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RE: Digest for Gardenwriters@topica.com, issue 391

All,

I agree that one has to be very careful around Mycorrhizae and not kill it
off with fertilizers.  It is a secret weapon. However, you have to have good
humus with it. Without the organic matter, it dies off.

And, yes, knowledge of Mycorrhizae and lots of the elements of the science
of the soil food web have, indeed, been in place and known and used by lots
of us for years and generations.  However, the point I am trying to make is
that often the science wasn't known and in the past 10 years and more like
the last 5 years, all of these separate "book chapters" have been taken
apart and put back together in the same chapter. The inter-relationships are
becoming better understood and the equipment to study, count, photograph and
monitor microbes and microarthopods has advanced considerably in price and
application. We no longer have to rely solely on chemical nutrient analysis.

AS A RESULT, IT IS LIKELY MOST (ok, none of you guys, but most) garden
writers and communicators need to update themselves and their readers.
Scientific Gardening, not mythological, faith-based gardening!!!! In this
day and age of too effective, modern advertising and rampant (though not
necessarily bad, he says to protect himself) spiritualism, garden
communicators need to start using the sciences to garden, not JUST the seat
of our pants and antedotal or Corporate instructions.

As for the question of what to do instead of tilling when you have compacted
soils, there have been some good answers already and all will work as well.
"Drill planting"--make a small hole only where you plant should be on the
list (and add some Mycorrhizae while you are at it). Also there are other
ways of turning over soil that are not nearly as damaging---double digging
being one, though it still causes the loss of valuable carbon, doesn't it?
IMHO, compost tea which is very easy to make and very easy to use and cover
large areas, is the way to go.  It puts the bugs and fungi back into the
soil and they create the drainage and structure you crave.

Finally, rototilling actually  can result in more compacted soil.  Sure it
fluffs up, but once it is watered a half a dozen times, if there isn't
sufficient soil life and lots of last year's crop or leaves mixed in, it
compacts right back down and sometimes drainage is even worse!

Cheers,

jeff l

You can tell it is still winter here. I have too much time to sit in front
of the computer and not enough to go outside and garden.
______________________________________________
PLANT A ROW FOR THE HUNGRY: Through PAR, over 3 million pounds of food have
been donated by home gardeners like you to feed the hungry. Ask me how you
can join the effort.

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