Living Soil Dynamics in a Nutshell (Life Goes On Within You and Without You)                                                                                                                                                                                                        

In other words, the same microbiological processes that occur in the soil also occur in your intestines. The routine use of antibiotics kills outright, or vastly alters the balance, of hundreds of species of intestinal bacteria. And the potassium chloride fertilizer and herbicide mixtures that conventional farmers apply to their fields have the same effect on soil life. We advocate for methods that mimic natural selection, not genocide. 

But are you one of the many science-savvy people who think that genetic engineering (GMOs, "Round-Up Ready" everything, etc.) will solve all of our food problems? Take a look at the report at this link and read carefully. You may want to reconsider your views if you want everyone to continue at least having a chance at being fed.

Living soil means a lot more than you might think. It doesn't just mean adding manure/compost/green manures and a bit of lime. It doesn't mean going to the store for some "Miracle Gro" or even the expensive "natural/organic" fertilizers sold as a shotgun approach to fertilization. It involves doing what fires and glaciers do best, mineralization!

At the Midwest Renewable and Sustainable Living Fair in Custer, Wisconsin (2006), I substituted for the regular instructor of a class on "Vegetable Seed Saving". During the class I mentioned the wide variability in seed germination found in seeds I obtained from folks in Seed Saver's Exchange. Even though many of these people listed their seeds as organically grown, we've found about the same problem germinating some of them that we'd expect from buying seeds from commercial sources. I told people that growing a plant all the way to robust reproduction is a step far beyond just nursing it along to edible stage using various pest-avoidance strategies, whether "organic" or "conventional". 

So I mentioned the "theory of cation balance" developed by William Albrecht, touted so frequently in the monthly periodical "Acres, U.S.A.". Using that balance in our gardens, and as the basis for the soil consulting work we used to do, seeds grown in our soil not only have better and faster germination, but often display deeper coloration and higher seed weight, both signs of higher mineral levels.

So after answering a number of questions informally after class, a number of participants suggested that I do a class next year on soils. I'm not sure that there would be sufficient demand and the subject takes a minimum of a couple of 2-hour sessions to cover adequately. But in lieu of such an in-depth discussion, I thought I'd at least begin to publish the contents of the 10 hand-outs that our company, Underfoot Soil Consulting Service, used to send out to clients.

They are now available as a PDF download at the bottom of this page. But as an introduction to what we used to do, check out our soil test forms:

Reading a Soil Test: An Example from Underfoot Soil Consulting Service

Back in the 1980's when we operated a small, independent soil laboratory and consulting service, our top priorities were helping growers understand what was happening to their soils and crops, and helping them figure out what to do about it. A big part of this involved designing a test results form that was easy to read and educational. The face page looked like this:

It's pretty conventional for the test a biological grower would want in terms of reporting on the current nutrient levels, the desired levels, the difference, and the percents of mineral saturations.

Less conventional was the reporting of recommended soil amendments and the liming worksheet. These were tailored to utilize the most commonly available nutrient sources in our area that were suitable for biological growers. And the lime worksheet was designed to involve the grower to a greater extent in the process of better estimating lime needs.

The back page was more of an educational tool and the left half looked like this:

Each chart shows the balance of two soil minerals. The values were transferred from the front of the form and lines were drawn between them. This gave sloping lines that indicated a low or high ratio between the nutrients.



































The right half of the page looked like this:

As you can see, we even dealt with a few of the micronutrient balances that can have such a profound effect on the quality of a crop.

These charts helped to explain the concept of soil balance in a more graphical fashion. They also explained what the grower could expect in terms of weeds, insects, and diseases in their current crop. All of these notions were explained in more depth in our other publications, but the test form offered a lot of information at just a glance.

In order to give growers more detailed recommendations we first calculated bases saturations of all the common cations (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, ammonium, and hydrogen). Using the measured pH, judging the balance, quantities, and types of clay and organic matter, and estimating the percent of hydrogen typical for this soil, we determined the C.E.C., or capacity for exchangeable cations. From this, and using William Albrecht's theory of cation balance, we calculated the desired nutrient levels and the quantities needed for each soil amendment based on pounds per acre or pounds/ounces per 100 square feet.


Our Soil Management Publications:

The summary in the previous paragraph sounds pretty easy when you're already a soil consultant, but if you'd like the whole information packet that was available to any grower that tested their soil with us, you'll need to download our PDF files. The first one is free. It's called "Soil Dynamics In A Nutshell", it's 18 pages long, and it was first presented at a packed workshop in 1987.

The other PDFs are listed here and are available as a 50-page group for $7.50 as a Payloadz download, payable via PayPal. They include:

Energy Production in Plants, 4 pages
Micronutrients, 7 pages
Selecting Soil Amendments, 8 pages
Tillage and Residue Management, 4 pages
Phosphorus and Sulfur, 5 pages
Nitrogen and Carbon, 6 pages
Manure Management, 3 pages
Liming by Cation Exchange, 6 pages
Weeds, Insects, and Disease, 5 pages, and
The Ten Most Often Asked Questions About Soil Tests, 2 pages

They go into much greater depth and we considered them required reading for anyone serious about ecological food production. Our work is also the basis for the soil recommendations we give Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables (a local million-dollar 900-member CSA and wholesale produce farm).

Soil test recommendations:

While we no longer operate our own testing laboratory, we can help you do the math it takes to turn raw soil test data into recommendations for both Organic and Transitional growers. Simply send us the e-mailed results from the lab by Clicking Here and attaching the file, hopefully including at least the pH, % organic matter, and the levels of P (phosphorus), Ca (calcium), Mg (magnesium), K (potassium), and C.E.C. (capacity for exchangeable cations).

We can give you better recommendations if you also include the sampling depth, soil type, slope and direction of slope, previous crop, intended crop, yield goal, typical seasonal rainfall, and whether or not you will be using irrigation. It also helps if your lab tested for S (sulfur), Na (sodium), Fe (iron), Mn (manganese), Cu (copper), and B (boron).

In terms of laboratories to use, we have always relied on A&L labs in Memphis, TN. We have used both test S1M ($8.00) and test S3M ($16.50), but they offer a wide array of testing services. After we receive your results, we do the calculations to give you recommendations for the application of mineral and organic fertilizers that will balance your soil within the normal range of parameters specified by the late Dr. William Albrecht. And we recommend appropriate tillage and other practices that complement the soil type and materials applied.

The cost for this is $20.00, payable using PayPal. We contact you when the results are ready and e-mail a PayPal invoice. When we receive notification of payment the results are e-mailed to you.

Questions? E-mail me from the Home Page or simply Click This Link. Bob D.

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