Re: [compost_tea] Roto-tilling is evil?

From: Frank L Teuton <fteuton_at_sympatico.ca>
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 01:21:35 -0500

Hi Oliver,

I am going to give you my take on this, and let Doc Ingham take it from the=
re. My answer is, 'it depends'. It depends on how much sheep manure you til=
l in, on how much tillage you do, on how wet or dry the clay is when you ti=
ll, and on what the condition of the soil was before tilling.

We are fighting a big battle with weeds, both perennial and annual. The ups=
ide of this is that the soil is getting a good dose of 'cover crops', thus =
lots of organic matter. A clay soil already well endowed with organic matte=
r can withstand rototilling better than a clay with not so much organic mat=
ter. If you have organic matter to burn, then tilling isn't so evil...;-)

In my experience, working with poor clay means you need to add a lot of org=
anic matter and you need to be careful to work the clay when it is moist bu=
t not wet. Adding a good amount of raw organic matter is also helpful; thin=
gs like chopped straw and rice hulls, shredded leaves and even chipped bran=
ch wood can be good in the right amounts.

The very heavy clay soils I have lived on have been generally quite fertile=
. They have also been mostly covered with turf, and well supplied with orga=
nic matter and populations of hard working mesofauna, especially worms. A p=
oor clay soil will take time to develop its full potential.

It is my judgment that mixing organic matter into a poor clay soil is a goo=
d thing to do if it is done under the right conditions (moisture content) a=
nd if the amounts are substantial enough to offset the penalty of such heav=
y churning as a rototiller commits.

One to three inches of fully or partially composted sheep manure, tilled in=
 to the top three to six inches of soil under good conditions, would be a f=
ine amendment for most any soil, including clay. For clay, partially compos=
ted might be the better choice, as more energy would be available to build =
badly needed soil structure.

If you had a great deal of organic material and time to wait, you can mulch=
 a poor heavy clay, and wait for the soil to develop. 'If you build it they=
 will come' applies to a whole spectrum of soil organisms that will migrate=
 to an improved soil site.

Now, here's where compost tea can help. If you do have poor soil and not su=
ch great or diverse organic matter and organism sources, then the addition =
of good compost tea to your soil can provide the organisms you need to help=
 build the soil with the organic matter you are adding. It is on such poor =
soils that the use of compost tea plus an organic matter source, including =
perhaps a program of green manuring and temporary pasturing if possible, ca=
n really help dramatically improve the land.

Obviously there are other possible questions that need to be asked, such as=
 the chemical analysis of the soil, drainage, and so forth, but I would say=
 that with a rototiller and enough sheep manure poor clay could be improved=
. If you don't have enough, well then that is another matter.

Hope that helps,

Frank Teuton
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: oliver hauver
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 7:16 PM
  Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Roto-tilling is evil?


  Dr.Ingham
   I have been following these post on roto-tilling and was wanting to ask =
a question
  will rototilling(when adding sheep maure) help improve or worsen Clay soi=
l?
  LMK
  Oliver


  soilfoodweb_at_aol.com wrote:
    Tch, tch, you are evil then, Frank? That's a chuckle and a grin with t=
hat statement. You do have to remember that the emotive part of statements=
 don't come thorugh in e-mails, and what you meant as a pleasantry gets to =
be pretty unpleasant if you don't give clues to the foils at the other end.=
  I've been guilty of same, so I can't really lecture you about that. Exce=
pt, of course, I am. How human! Grin!

    I think applying the term "evil" to something that can be necessary in =
order to achieve your purpose is what bothers me. And the association, or =
intimation, that I would have said that a management practice is evil bothe=
rs me, since I have not made that statement.

    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







Received on Wed Nov 26 2003 - 12:17:59 EST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:14:53 EST