
insect and disease problems, even in tropical and subtropical areas. Why?
Because the plants and the soil organisms have all of the nutrients they
need, in balance, so the plants and the soil both have a strong immune
system.
These grower's soils are not suffering or being eroded or depleted, they
are
getting better and better each year, and as noted ALL of them till the
soil. Their goal and purpose is to grow food for people and animals, not
to
nursemaid soil organisms. In a fertile and mineral-balanced soil, the
soil
organisms are well able to take care of themselves; as a matter of fact
you
can't suppress them if you tried.
What does the book Teaming with Microbes have to say about essential
mineral
nutrients in the soil and what balance they should be in? I already know
the answer to that; they say pretty much nothing because they know
nothing
about the subject, all they know about is organic matter.
Here's a little tidbit of information: When organic matter breaks down in
the soil, it will turn to ammonia and most of it will be lost to the
atmosphere along with the humus that could be being formed and built up,
UNLESS the soil microbes have enough Sulfur to stabilize the Nitrogen and
humus. What's the Sulfur level of your soil? Most soils are seriously
deficient in Sulfur.
Michael Astera
http://soilminerals.com
I heard Jeff Lowenfels talk about the life in the soil again today.
His book Teaming with Microbes is essential reading.
Lowenfels also recommended Nardi, Life in the Soil.
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Soil-Guide-Naturalists-Gardeners/dp/0226568520
The ultrasimplified version is that plants spend half their energy to
produce root exudates that are customized to attract the bacteria and
fungi that, in turn, produce substances that attract protozoa and
beneficial nematodes, which produce the type of nitrogen that plants
need (ammonium or nitrate).
Tilling upsets this ecology and makes plants dependent on outside
inputs -- turns them into drug addicts, basically.
So the purpose of agriculture is to nurture the soil, which supports
the health of plants and people.
On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 6:13 PM, Randy Cutler <rcutler@tznet.com> wrote:
> What is the deal with soil life? I recall someone discussing that the
> practice of tillage was the worst thing you could do for plant growth
> of any kind.
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