Soils
A. Soil analysis and interpretation – ph scale
B. Creation of humus in soil can be done through addition of mulch, compost, vegetation, food scraps, manures, animal skins and bones, etc. May take 2-4 years to build up good garden soil. Humus solves the problems of too acid and too alkaline.
C. Difficult Soil
Alkaline areas expected in deserts, coasts, and alkaline rocks. Acid areas expected in wetlands, bogs,
high rainfall, uplands, siliceous rocks. Species suited to alkaline areas are mesquites, locusts, carobs,
some pines. Species suited to acid areas are oaks, pines, and blueberries.
Platin soil: islands, atolls and desert coasts. 18” deep a layer of calcium triphosphate, hard as concrete.
Strategy: break up the platin layer, stuff with humus, and plant tree. Tree continues to break up platin
and release phosphate nutrients.
Caliches: tropical equivalent of plantain. Hills. Ferric silicate composition lies 1-1.5 meters below soil,
often in rainforest. Best to leave forest as is.
Non-wetting: dryland areas- water rolls off. Caused by algae-fungal association which produces wax.
Strategy: can be mulched (for small areas); mixed with clay or a commercial gel.
Clay: drainage problem. Mix with gypsum to help seepage (2 meters penetration); can also use gels to
hold water.
SOILS
Difficult soils
Soil Erosion the Number One Global Problem
Despite all our knowledge, in spite of soil services and soil analysis, and despite the best attempts of people to care for land, we are losing topsoil at an ever-increasing rate. Most counties of the world where extractive agriculture and forestry occurs have at best only 30% of their original soils in fair condition. With 70% having washed or blown away, or sadly depleted in structure and yield. This is mostly created by government subsidized unsustainable highly productive, chemical agriculture which is very profitable and very short term, regardless of the long-term cost of destroying our world for future generations.
The only places where soils are conserved or increased are:
• In uncut forests.
• Under the quiet waters of lakes and ponds.
• In prairies and meadows of permanent plants.
• Where we grow plants with mulched or non-tillage systems.
Parts Hydrogen = p.H
We need to understand the acid/alkaline analysis and interpret the consequence.
Compost and the decomposition cycle of humus creation is a process that needs to be understood.
Creation of humus in soil can be achieved through additions of mulch, compost, animal skins and bones, etc. It may take 2 to 4 years to build a really good garden soil. Humus solves the problems of too much acid or too much alkaline.
The function of the hair roots of plants feeding on minerals and structuring soil with starch exchange.
Locally we can:
• Mulch and add nutrient for humus.
• Add seaweed, sodium salts or plant gels for water retention.
• Add bacterial activators for living additions.
• Plant legume trees for nitrogen fixation and phosphate harvesting trees for on-going fertility.
• Use mechanical aeration to enhance life processes, water and air absorption, deep ripping, forks, prying tools, worms, radishes and other deep roots as biological pegs, borrowing animals, deep-rooted pioneer plants, mulch holes and nuclei (story of the bush turkey nest).
Soil conditioning with key line system:
Wallace plow deep ripping on contour, or just falling off contour: starting at the key point falling out to the ridge lines.
The principle is the soil becomes the main water storage system and the effects are more air in the soil, moderated temperatures, more soil life, improved p.H, more mineral availability and improved plant and animal health and growth rates.
Difficult soils:
Alkaline soils are expected in deserts, coasts and areas of alkaline rocks.
Acid soils are expected in wetlands, bogs, high rainfall, uplands, siliceous rocks.
Platin soil of island atolls and desert coasts has 0.5 meter deep layer of calcium triphosphate, as hard as concrete. The strategy is to break up the platin layer forming holes, which are filled with humus, mulch and ongoing mulch additions planted with trees. The tree continues to break up the platin, and release phosphates and humic acid released from the decomposing mulch additions breaks down and softens the platin layer further.
Caliche is a tropical equivalent of platin and is found after forest is removed and soil eroded. Feric silicate composition lies 1 to 1.5 meters below the rainforest soil. This situation takes long term recovery using swales mulch pits, and mass planting of pioneer trees to build back topsoil. Best to leave forest as it is.
Non-wetting soils of dry land areas where water rolls off because of an algael-fungal association, which produces a wax. Small areas can be mulched. For larger areas once mulch cover 8% of the surface area recover is possible. On larger areas mix a fine bentonite clay or a commercial gel mixed with the topsoil and seeded to cover crop to prevent erosion. It is also possible core out sand every square meter and drop in a loam or clay loam plug 0.1 meter by 0.3 meter deep.
Clay with drainage problems can be improved with additions of gypsum 2to 3 handfuls every square meter to help seepage down to 2 meters. If possible spread 4 centimeters of sand and mulch on top.
Designer’s Checklist: It is primary design strategy to prevent topsoil losses and to repair and rehabilitate areas of damaged and compacted soils. (See page 225 of Designer’s Manual).
References:
-Altieri, Miguel, Agroecology, Harper Collins, Boulder, Co., 1989.
-Anderson, Arden, Science in Agriculture, Acres USA, Kansas City, Missouri, 1992
-Brady, Nyle, The Nature and Classification of Soils, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1996.
Carbondale, Illinois, 1977.
-Fukuoka, Masanobu, The Natural Way of Farming, Bookventure, Madras, India, 1985.
-Gershunney, Grace, Soul of the Soil, agAccess, Davis, Ca., 1995.
-Harris, Stanley, Exploring the Land and Rocks of Southern Illinois, Southern Illinois University Press,
-Hauschka, Rudolf, The Nature of Substance, Rudolf Steiner Press, London, 1950.
-Koenig, Karl, Earth and Man, Bio-Dynamic Literature, Wyoming, 1982.
-Lakhovsky, Georges, The Secret of Life, W. Heinemann Ltd., London, 1939.
-Mollison, Bill, Introduction to Permaculture, Tagari Publications, Tyalgum Australia, 1991.
-Mollison, Bill, Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual, Tagari Publications, Tyalgum Australia, 1988.
-Rateaver, Bargyla, The Organic Method Primer, San Diego, Ca., 2nd Edition.
-Steiner, Rudolf, Agriculture, Biodynamic Agricultural Association, London, 1984.
-Storl, Wolf D., Culture and Horticulture, Bio-Dynamic Literature, Wyoming, 1979.
-Tompkins, Peter and Bird, Christopher, Secrets of the Soil, Harper and Row Publishers, NYC, 1989.
-Walters, Charles and Fenzau, C.J., Eco-Farm, Acres USA, Kansas City, Missouri, 1996.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpAPRlg2Zgs