ecological soil management for organic gardeners - details

8/9/2019 Ecological Soil Management for Organic Gardeners - Details

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Soil: the Foundation ofthe Garden

WSH


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Todays Presentation

Ecological Soil Management of The Whys and Hows of Organic Matter

Management

Soil Tilth: Nothingness is most important,here.

Bio-diversity: It is more interesting than youmight think!

To achieve healthy soil, healthy plants,and ecological balance.


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A Plant & SoilEcosystem Light

Air

Water, etc

NutrientspH

CEC

Moisture

Microbes,

Earthworms, etc OM = Organic Matter

Temperature

Air

Texture

Structure

Pollutants


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CEC

Soil Air

MoistureMicrobes

rganicM

atter

Stru

ctur

e

Texture

pH

Pollutants

Nutrients

A Simplified Soil Ecosystem


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A Good Loam Soil:

50% Solids

(Hard Stuff)

50% Pores

(Nothingness)

45% Mineral5% Organic Matter

(Once Alive or Still

Alive Stuff)25% Air

Big Pores

25% Water

Small Pores

So why is this important?


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Soil Fertility isThe ability of a soil to provide a physical,

chemical, and biological environment forthe plant that is health sustaining.

This is a long-term ecosystem based or

ecological agriculture perspective!


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Seven Principles to Maintain SoilFertility

1. Maintain a Proper Air to Water Balance2. Maintain Soil Tilth

3. Prevent Erosion

4. Maintain Soil Organic Matter Levels

5. Maintain Biological Diversity

6. Maintain a Proper Soil pH

7. Maintain a Balance of Nutrients

A systems approach means you gotta do them all.

Each alone will not make a fertile soil.


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Maintain Soil OMWhy Bother?

Versus

Organic matter makes structure and feeds the biology!


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Why Add Soil OM to Make Humus:

1. Source of Nutrients - N P S & micronutrients2. Acts as a chelating (binding) agent for the micronutrients

3. Has high CEC; holds cations in soil (ex. K+, Ca2+, Mg2+)

4. Chelates potentially toxic elements (ex. Al3+

, Cd2+

, Zn2+

)5. Extracts base nutrient cations from minerals

6. Buffers soil pH reaction

7. High water holding capacity

8. Promotes aggregation & improves structure

9. Improves drainage (less erosion) & aeration

10. Affects soil temperature w/ dark color

11. Provides food, energy & nutrients for organisms12. Stimulates plant root growth

13. Active OM helps maintain a diverse group of soilorganisms = less pests and diseases

Soil Organic Matter Profoundly Influences Soil Fertility


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Soil Solution:

The Thin Skins of Water that CoatEverything.

Roo

tHair

RAIN


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CationExchangeCapacity +

++

+++ We are

positive!

Cations

K+ Mg2+ Ca2+ H+ Al3+

pH near neutral Acid pH

NO3-

**Only

ClayandHumus

haveCEC**

CEC = Plant Pantry


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DO YOU KNOWWhats In Your Dirt?

How Much OM Should You Add?

What have your past OM additionsdone?

pH??

HeavyMetals??

N-P-K??

%OM??

Micronutri

ents??

Take a Soil Test and Use Soil Test Recommendations

Dont Fly Blindfolded!


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http:/

/pss.uvm.

edu/a

g_testin

g/forms

.html


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Soil TestReport

Soil Test Results

Recommendation

Limestone

Nitrogen

Phosphorus

Potassium

Management Info Who to call


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Make and Maintain Soil Structure

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Ohio State University

Think about being a root. Which soilcan you grow through best! Get yourair and water from best!


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What Building Structure Does for You Drainage in clay soils (macropores)

Water holding capacity in sandy soils(micropores)

*Building structure with OM Creates thePores You Aint Got!*

Macropore hold air and drain (in-between)

Micropores hold water (inside)

OM = Drought Prevention Insurance


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Pores Are Different!Air is storedinbetween the

aggregatesafterwater drains.

Water is stored

inside theaggregates.

Little inside space =less water. Little in-between space= less air.

Cornell University

Saturationafter asoakingrain.

Soil thathasdrained.

Sand Clay


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Making Soil Structure: Improves: drainage, air exchange, moisture

holding capacity, root penetration and seedgermination!

Lowers bulk density and reduces erosion!

It ameliorates natural textural properties!

Dont Destroy Your Structure

Wait and work your soil when it has dried outenoughno mud patties

Add OM to improve soil structure

Keep soil covered to protect soil structure

Treat soil gently


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Create Great Soil Tilth


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& SOIL

DFW

Why feed the soil?


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In Soil Organisms:Decompose plant and animal residues

releasing nutrients and making humus

Change nutrients to plant available forms Improve soil structure and tilth (thru 1)

Improve plant nutrition (thru 1,2, & 3)Diverse populations increase biological

stability and balance resistance to system degradation

resilience or the bounce back factor

Create self-sufficiency (Emergentproperties) internal system nutrient cyclingbeneficial mutualistic organism relationships internal system pest population management

and disease suppression

SMB

SMB

SMB

Microbes dissolveminerals in agar.


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Disease Suppression Mechanisms The process of OM breakdown from OM additions:

compost, cover crops, manures, etc.

