[Terrapreta] Forestland management

[Greg and April]

Max & Tom,

I'm going to combine your posts. and take the questions one at a time, with the answers in Blue.

Location?    Colorado - specificaly, the land I'm looking at is around Calhan.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: MFH 
Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2008 2:31
Subject: RE: [Terrapreta] Forestland management


Greg, some comments on your aim to convert sand into soil. Pardon me if you already know most of this.
 
Bear in mind that I don't know where you are or what materials may be available within reasonable distance, or at what cost.
 
a)       you don't need soil to grow plants, as proved by hydroponics. However I believe that food grown in active soil is far more beneficial than artificially-grown.

Understand - that's why I'm figuring on Aquaculture in the greenhouse for many vegtable crops rather than hydroponics.    While the base medium is fairly inert, the water is very biologicaly active - for an idea of what can be done, try: http://www.fastonline.org/images/manuals/Aquaculture/Aquaponic_Information/barrelponics_manual_email.pdf 
( if you don't what to know how to build a small system, jump right to pg 92 and see what several small systems can be come when combined ) 

b)       first step is a soil test - maybe all essential elements are deficient, but maybe some are there in reasonable quantities. 
c)       this will also give you a pH result and pH is critical. Sea water is moderately alkaline but I'd assume even your low rainfall has leached this out 

Yes and no.    In some places it is locked in.    For a quick look at what Colorado farmers face, check:  

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/00503.html 
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/00521.html  
Not just high ph, but saline and sodic issues - in some cases where there is clay, it is still loaded with sodium, calicum and even magnesium salts, and the low rain fall and high ph prevents the leaching of the salts out of the root zone.


d)       If your land slopes, consider swales to concentrate moisture and nutrients   
e)       if you don't have any surface water (e.g. creeks), look at a storage pond at the end of the swales, with plastic liners or clay or diatomaceous earth. Anything to capture the 3" of rain if and when it happens

Aware of this possability, but as arid as this area is, they might be of more use as salt collection areas rather than water retention.    Had another idea that I'll speak on in relation to clay below.

f)         the single best additive is clay - will help to bind the sand and add to water retention

Agreed, there are some high quality bentonite mines about 500-600 miles north, so the possability of having some trucked in, is not out of the question ( yet ).    I had the thought that digging a deep furrow on the contour lines, and filling it with clay, creating a "dyke" if you will.    The excess water durring storms being absorbed by the clay, then planting trees just to the south, shading the "dyke", keeping the water from being baked out of the clay, while the trees tap the water traped by the clay.

g)       equally good is compost. If you're near a town you may be able to encourage restaurants to keep their food scraps separate, for example
h)       any animal manure is a great additive to the compost pile, e.g. from a dairy
i)         even un-composted, animal manure is a good additive straight on to the plot

Agreed, althow I am planning to pasture most of the animals.

j)         if you're near a coast and seaweed is available, pile it on
k)       avoid woody waste, e.g. sawdust and shavings - they suck N out of the soil
l)         pumice is also a great additive and has some properties similar to charcoal. Its available in some parts of the US

Not sure where I would find any around here.

m)     char will be of enormous benefit but for quick results you'll need to add an NPK fertiliser. Test information indicates that char is great at storing nutrients but if they are not there in the first place this may take a very long time

This is why I'm thinking to add the char to the beding of the confined animals, so it starts absorbing the nutrients right off.

n)       probably better for your situation not to grind the char to fine, so as to maximise moisture retention

Possably - I was also thinking on using larger pieces ( pea to marble size as the growing medum in the growbeds of the aquaponic set up )

o)       use zero-till practices. This helps to retain moisture. Unfortunately ZT is best when herbicides are used and if you're aiming to be organic this is difficult.

There are some other posabilities, that I'm exploring - specificly using pig tractoring to initialy clear parts and then planting quick growing plants just before the monsoon seasion hits.

p)       avoid fire like the plague

Yes and no.    Depending on how and when it's used - it can be a great tool or a great liability.    I know of a few farmers that alow the local volenteer fire dept to make use of a fallow field at the end of the fallow period.

I'll be honist, historicaly natural fire, was a common occurance in summers, and the fields that have gone wild, always just snap right back after a fire occures.

q)       start a serious worm farm, using composting worms, particularly if you have an economical nearby source for food scraps, animal manure, or even carcasses like from a broiler farm
r)        don't waste your own poo - use composting worms to convert. They will remove all pathogens. Asians have used human waste for thousands of years. I believe that this hasn't had any detrimental side effects because the soil has remained active and not been killed by fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides.

I was figuring on a slightly different system, using our waste to fertalize a section of field that was used to grow materials specificaly for composting ( and charing ).

s)       For an area that you don't want to grow food on for a while, cover with old carpet (preferably wool or cotton), cardboard cartons etc. All sorts of activity starts to happen in the moist layer under

I was planning on planting to crown vetch, that has roots like few others - that sink real deep, and while it put's up with lot's of drought, it will make use of the water from sudden storms, and will grow a 18" or so and totaly shade the soil.

t)        Use "green" soaps and keep all your grey water to irrigate with. Keep your wee separate and mix with the grey water
u)       Plant legumes - cover crop, shrubs and trees
v)        If you have rabbits and chickens and pigs and whatever, have night houses for them to concentrate their wastes

Figured on inoculating char this way, although I was going to pasture pigs after the cows ( but bring them in a night - figured that any coyote would think twice when having to deal with a mother hog when trying to get to the chickens.

w)      If you end up with water storage use sub-surface trickle irrigation
 
I already make quite a bit of use with soaker hose - it does a great job at minamal effort.

If you can let me have some more specific information I'd love to be able to offer more specific advice. Certainly you can achieve great results. The Israeli's in particular are amongst the best at making deserts bloom.
 
Max H
 
 

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