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Why No Till?

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