RE: [compost_tea] Re: When to add amendments to the soil

From: Stephen Steyn <ssteyn_at_wcaccess.co.za>
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2011 06:24:38 +0200

I also use "The Ideal Soil" as the basis for my calculations. I used to use
the same system as used by Kinsey and Zimmer (which is essentially
identical) except that they used CEC as the basis for their calculations.
Nowadays labs no longer report CEC, especially those that are certified, as
CEC is not actually calculated by adding up all the Cations and their
calculations were actually the T-value. Astera's book has a good
approximation of the CEC, calculated from estimates of all the cations and
the pH.

SS

 

From: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com [mailto:compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Tim Wilson
Sent: 21 June 2011 18:55
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: [compost_tea] Re: When to add amendments to the soil

 

  

Your results are most interesting. I'm a big fan of sustainable growing so
try to come up with ways to produce as many amendments on site as possible.

I'm learning more in this little bit of research of the wide divergence in
soil testing, extraction techniques; Strong acid, weak acid, no acid. I'd
like to experiment with citric acid (one compound apparently exudated by
roots)

Tim

--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com <mailto:compost_tea%40yahoogroups.com> ,
EAReinheimer <erica_r_at_...> wrote:
>
> Hello Tim,
>
> Yes, I think that is quite correct about nitrogen testing being quite
> variable. It seems to be a snapshot of what is available. For this
> reason, Logan does not report nitrogen levels with their Basic test
> results, which I think is to their credit.
>
> There is a way to calculate estimated nitrogen release, if you know the
> organic matter percent of your soil, which Logan does report. In
> general if it is 5% or higher, you likely will not need to add
> nitrogen. Mine is about 2%. Until I started adding 50# sacks of
> soymeal, now feather meal, the garden never produced like I wanted it
> to. It is extremely difficult to get those results by adding manure
> and/or compost. For some reason, the percent nitrogen of the amendment
> plays a big role in it's effectiveness. Likely this is because it takes
> some nitrogen just to decompose the carbon in the amendment itself.
>
> Balancing all the cations is important, not just having enough
> nitrogen. Balancing the anions is also important, though less understood.
>
> Albrect's work was based on Mehlich 3 soil testing, so it is easier to
> use results from a lab like Logan, which does Mehlich 3 testing.
>
> I don't actually use Logan for the recommendations part of the process.
> I like Michael Astera's book, The Ideal Soil. It lays out all the
> arithmetic to balance the elements according to Albrecht.
>
> All this mineralization, I think, is a worthy precursor to a highly
> biologically active soil.
>
> Erica
>
>
>
> On 6/18/2011 5:50 PM, Tim Wilson wrote:
> >
> > I did spend some time today searching for any information indicating
> > that organic (sequestered) nutrients contained in compost or soil can
> > be revealed by typical laboratory testing,[not painstaking heating and
> > weighing, etc. for each nutrient] including Mehlich III processes. I
> > am willing to learn if I'm incorrect so if anyone has some citations,
> > etc. please post them
> >
> > Following is a not bad read and an excerpt;
> >
> > http://www.farmwest.com/index.cfm?method=library.showPage
<http://www.farmwest.com/index.cfm?method=library.showPage&librarypageid=125
> &librarypageid=125
> > <http://www.farmwest.com/index.cfm?method=library.showPage
<http://www.farmwest.com/index.cfm?method=library.showPage&librarypageid=125
> &librarypageid=125>
> >
> > "Nitrogen is present in the soil in a variety of forms that change
> > from one to another (see the Nitrogen Cycle section). This has caused
> > the limited use of soil N analyses throughout the world. Most of the N
> > present in agricultural soils is in organic forms yet plants largely
> > feed on inorganic N, particularly nitrate. Nitrate can be readily
> > measured in soils, but the amount in the soil at any one time may not
> > indicate how much is available to plants through the growing season
> > because substantial amounts of inorganic N can be released from the
> > organic forms (a process called mineralization). Unfortunately, the
> > rate of release of inorganic N from the organic matter in the soil
> > cannot be predicted by a chemical analysis at this time."
> >
> > Tim
> >
> > --- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
<mailto:compost_tea%40yahoogroups.com>
> > <mailto:compost_tea%40yahoogroups.com>, "Tim Wilson" <thegoodjob_at_>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > The only guts info I could find quickly was their newsletter with
> > the articles about pH manipulation. Need to follow up before I can
> > really say anything besides (??). In the farming community I lived in
> > before I watched the locals chasing pH year after year following
> > recommendations from the lab. It seemed to no avail, as we got equal
> > to better yields completely ignoring pH and all manor of 'chemical
> > soil tests' but (???)
> > >
> > > Tim
> > >
> > > --- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
<mailto:compost_tea%40yahoogroups.com>
> > <mailto:compost_tea%40yahoogroups.com>, "steved3602002" <steved_at_> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Logan Labs is an offshoot of Brookside Labs
> > > > and both are based on the classic Albrecht
> > > > soil test which is geared to mineral balance
> > > > for soil structure and optimal microbial
> > > > habitat, taking care of plant fertility,
> > > > ultimately aiming for nutritionally balanced
> > > > feeds and foods.
> > > >
> > > > Albrecht was a soil microbiologist, you know.
> > > >
> > > > Steve Diver
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
>







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Received on Wed Jun 22 2011 - 06:29:12 EDT

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