"The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself" (Roosevelt 1937)
The future of America depends on the future of her soil.
The most meaningful indicator for the health
of the land, and the long-term wealth of a
nation,
is whether soil is being formed or lost.
Despite our efforts to implement 'best practice' in soil conservation, our soils continue to deteriorate. Most farm soils have become seriously degraded.
If productive soil continues to be lost, debates about the optimum enterprise mix, pasture species, fertilizer rate, percentage of trees, or any other 'detail' over which we seem to argue endlessly, are irrelevant. They amount to re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Research efforts in the soil science arena have concentrated on reducing the rate of soil loss. The concept of building new topsoil is rarely considered. But that is where our focus needs to be!
In order for new soil to form, it must be
living. Life in the soil provides the structure
for more life, and the formation of more soil.
Building new topsoil is much like building a
house (Bushby 2002). A good house is one w
hich
is comfortable for the occupants. It requires a
roof, walls and airy rooms with good plumbing.
Soil with poor structure cannot function
effectively, even when nutrient and moisture
levels are optimal (Bushby 2002).
The roof of a healthy soil is the groundcover of plants and plant litter, which buffer temperatures, improve water infiltration and slow down evaporation, so that soil remains moister for longer following rainfall. The building materials for the walls are gums and polysaccharides produced by soil microbes. These sticky substances enable soil minerals to be glued together into little lumps (aggregates) and the aggregates to be glued together into peds. When soil is well aggregated, the spaces (pores) between the aggregates form the rooms in the house. They allow the soil to breathe, as well as absorb moisture quickly when it rains. A healthy topsoil should be about half solid materials and half pore spaces (Brady 1984).
Friable, porous topsoils make it easier for plant roots to grow and for small soil invertebrates to move around. Well-structured soils retain the moisture necessary for microbial activity, nutrient cycling and vigorous plant growth and are less prone to erosion. Unfortunately, soil structure is very fragile and soil aggregates are continually being broken down (Bushby 2001). An ongoing supply of energy in the form of carbohydrates from actively growing plant roots and decomposing plant litter is required, so that soil organisms can flourish and produce adequate amounts of the sticky secretions required to maintain the 'house'.
There are six essential ingredients for soil formation.
For all land, whether for grazing, cropping, horticulture, timber, conservation or recreation.
Soil conditions must be such that soil organisms can flourish. High levels of biological activity are required for rapid formation of topsoil. What effect do you think that drenches, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, nematicides and fertilizers have on soil balance and life? These chemicals are one of the primary causes of soil loss.
The activities of beneficial soil microbes are important for the formation of soil aggregates. These give soil its structure, improve porosity and water-holding capacity, all of which are critical for proper soil balance and life.
In other words, when aerobic soil microbes are given what they need, they create a perfect living environment for themselves. It is plants that benefit most from this perfect environment, for it is a nutrient rich environment in which the plant lacks nothing.
When given a perfect environment, plants will secrete up to half of the sugars they manufacture down through their roots, and still have more than enough for high sugar levels in the plant. These secreted sugars feed soil microbes, resulting in greater biological activity and faster new topsoil formation. It is the energy from biological activity that drives the process.
Smell A composty smell indicates high levels of biological activity, particularly fungi. Soil will have a friable texture and be dark in color.
Soil that springs back Highly structured soil should feel light and springy under your feet. Can you easily push a screwdriver in up to the handle? With continued soil building, I have seen a 4' soil probe easily penetrate a full four feet into the ground.
Erosion resistant Highly structured soil clings together and resists erosion. It weighs less than non-flocculated soil.
Is there a secret to jumpstarting the process? The secret lies in doing the following:
Over 10 years of research have gone into developing a product designed to accomplish each of the 5 things listed above.
Side by side field tests have confirmed that the product works. Lab reports also verify these results. The product is called MycorrPlus (formerly GroPal Balance).
MycorrPlus is designed to do the following:
When given the right environment, it is possible to create a full one inch of new topsoil a year, plus transform the soil below it. (Hill, S. B., 2002)
Call 1-888-588-3139 to speak to a consultant to learn more about MycorrPlus
Email us at info@ag-usa.net
Check out specific crop applications
Read the AcresUSA interview with Dr. Jones and let it inspire you to action
Brady N.C. (1984). The
Nature and Properties of Soils.
Ninth Edition. Macmillan.
Bushby, V. (2001). Soil biology. Stipa
Newsletter, 18: 6-9.
Bushby, V. (2002). Soil biology, aggregation and
structural decline. Stipa
Newsletter, 19: 4-7.
Earl, J. M. and Jones, C. E. (1996). The need
for a new approach to grazing management?is cell
grazing the answer?Rangelands
Journal, 18: 327
- 350.
Edwards, K. and Zierholz, C. (2001). Soil
formation and erosion rates. In: Soils:
Their Properties and Management. (Eds.
P.E.V. Charman and B.W. Murphy) pp. 39-58.
Second Edition. Oxford University Press.
Hill, S. B. (2002). 'Redesign' for soil, habitat
and biodiversity conservation: Lessons from
Ecological Agriculture and Social Ecology'.
Proceedings 'Sustaining
Our Future: through Healthy Soils, Habitats and
Biological Diversity' launch of the 'Healthy
Soils Campaign'.
Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Sydney, 6
April, 2002.
Jones, C.E. (1999). Cropping native pasture and
conserving biodiversity: a potential technique. Proceedings
Bushcare Conference 'Balancing Conservation and
Production in Grassy Landscapes', Clare,
SA, pp. 142-144.
Jones, C.E. (2000). Grazing management for
healthy soils. Stipa
Inaugural National Grasslands Conference 'Better
Pastures Naturally', Mudgee, NSW, pp.
