[compost_tea] ACT & Cereals

From: Halstead <halstead_at_mail.telepac.pt>
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 18:24:18 +0100

Lets throw the cat amongst the pigeons.

Before I retired in 95 I managed a property in Africa ( now in Portugal) th=
at grew 6000 acres of cereals a year. Twenty odd years ago the system was c=
hange from ploughing to minimal cultivations.90% of the straw was chopped b=
ehind the combine and immediately incorporated in the top 3-5" of soil with=
 preferably a tined cultivator. Approximately every third year a Shakerator=
 was used,the tines of this going down to 2/3-1 m. and the vibration gently=
 shattered the area above the points. The volunteer crop and weeds was gra=
zed by livestock, mainly sheep which were removed to allow the volunteer/we=
eds to grow and were then sprayed with Roundup!!.This killed all the plants=
 and the new crop was planted without further cultivation by a tined air se=
eder.The results were fantastic,less erosion, greater water holding capacit=
y, Hugh build-up of O.M.less disease, higher yields and mono culture was no=
 problem ,one field grew barley for 20 years and had the same or better yie=
ld that when broken from virgin country.
I wish I knew about ACT which I would use together with the same system.
ALL THIS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE WITHOUT THE USE OF ROUNDUP!!

I am in my mid seventies + and use Roundup in my garden and orchard here as=
 this is the only hope I have of controlling grasses and weeds.

Three years ago I went organic in the garden and orchard and last year star=
ted using ACT and have had the best top fruit yields ever and these and the=
 strawberries tasted out of this world. Very few aphids about, peach leaf =
curl now seems a past problem,most of the top fruit had to have a lot of se=
t fruit removed as far too many for the tree to cope with in this dry clima=
te.

Now for the deluge of comments re. Roundup.

Bill H.
 






Received on Sun Jul 20 2003 - 11:14:31 EDT

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