AntagonistsBacillus, Entrobacter, Trichoderma, Streptomyces,

Pseudomonas, and more! Single strains are not as effective as mixtures of

microbes! Antibiosis, Nutrient competition. Parasitism Induced systematic resistant- plant vaccination (less

common)

Doesnt suppress all diseases: some easy,some hard

Lasts about 6 months


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This Is Who!SMB

SMB

fungal-jungle.blogspot.com

www.profileproducts.com


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& SOIL

The Foundation of Food Web is FOOD.

DFW


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How Can You Get OM Into

Your Soils?

Animal Manures

Composts

Cover Crops

Mulches

Peat Moss

Others?

Any Cautions? C:N Ratio or Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio

Watch P levels.

C


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Compost:

Aerobic Methods

Small piles and bins

Windrows

Passive aeration

On-Farm Compost Handbook


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Mulch Gardening - 1998

WSH


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Cover Crops in the Garden 2008

WSH


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Cover Crops in the Garden

Oats Buckwheat

Annual Ryegrass Rye-Vetch

WSH

Serial planting after onions


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Cover Crops in the Garden

Before andAfter Cutting

WSH

WSH


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Food Means. Soil OM Biodiversity Ecological Balance

Efficiency of Soil Processes Resistance: Systems Resistance to Degradation Resilience: Systems Ability to Bounce Back Self-Regulation or Self-Sufficiency (Emergent Properties)

Nutrient Cycling

Mutualistic Organism Relationships Pest Checks and Balances(Disease Suppression)

Stability

Which is why organic farmers and gardenersfeed the soil.


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Create Great Biodiversity

C F i l Bi di i


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Create Functional Biodiversity

Provide Diverse Food: Organic MatterAdd Organic ResiduesAdd Manure or CompostGrow Cover Crops

Provide Diverse HabitatRotate CropsGrow Cover CropsPlant Mixtures of Species

Interplant, Under-sow, Companion Plant, Polyculture

Add CompostUse MulchesPlant Biological or Ecological Islands; Habitat and Food ForBeneficial Organisms

Bio-strips, Flower Strips, Beetle Banks, Strip InsectaryIntercropping, Vegetative Corridors, Hedge RowsSelective Weeding

Reduce Tillage, Bare Land, and Chemical InputsChange Tolerance Levels for Pest

Use Integrated Pest Management

Some

examples.


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Rotate Crops

ATTRA

To breaking pest cycles: insects, weeds, diseases To manage nutrients To reduce erosion To build Soil OM To improve yields


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Biological or Ecological Islands

www.sare.org

Syrphid Fly

Lacewings

Parasitic Wasp

www.attra.orgwww.sare.org

www.sare.org

NCSU-IPM

NCSU-IPM

NCSU-IPM

www.sciencemuseum.org.uk


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Refugia or Conservation Head Lands

www.sare.org

University of Minnesota Extension

NCSU-IPM

www.sare.org

www.ukagriculture.com

H d R H bit t


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Hedge Rows as Habitat

Wind Shelter Belt

Vegetation Barriers

Vegetative Corridors

Spined Soldier Bug

Praying Mantis

USDA/NRCS/NAC

National Corn Growers Association

Texas A&M University

University of Idaho

www.sare.org

M l h H bit t


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Mulch as Habitat

Ground Beetles

Spiders

DFW

DFW

WSH

WSH

B tl B k B it i


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Beetle Banks: Britain

Ground Beetles

and other

Predatory Beetles

http://www.orc.govt.nz/

Oregon State University Extension

www.snh.org.uk/

DFW

Intercropping: Living Mulches


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Intercropping: Living Mulches

Bigeyed BugRover Beetle

Minute Pirate BugNCSU-IPM

www.omafra.gov.on.ca/

www.dereila.ca

www.sare.org

M Q ti S il C t?


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More Questions on Soils or Compost?

WSH

WSH

WSH

WSH

WSH


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Resources Start with the Soil.1993. G. Gershuny. Rodale Press. Building Soils for Better Crops. 2000. F.R. Magdoff

and H. van Es. Sustainable Agriculture Network.Handbook Series Book 4.

Managing cover Crops Profitably. 2007. SustainableAgriculture Network. Handbook Series Book 9.

Manage Insects on your Farm: A guide to ecologicalstrategies. 2005. M.A. Altieri and C.I. Nicholls with

M.A. Fritz. Sustainable Agriculture Network.Handbook Series Book 7. The Rodale Book of Composting. 1992. D.L. Martin &

G. Gershuny. Rodale Press.

Tales From The Underground. 2001. D. Wolfe.Perseus Pub

SARE


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Resources A Whole-Farm approach to Managing Pests.

Sustainable Agriculture Network. Farmscaping To Enhance Biological Control. 2000.

R. Dufour. Appropriate Technology Transfer for

Rural Areas.

Soil Organic Matter in Sustainable Agriculture.2004. F.R. Magdoff and R.R. Weil. CRC Press.

The Nature and Properties of Soils. 2008. N.C.Brady & R.R. Weil. Prentice Hall.

ATTRA: (Soils and Composting)

NE-SARE:

SARE


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Biological Slide References

DFW: The Decomposer Food Web:Ecology of organisms of compost and

soil litter byDr. Daniel Dindal, Professor Emertius,Soil Ecologist, SUNY-Syracuse

SMB: Soil Microbiology and Biochemistryfrom Soil Science Society of America

WSH: Wendy Sue Harper, Ph.D.


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The End

ecological soil management for organic gardeners - details

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