Hi Elaine,
Actually the soil was deep mulched leaves and wood chips with
a seasoning of grass clippings added in, on top of compost again made mostly
from leaves (maple and a few other hardwoods) and wood chips. No till situation
much like those described by Ruth Stout.
After I made that post to SANET I got an interesting email
from Joel Gruver asking if I knew of any other soil scientist besides you who
advocated managing soils crop-specifically for fungal-bacterial
dominance.
He also claimed that he and Steve Groff had gotten good
broccoli crops from fungally dominated soils. I am not sure how he measured the
soil to determine it was fungally dominated, though.
My own soil, while fed a diet that ought to yield fungal
dominance, is also fabulously alive with earthworms and myriad other macro and
mesofauna. So it could be that, in spite of appearances and feedstocks, that the
whole thing is nonetheless quite bacterial. Or it could be that around the
broccoli the dominance of the broccoli root system creates a zone of bacterial
dominance while outside the influence of the broc it remains
fungal.
In any case we are talking about very rich organic soil in a
heavy clay subsoil. Basidiocarp fruiting bodies in the nearby woodchip covered
paths, that sort of thing. Collembola, mites, pseudoscorpions, centipedes, etc
by the scores.
Also frequent germination of tree seedlings in the leaf
mulched beds...
Guess I should send you some samples when spring
comes.
Frank Teuton
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