CEC CHAT
>Chris or Brock....You say that to raise your CEC you have to add Organic
>Matter. That sounds true, as in my case my Om is always between 21% and
>28% and
>my CEC is around 40. Now Chris also has a CEC of around 40 but his OM is
>8.2%....What's happening here? Clay is something that I've never had to deal
>with in my soil but Chris has an "extremely heavy" clay soil, yet our CEC is
>about the same. Would the addition of Clay be more benificial than the
>addition
>of OM to raise the CEC ? Normally we try to get rid of clay for better
>drainage . Is my idea of "clay" wrong when I think of it as something slimly,
>impenetrable, and could be used on a potter's wheel?......
> I'm enjoying these soil comparisons made available from the "great"
>growers. Perhaps Brock, by charting many results, you will someday find the
>key percentages to the "perfect soil" ....Ken Reinsborough
>
>MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Ken,
CEC is not totally tied to OM (humus). It is influenced by the quantity
and quality of clay and humus in the soil. I believe right out of the
shoot Chris' soil was at 28 CEC with out doing anything. Lucky guy..in
that aspect.....you see not All clays are created equal and that goes for
composts(humus) too. There are pros and cons to clays................I
would add OM(humus) having a low CEC is not necesarily going to stop you.
You have to have a real consistant feeding program as your soil won't hold
nutrients well. I would look closely at the Checkon's feeding program .
Their soil was balanced for the most part and that helps. ...........MB
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