Re: [compost_tea] microbes & B12

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 10:43:16 -0400

When dealing with wetland situations, you have to find the reason that the soil gets and remains waterlogged.

That means, determining whether there is a clay layer, or hardpan, or bedrock, or what, holding the water at the surface. You need to determine what depth that hardpan is, and whether you really want to do something about it.

Breaking that discontinuity layer that is holding water and preventing drainage can be tricky. Punching through with deep cores, or tilling the layer are mechanical ways to do this. Getting the full foodweb to the layer and getting the critters to form structure and allow drainage is a biological way to do this. But it is difficult, because if you try to get the foodweb to work in anaerobic comditions, you are doomed to failure. The fungi won't work in water-logged, anaerobic conditions.

If the soil dries and there is a period of time the soil goes aerobic, then MAYBE you could get the discontinuity fixed by the biology, if you inject the organisms and the foods they need to the right place and get temperature and moisture to miaintain good growth.

Sound difficult? If injection doesn't work, then combine tillage and getting the organisms into the newly tilled soil. That way the impervious layer does not re-form, and you end up tilling once. Or you should end up tilling once, if the organisms can survive in the conditions, which means toxins get decomposed, the anaerobic by-products get converted and growth can occur. Tillage and addition of organisms into old mangrove swamp soil requires several passes, because the sulfur in the soil is a tad difficult to overcome.

Hope this helps!

Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Hilversum, The Netherlands
SFI Cambridge, New Zealand
www.soilfoodweb.com

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Received on Wed Jul 23 2003 - 11:14:55 EDT

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