#no-till

[szepkerekkocka]

A szántás felhagyására biztatja a gazdákat az állateledeles óriásgyár

Miközben mind több szó esik a mezőgazdaság szén-dioxid-kibocsátásának visszafogásáról, egyre többen ébrednek rá, hogy baj van a rendszeresen

@amtitkosvergodese

[turtlesandfrogs]

So on dendryte's suggestion, I read a paper called "Feed your friends: do plant exudates shape the root microbiome?", and it is awesome and filled with ideas that were new to me, and all in all was very exciting. Like, I didn't even know about/remember border cells, and they apparently do a whole lot! I'm back from work now, so now I'm going to share the Questions I have, and am going to spend the weekend looking for sources on:

1. As crop rotation was developed for a tilled, monoculture system as a way to address the disease issues that pop up in such a system, is crop rotation actually beneficial in a no-till, truly polyculture setting where care is taken to support mycorrhizae?

As we know know that plants alter the population of bacteria in the soil, and that these population compositions differ between plant species, is it possible that there might be some benefits to planting the same crop in the same location if you're not disrupting microbe populations through tilling?

2. Since we know that applications of nitrogen can cause plants to kick out their symbiotic fungal partners, increasing their vulnerability to pathogenic fungi & drought, might it be better to place fertilizer outside of the root zone so as to force the plant to use the mycelium to get at it?

How far can mycorrhizal networks transport mineral nutrients? Are they capable of transporting all the mineral nutrients plants need? In other words, can I make a compost pile in the middle of the garden and be lazy and depend on the fungal network to distribute the goods?

3. How deep can fungal hyphe go? In other words, in areas with shallow wells, and thus fairly shallow water tables, can we encourage mycorrhizae enough to be able to depend on them for irrigation?

4. For folks on city water, does the chlorine effect plants' microbiome both above and below ground?

5. When do plants start producing exudates? If you had soil from around actively growing plants of the same species you're sowing, could the bacteria and fungi play a role in early seedling vigor & health?

6. Has anyone directly compared the micronutrient profiles of the same crop grown in organic but tilled settings against those grown in no-till, mycorrhizae-friendly settings?

7. Since we know that larger molecules, such as sugar, can be transported across fungal networks between different species (Suzanne Simard is where I first food this info) , have we checked for other compounds created by plants? Say, compounds used by plants to protect against insect herbivory?

8. Since we know blueberries use ericoid mycorrhizae rather than endo- or ectomycorrhizae (which are the two types used by most plants), but gaultheria (salal & winter green) use both ericoid & ectomycorrhizae, and alder uses both endo & ectomycorrhizae (and fix nitrogen too!), and clover use endomycorrhizae, might blueberries be more productive if there's a nearby hedge of salal/wintergreen, alder, and clover? Willows and aspens also both use endo & ecto, so they could be included, and the trees could also be coppiced for firewood or basketry supplies.

I'm going to spend some time this weekend reading research papers. If anyone happens to know any that address these (or related questions), please send them my way!

[divine-nonchalance]

The soil is an intelligent life creating mechanism. It created us. It sustains us. Sow as many different seeds as you can get, all at once, I dare you! Stand back and observe in awe for the rest of your life, but for it to continue, let the soil have half of the harvest. That is how easy it is to create more fertile soil. Sowing seeds, and harvesting only half. Both are a joy, everyone benefits. Year after year, each generation of plants will adapt and become stronger and more beautiful, more flavorful, more intense, healthier, richer.

Sejeluho

[thelandthatfeeds]

Mid summer plot update (2/5) Each picture focuses on 6 beds. In addition to the following, there are mixed annuals such as tomato, broccoli, radish. From top left to right, next left to right etc: Artichoke "green globe" Alpine strawberry Rosemary Blue sausage shrub Feverfew (not germinated yet) Dwarf juneberry (not germinated yet) Chamomile Salmonberry Strawberry Marshmallow Tayberry Checkerberry (not germinated yet)

[turtlesandfrogs]

Someone maligned clay soils, so I'm just going to copy over the response I put there, here. Many of us have clay soils, and when you treat them right, they can be awesome.

However, if you act like your clay soil isn't one, you're going to run into trouble, because of the number one most important thing to know about clay soils:

Do NOT work it when it's wet. Other soils might be fine, but this is the best way to fuck up your soil if it's clay. This because clay soil structure collapses when you dig or till it when it's wet, creating hard, compacted clods of clay that are just horrible for gardening. They don't have space for water or oxygen, and they're very hard for roots of most crops to penetrate.

Beyond that, it's best to add organic matter as a top dressing of compost, or as mulch, and let the soil biota work it into the soil over time, instead of digging or tilling it in.

That's right, the easy choice is the correct choice this time!

Further, you can help your clay soil improve by sowing cover crops, and leaving their roots in place. Both of these work together to improve the texture & fertility of your soil. The soil biota make aggregates of soil particles and organic matter, increasing aeration and the ability of the soil to hold water.

Here's a bit more

http://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/soil-amendments-2.pdf

[divine-nonchalance]

The ultimate fertilizer is the same plants you’re growing, but dead.

Sow, but don’t harvest, let everything go. Just once. Let everything come to fruition.

The seeds of the ripe fruits will fall down and spawn again.

As decomposition sets in, the soil gets fed all the nutrients that same cultivar needs to thrive.

Then, next generation, only harvest half of your crops, let the rest fertilize the soil. Living no-til soil is a self sufficient fertilizer machine.

Simply harvest only half of your total yield and let the rest feed the soil. This way you need not do anything else but harvest to the highest of standards, manually, without the need of machines, leaving what is not great to become the best fertilizer for the next generation of itself.

This way the soil is never depleted but only ripens because it can eat a large portion of the fruits of its own labour. More intense and varied flavors can be expected. Better resistance as well. The information about the local weather and soil is stored in the seeds and the DNA has adjusted itself accordingly, to increase chances of survival.

Mother Earth is very clever this way.

Combine with a wide variety of cover crops for best results.

.

[divine-nonchalance]

Chickens are living pesticide, fertilizer and soil preparators. And you get eggs on top of that!