[compost_tea] Tilling and tea don't mix.

From: Jeff Lowenfels <jeff_at_gardener.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2003 16:45:38 -0800

Let's see if we can't clear up this tilling thing for those who are not cle=
ar that using tea requires a good understanding of the soil foodweb and wha=
t it needs and doesn't in addition to tea. The ICTC site (http://www.intlc=
tc.org/ and Dr. Elaine's site( www.soilfoodweb.com) should be on your list=
.

Why do people till? Yeah, yeah, "to put organics back into the soil". They =
have no idea the idea comes from a 17th century lawyer who thought that roo=
ts ate particles of soil and so the smaller you made them, the easier it is=
 for the plants to eat. Pulverize he said and for some reason everyone did=
 and most gardeners and farmers still do in the form of disc plowing or rot=
otilling.

Back when he proposed heavy turning of the soil, this country lawyer from E=
ngland had no idea that breaking up the soil would work really great in are=
as where you had virgin soils like the United States. This was back in Geor=
ge Washington and Tom Jefferson time when their was lots of movement into A=
merica forests to create farm land...

Worked great because they killed off the fungal domination in the forest so=
ils they were turning into ag soils. Bacteria thrived and their crops were=
 nitrate lovers and thus bacterially dominated soil is perfect.(Corn likes =
an F:B of .8 to 1.0).

Too bad they didn't realize they needed some of that fungi to keep soil str=
ucture, and help buffer pH and to grow even better corn. Too bad they conti=
nued to till year in and year out so that they killed worms and displaced a=
ll the soil foodweb that did live there....and too bad they started the who=
le practice of rototilling in home gardens as well. .

Unless you want fast bacterial domination where there was once fungal, why =
till? Not because Jethro Tull said to.

You may still need to break up some of the soil, but you sure don't have to=
 turn it over like most do. You can go shallow and you can drill plant, sha=
llow furrow plow, etc.

And to bring it all back to ACT: compost, mulches and ACT in the fall shoul=
d put the foodweb to work so that by spring there are plenty of good organi=
cs back in the soil.

And ACT after you do disturb the soil will help get it some structure again=
 etc.......

Cheers,

JEFF



Received on Fri Aug 08 2003 - 21:33:27 EDT

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