68-75.
Jordon, C.F. (1998). Working with Nature: Resource Management for Sustainability. Harwood Academic.
Martin, G. (2001). Understanding soil building processes. Australian Farm Journal, May 2001, pp. 66-70.
Want more information on building topsoil fast?
Here it is!
In stark contrast, in her interview with AcresUSA magazine, Dr. Jones points out that most of the elements needed to create topsoil are found in the atmosphere and that the creation of new soil centers around carbon. Compost may help, but it is simply not the best way to create topsoil.
A plant can acquire between 85 to 90 percent of the building materials it needs from the air to create liquid carbon. The rest of the nutrients are provided from the soil. Soil microbes use this liquid carbon as an energy source to help them convert tied up nutrients into available plant food. In the process, the sugars emitted by the roots act as a glue to create complex soil structure, which includes stable forms of carbon and humus.
New topsoil is rapidly created in this
environment. Once MycorrPlus is activated
with at least 1.1? of moisture and a soil
temperature above 45 degrees, almost immediately
plants begin to secrete liquid carbon into the
soil, and it is only a matter of weeks before
new soil begins to form.
MycorrPlus contains micro and macro
nutrients needed by the plant, plus 4 strains of
mycorrhizae fungi and
over 70 strains of aerobic bacteria that help the soil
to convert nutrients tied up in the soil into
available plant food.
Establishing a good soil structure enables nitrogen-fixing bacteria to function. You will rarely see a nitrogen deficient plant in a healthy natural ecosystem. Ammonia that is fixed from the air is rapidly converted into an amino acid or incorporated into a humic polymer. These organic forms of nitrogen cannot be leached or volatilized.
With rapid carbon sequestering, the growth rate
of plants can quickly increase, with as much as
a 25% to 30% increase in yields by the 2nd year.
That is the power of properly functioning soil.
Dr. Jones mentions that foliar applications of trace minerals can help in the transition from a chemical program.
MycorrPlus F or O-F (organic) are great choices for a foliar application for row crops, trees, etc.
As Dr. Jones pointed out, if plants can obtain
nitrogen and phosphorus easily, they will stop
pumping carbon into the soil to support their
microbial partners. This interruption of the
carbon flow to the soil reduces aggregation and
the forming of new topsoil.
Some individuals may want to apply a little nitrogen when a grain plant like corn or wheat is fruiting to increase protein in the grain. The problem is, the test for protein is actually a measurement of nitrogen, not a true test of protein. So whereas the protein might actually be higher in a crop grown without supplemental nitrogen, crops fertilized with nitrogen at fruitation are likely to test higher for protein.
As Dr. Jones stated, including some clovers or
peas with your wheat or some vetch with your
corn is another way of supplying the soil with
extra organic nitrogen. As is mentioned in her
article, in biologically active soils, Dr. Jones
hasn?t seen a response to synthetic nitrogen or
phosphorus fertilizers. Dr. Jones found the use
of NPK to be counterproductive.
Remember that a soil test can only tell you what
is available to plants by passive uptake of
inorganic nutrients. The other 97 percent of
minerals, those made available by microbes, will
not show up on a standard soil test.
By nurturing the aerobic microbes in the soil,
we can increase the availability of a huge
variety of minerals and trace elements ? most of
which are not contained in fertilizers.
Tilling the soil or allowing soil to remain bare
for a number of months disrupts soil microbial
life, as well as mycorrhizal fungi. Plant a
cover crop and use companion crops with cash
crops. Remember, plants colonized by mycorrhizal
fungi can grow much more robustly even though
they're giving away as much as half of the
sugars that they make in photosynthesis through
their roots. They photosynthesize faster,
producing more sugars, which can in turn be
shared with the soil.
In regions with a hot, dry summer, evaporation is enemy number one. Bare soil will be significantly hotter and lose more moisture than covered soil. Aggregates will break down unless the soil is alive. Aggregation is absolutely vital for moisture infiltration and retention.
This includes fungicides, pesticides,
insecticides and herbicides. It is a no-brainer
that something designed to kill things is going
to do just that.
Chemical applications can inhibit the soil fungi
that are essential to crop nutrition and soil
building. When soil fungi are kept from
functioning properly, plants can no longer use
them to obtain the trace elements they need to
fight fungal diseases.
When we spray for weeds it creates bare ground
and the weed seed that's there means the weeds
simply come back.
Some weeds have deep roots that help to bring up
nutrients. Leaving them can mean that better
quality plants will eventually be able to grow
in the improved soil and replace the weeds. A
little patience may be needed while soils
improve.
For dry regions, perennial grasses have
incredibly deep root systems and form
mycorrhizal associations that help them survive
during dry periods. They will soon create their
own microclimate to help them overcome a lack of
water and thrive, displacing weeds.
A diversity of plants actually improves nutrient
acquisition and water retention, and helps to
fill in gaps in the soil. Multi-species pasture
cropping can help to displace unwanted weeds.
Rotational grazing can help, too. For cash
crops, multi-species cover crops and companion
crops can help with weed control and soil
improvement, as soils move toward fungal
dominance.
MycorrPlus is the most advanced system we know of for accomplishing carbon sequestration and the building of topsoil. An annual application for the average farm is only $20 to $40 an acre.
Ok, now once again imagine having the dark,
rich soil of your dreams!
Imagine how it will help you when water
soaking in instead of running off!
Imagine how you will feel when your
livestock are the best looking in the area!
Imagine how much more money your animals will be worth!
Call 1-888-588-3139 to speak to an associate to learn more about MycorrPlus
Email us at info@ag-usa.net
Check this out! An application of MycorrPlus for every crop
