Word :)
Char is the best way to tame saline land and or to restore land that has been subjected to synthetics and poor practice, Carbon is the answer to long term soil fertility, but it comes at a huge cost in the dynamic gases released in its production when this is char alone. if the whole world started making bio char tomorrow, there would be all manner of consequences, just as there are now with the bypassing of system failure via additional synthetic nitrogen. IMO char is part of the solution, as is inoculation, humic acid, compost, mulching, cover crops, companion planting, rotation, reduction in the use of synthetics, tillage, irrigation which we know cause problems with soil carbon, compaction, aggregation, biology and so sustainability.
The key is always to know what you got first and then decide whats needed.
You can only re introduce Nitrogen using Clover, if there is sufficient Phosphate, Potassium and other micros like Mg, Mn, Zn, B and so on present to power the system of clover development, and then you need the calcium present or there will be no bridge between the clover N and the clays themselves in order that any other plant might benefit. Not knowing whats in the soil might mean we are feeding pathogens via Rhizobia and nothing more.
It is super complicated to keep soil systems peaking in any high intensity system, and not just as simple as sowing a shit load of clover or other, or even dumping a load of char in without knowing if this is for adding or removing.
Same with super soils, whats going on and when? Do we care about this or just that it works, or seems to work, or people say it works? The list of things i see is bizarre, its often like a complicated curry and i have never analyzed any soil and found so much matter in one location. i honestly think people would be surprised at just how little they can get away with to produce a healthy plant. Percentages of matter in soil recipes and the like seem about as solid science as the European unions 3% debt to GDP policy, ie that they are made up based on nothing more than one guy saying 3% in response to a question no one understood to begin with.
I dont think we should start making soil, until we know what soil is, but this is just me I guess and i dont take away anyone using super soil, its attractive just being able to use water un ph'd etc. i just cant see this as flexible enough to adjust when deficiency strikes, and so i myself prefer to use bottles and biology to affect decent media; clays (red, white and black in basic language) + other zeolites converted from leonardite for example, loam, sand, compost, coco fibre, rice huills, all of which sit together easily and can be brought cheaply, thats my super soil, its not far off what i can dig up anywhere :)
I am saddened to see cover cropping being discussed as if we can simply grow alternate crops without first understanding our systems, and or building a program of IFM (Integrated fertility management) that allows us such freedom as is currently being sold by the idea of simply planting some other thing in the dirt to get back to soil. Just as its complex to grow MJ, so it is any other plant, esp when one is trying to bring to life a seed in common dirt.
I have a question too? What is the difference in protein accumulation and or gene expression of our cannabis plant, if bacillus subtilus is the dominant root organism at the point of seed germination, versus the same seed and plant that has been tickled to life by glomus intraradices? Is there a difference in the outcome for the plant and so for us as consumers? Any ideas are very welcome... :)
this i cant ansewer,but this i know,,with weed there is a difrence in the soil biology,,probally why it does best at 6.5,thats to include all weeds,,get to 7 and you have good tree bioligy,,im asuming under 6.is were you get your dry state plants as in cactus,,im considering planting cover crop for 1 keep my soil alive when im not using it for winter conditions,2 i want to plant my crop right in and not disturbed for bug prevention,,the cover crop provide nitrogen mainly,but also benifit the soil and bioligy,,thats my thinking any way,,even without cover crop i water my soil to keep it alive,,probally dont but i think everything needs a drink,lmao but with that being said,the last place i lived i notice the soil had to much nitrogen,,only clover would grow were grass seed wouldnt even germ in it,,so ya there is a point of too much,,far as char goes ,i do think i can do well in it ,just from my crazy temp swings and water table,,temps are triple digits all the way in dec at times,,and rain shit,,takes what we just had a hurricane to provide us with water,,im vision the char holding on to my nutrient longer and preventing leaching so much,,raised bed on a rock bed,,so it goes out quick just threw feeding the plants so much,,bettween peat moss, char,compost,mulch,maybe i can prevent so much water use,,mt water is very alkaline so i got to do something,,taking 5 gal bucket of treated water down this hill aint getting it,lol will all this help i hope so,garunteed ,highly doubt,but got to keep moving forward cause i love the game,lol as far as a water only soil i dont think it will happen just for the fact of what is and will always be in are water table,,we cant control others,,hell they dump shit when we sleep so to speek,and everything goes down hill,,thats why i always ask about these studies,what method of the water table was used,,because regaurdless of methods we all do,when it come down to it,we,plants are water and need it for survival,,so i dont know eco,i cant answer that one at all,lmao