SuperCPAg
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Soil has five components sand, silt, clay, organic matter and pore space. The pore space is supposed to be half air space and half water. Refer to the universally used soil textural triangle to know what type of soil you are using. Compost, which is what most people are referring to as soil, is just that compost, not soil. To have a proper soil you must build with sand (largest portion), compost, small amounts of silt and clay <3%. Compost decomposes and breaks down into available nutrients. Compost is mineralized by microbes, this process produces heat, so if your soil is too hot, the compost has not mineralized properly.
The compost used, timing, and heat in the mineralization process will determine the fertility available.
Not sure what people mean when referring to ‘living soil’ , perhaps someone can explain? If living soil, are you are referring to microbes?
Another observation, everyone says water to runoff……. Watering to runoff depletes all oxygen out of the soil. Oxygen is the key component in respiration when the plant turns sugars into energy. If you remove all oxygen from the soil several times a week, you’ll stunt the growth, not create ‘lock out”. The plant cannot produce enough energy for growth because it cannot respire properly. Read up on respiration and the Krebs cycle. The negative effect on growth is not lock out, it’s poor respiration.
To move pH in a single watering enough to effect nutrient uptake is unlikely. pH=~log H+. To add enough H+ ions to move pH a full point or more in a single watering and restrict uptake is unlikely, not impossible but highly unlikely.
Thought this might be helpful to some.
The compost used, timing, and heat in the mineralization process will determine the fertility available.
Not sure what people mean when referring to ‘living soil’ , perhaps someone can explain? If living soil, are you are referring to microbes?
Another observation, everyone says water to runoff……. Watering to runoff depletes all oxygen out of the soil. Oxygen is the key component in respiration when the plant turns sugars into energy. If you remove all oxygen from the soil several times a week, you’ll stunt the growth, not create ‘lock out”. The plant cannot produce enough energy for growth because it cannot respire properly. Read up on respiration and the Krebs cycle. The negative effect on growth is not lock out, it’s poor respiration.
To move pH in a single watering enough to effect nutrient uptake is unlikely. pH=~log H+. To add enough H+ ions to move pH a full point or more in a single watering and restrict uptake is unlikely, not impossible but highly unlikely.
Thought this might be helpful to some.
