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Re: Prairie Soil Fertility geoff replies

it depends on the scale of operation.

for acres, i used a road-making 'limer' (liming machine).  this is just a
humungous contra-rotating rototiller.  it mashes up entire bundles of
newspaper and distributes it in shreds into the soil.

on a domestic garden scale i put a wad of newspaper deep down at the site of
planting out, cover it with a layer of soil, and then put in my potted plant
over it.

in tree conditions, just put 3-5 sheets of newspaper onto the top of the
soil, and throw some fresh dirt or compost on top to stop it blowing away.
wetting it first keeps it there while you are covering it.

in the lawn, do the same, and then cover that with woodchips to look
'natural'.  five layers of newspaper are enough to stop any weeds from
growing up out of it, but do not stop seeds from growing down through it
(provided you keep it damp)..


hope this helps.  if not, send me a more detailed enquiry        geoff


-----Original Message-----
From: Ed and Gale <galed@midwest.net>
To: prairie@mallorn.com <prairie@mallorn.com>
Date: Sunday, April 30, 2000 10:50 AM
Subject: Re: Prairie Soil Fertility


>Could you please describe the "mechanics" of how to plow newspaper into the
>soil. How do you distribute it and how do you keep it from balling up and
>the plow just dragging a wad of paper across the field?
>Ed Cook
>So. Illinois
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Geoffrey Stanford <gstanf@swbell.net>
>To: prairie@mallorn.com <prairie@mallorn.com>
>Date: Friday, April 28, 2000 10:49 AM
>Subject: Re: Prairie Soil Fertility
>
>
>>alan:   i think there is a confusion here:  prairie surely is one of the
>>most fertile soils -- but that is after it has been ploughed, and the mat
>of
>>surface roots is distributed into the soil;  there it is biodegraded and
>the
>>bacteria release all its sugars and proteins to the introduced crop
>>
>>you can restore fertility and tilth easily and cheaply to any soil:  plow
>>under some newspaper, at about 5-10 tons/acre.  in about three years it
>will
>>have become suffused with nitrofixing organisms, and the cellulose will be
>>mostly consumed.  this 3-year period of 'nitrogen robbing' will be
replaced
>>by some 4 years of superior soil.  you can add 5 tons/acre for several
>years
>>in a row, until fertility is restored.
>>
>>yes, i've done it, and it really works.  after all, what is newspaper but
>>finely ground wood/tree?  and what is more fertile than woodland duff. and
>>what is woodland duff?  wood/tree finely ground by all the wiggly-wogglies
>>that live in and on the forest floor.     geoff
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Alan_Rider@illinoispower.com <Alan_Rider@illinoispower.com>
>>To: prairie@mallorn.com <prairie@mallorn.com>
>>Date: Friday, April 28, 2000 8:51 AM
>>Subject: Prairie Soil Fertility
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>There have been several comments made recently about soil fertility and
>how
>>>natives 'best' survive in soil of low fertility.  On the other hand, we
>>have
>>>been told that prairie soils are among the 'richest soils in the world'.
>>This
>>>seems to be contradictory.  Perhaps it depends on 'what part of the
>prairie
>>you
>>>live', for example Illinois prairies should have better soils than
western
>>>Nebraska due to the rainfall amounts.
>>>My reason for asking is I am restoring former  areas of Highly Erodable
>>Soil,
>>>where there has been significant erosion and little if anything has grown
>>there
>>>intentionally planted or otherwise.  I have added large amounts of grass
>>>clippings and leaves and tilled them into the soil.
>>>I would appreciate comments etc. on this fertility issue.  How much
>>fertility is
>>>too much?  How do you measure fertility?
>>>thanks
>>>
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