Skip to main content

Why No Till?

Please see the following Power Point No Till and Water, by Mark Scarpitti.
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
No till, never till means shallow beds, double dug raised beds are best.
It is my understanding that with bacteria based beds you can till.
How else can you get compost down to the rhizosphere?
February 19, 2012 at 2:43 PM
Dan Zaugg said…
There are a lot of benefits to no till practices as far as maintaining the integrity of the soil but it's also great to see test results on water quality aspects also.
February 21, 2012 at 3:09 PM
Dan Zaugg said…
There are many benefits to no till methods in reference to soil integrity but its also good to see some actual test results having to do with water quality. This is good info. and will be helpful with educating those stuck in the old methods that destroy soil health .
February 21, 2012 at 3:15 PM
Soil Secrets LLC said…
"bacteria based beds" Hmm, not sure what a bacteria based bed are, since all but a few plants are mycorrhizal obligate, which means they cannot function at optimum nutrition without having a mycorrhizal relationship. Since Mycorrhizae are fungus and not bacteria I don't believe a bacteria based bed is relevant. About the only crops that could be grown in North America that will never associate with Mycorrhizae are those in the Brassica family, such as broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and radishes to name a few. And that group of plants don't even need bacteria and in fact are natural biocides killing bacteria, nematodes and mycorrhizal fungus! Double Dug beds may work, and represent a "brute force" attempt to build a garden soil, however its not the best way to proceed on our journey to better soil health. Compost, if properly made should have a good representation of plant nutrients in it, therefore its a fertilizer and needs to be respected and used as such. Compost can then be applied on the surface and allowed to break down further seeping the nutrients into the soil with rain and irrigation. You don't need to incorporate any organic matter into the soil unless it got there by way of a root, worm or a microbe.

Michael Martin Meléndrez
Managing Member of Soil Secrets LLC
Managing Member of Soil Secrets Worldwide LLC
Founder and Owner of Trees That Please farm and nursery
Founder and Curator for the Arboretum Tomé
505 550-3246
soilsecrets@aol.com
www.soilsecrets.com
www.soilsecretsblog.com
www.facebook.com/SoilSecretsLLC
February 21, 2012 at 4:33 PM
Soil Secrets LLC said…
Soil Secrets formulates and manufactures technical biologic materials used in agriculture, mine reclamation, erosion control and home & garden. The products are used to instigate the biological process of better plant nutrition, buffering of toxic soil chemistry and priming the process of soil carbon sequestering. Mycorrhizal inoculation and Humic Acid fortification are used in this protocol, helping the Bio-Geo-Chemical process of plant nutrient uptake and soil formation.
February 21, 2012 at 4:34 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Soil Health: Level 2 - Description of Terms (Carbon Compounds)

The  Labile Carbon  is also known as the 'Rapid Cycling Carbon' and its composed of all the Soil Organic Matter that is dead and actively decomposing.  It's benefit to the soil is that it provides a source for minerals that are being recycled as potential plant nutrients, so in a sense it's Nature's fertilizer.  Active Carbon   also known as Reactive Carbon is more complex than the Labile Carbon in that its composed of all the dead and actively decomposing organic matter plus all the living soil microbial community that will eventually die and begin decomposing.   For example, the hyphae of mycorrhizae only live about 5 to 7 days before they die and start to decompose, while the fungus organism itself may live far longer.  Recalcitrant Carbons   are the Humic substances made up of complex organic chemistry, some of which is inert and some of which is very reactive and are powerful biologics, such as the Humic Acids.  Recalcitran...
9 comments
Read more

Fertilizers formulated for alkaline soils of the Southwest

Recently I was in an Albuquerque retail nursery where a fertilizer was being sold that stated it was formulated for alkaline soils of the Southwest.  It contained high levels of iron and sulfur, plus the N, P and K major nutrients.  Do any of the readers care to comment on this type of product?    Pros, Cons, etc.  I have my take on it, but I'll entertain what you want to say about it.  Michael Martin Meléndrez
9 comments
Read more

Growing Pecan Trees in Western Alkaline Soil

It's common to see nutrient and water inhibition compromise the production of pecans in the arid western states, particularly where the soils are high pH, which can tie up nutrients such as zinc, iron, phosphorus and more. Keeping soils moist is also a problem because the regions were we grow pecan are not wet bottomland soils where pecan is native, but are high and dry desert soils where irrigation is essential. If the irrigation water is high in dissolved solids, the problem is made worse. There are many good things Soil Secrets can offer pecan growers that can overcome these obstacles, by improving the moisture management of the soil, improving nutrient solutioning and availability of both the native minerals as well as the purchased minerals, and improving the porosity of the soil so that water and oxygen can penetrate meters deep without the need to subsoil with machinery. How's this done? By using the power of Nature's own bio-chemical called the Carbon Matrix. Starti...
Post a Comment
Read more