Thank you for the example of where the SFW is working. I appreciate the information. Can I put it in the SFI e-zine?
Nutrient cycling is something soil does just fine, all by itself, if you don't destroy the foodweb.
Water retention increases, and roots grow deeper into healthy soil with the right biology to prevent compaction.
Simple, but you have to remember, it takes more than just bacteria. Please, don't let the plate count folks mis-lead you. Not only bacteria, but fungi, protozoa, nematodes, mycorrhizal fungi and microarthropods. They are ALL required for a heathy foodweb to happen.
And they all respire carbon dioxide. So how can you possibly use CO2 to tell you which set of organisms is present and doing their job. Maybe CO2 could be a general measure of whether thing are respiring in the soil, but not to determine if you have the mix of organisms you need in the soil.
All of the predators are aerobic organisms. You cannot achieve healthy soil with anaerobic bacteria alone!
And as Ted notes, the conversion to healthier happens rapidly.
If you don't see the conversion happening (green plants without fertilier additions, and reduced need for water) within the first year, suspect a serious residue of toxic chemicals in your soil. It is the biology which will decompose those toxics, but you have to figure out what biology is needed first.
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
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Received on Sun Nov 16 2003 - 00:14:35 EST