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ROOTING DC, 2012 SOIL BASICS

ROOTING DC, 2012 SOIL BASICS. Maureen Moodie Arcadia Farm. What is Soil?. 'Soil' is the thin layer on the surface of the Earth on which the living beings survive. Soil is a mix of: Fine rock particles Water Air Organic Matter Microorganisms Animals

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ROOTING DC, 2012 SOIL BASICS

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  1. ROOTING DC, 2012 SOIL BASICS Maureen Moodie Arcadia Farm

  2. What is Soil? 'Soil' is the thin layer on the surface of the Earth on which the living beings survive. Soil is a mix of: • Fine rock particles • Water • Air • Organic Matter • Microorganisms • Animals MO’S MANTRA: FEED THE SOIL, LET THE SOIL FEED THE PLANTS

  3. SOIL TYPES • SANDY • SILTY • CLAY • LOAMY • PEATY • CHALKY

  4. SOIL TYPES Sandy Soils: Biggest particles of soil types Increases aeration and drainage Silty Soils: Considered most fertile soil Granular like sandy, but can hold more moisture Clay Soils: Less air space, high moisture retention Often rich in mineral content

  5. Why Test Your Soil? • Helps create management plan for optimum productivity • Guide for how much fertilizer, soil amendments and lime to add annually • How to adjust soil pH • Tests for metals and harmful chemicals • Reveals what your soil is lacking!

  6. Sources of Plant Nutrients in the Soil Plants obtain mineral nutrients through root uptake from the soil solution. Sources of these soluble nutrients in soil include: 1) Decomposition of plant residues, animal remains, and soil microorganisms 2) Weathering of soil minerals 3) Fertilizer applications 4) Manures, composts, biosolids (sewage sludge), kelp (seaweed), and otherorganic amendments such as food processing byproducts 5) N-fixation by legumes 6) Ground rock products including lime, rock phosphate, and greensand 7) Inorganic industrial byproducts such as wood ash or coal ash 8) Atmospheric deposition, such as N and S from acid rain or N-fixation by lightning discharges 9) Deposition of nutrient-rich sediment from erosion and flooding

  7. N-P-K are the nutrients that are typically limiting to plant growth and are often applied to soil as fertilizer MACRO-Nutrients Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (and Calcium, Magnesium and Sulfur!)

  8. NITROGEN • Less than 1% of all nitrogen available to plants as mineral nitrogen in the soil • Nitrogen used by plants in three forms: nitrate, ammonium or urea and amino acids • Over ½ of nitrogen in plants in leaves • Nitrogen is highly volatile, so it escapes to the air, and it leaches away in run-offs of water. • Nitrogen is essential to photosynthesis and healthy cell growth and reproduction. It is vital in producing chlorophyll (which gives leaves good green color) and amino acids. Promotes shoot and leaf growth. • Deficiency: yellowing and chlorosis of mature leaves, slow plant growth, stems thin, plants lack vigor • Sign of excess: Leaves dark green; plant has excessive leaf growth at the expense of buds and fruits

  9. NITROGEN • Sources: • Manure/Compost, • bonemeal, • blood meal (dried blood), • fish meal, fish emulsion (also contain phosphorus and potassium, in small amounts), • conttonseed meal (also contains small amount of phosphorus and even smaller amount of potassium), • coffee grounds (also contains very small amounts of phosphorus and potassium), • Legumes • ammonium sulfate or nitrate.

  10. PHOSPHORUS • Function: Essential to photosynthesis; enables strong growth; encourages blooming and root development, cell wall structure development; moisture conservation; necessary for photosynthesis. • Sign of deficiency: Lower leaves and stem look reddish or purplish; young leaves look pale; shoots are thin; plants don’t flower or form fruits; premature fruit drop; roots are stunted; cell division is slowed. Fruit can be bitter • Sign of excess: Essential elements may be tied up. • Sources: Bonemeal, colloidal phosphate, rock phosphate, greensand, superphosphate.

  11. PHOSPHORUS

  12. POTASSIUM • • Function: Promotes disease resistance; necessary for root development and cell wall structure development; moisture conservation; promotion of photosynthesis. • • Sign of deficiency: Lower leaves spotted, mottled or curled; leaf tips and edges turn yellow and bronze, then brown and appear dry and scorched; stems are weak; root system is small; plant vigor reduced; plant susceptible to wilting; fruit is small; fruit is thin skinned; fruit color is poor; flavor is poor. • • Sign of excess: Fruit coarse and poorly colored fruit; reduced absorption of magnesium and calcium. • • Sources: Potash rock, manure, granite dust or meal, greensand, fish meal, seaweed, kelp meal (also contains small amounts of nitrogen, wood ashes (also contains some phosphorous, raises soil pH), potassium sulfate or nitrate.

  13. POTASSIUM

  14. CALCIUM • Function: Cell division, building plant proteins, flowering, fruiting. • Sign of deficiency: Growing tip of plant is damaged or dies back; tips of new leaves yellow and appear scorched; young leaves and buds die back; stems are weak; blossom-end of fruit rots; cavities in tomatoes; black heart; black roots. • Sign of excess: Intake of potassium and magnesium is reduced. • Sources: Calcitic limestone, dolomitic limestone, gypsum, eggshells, oyster shells, fish meal

  15. CALCIUM

  16. MAGNESIUM • Function: Plant strength, soil tilth • Sign of deficiency: Lower leaves and older leaves mottled–yellow and white patches between green veins of leaves; brownish or purplish patches may form on leaves; old leaves white or yellow; leaves fall prematurely; growth is stunted; poor flower and fruit quality. • Sign of excess: Absorption of calcium and potassium is reduced. • Sources: Dolomitic limestone, manure, greensand, talc, magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts), green plants.

  17. MAGNESIUM

  18. SULFUR • Function: Increases protein content of crops, stimulates root development in young plants • Sign of deficiency: young leaves are pale green to yellow; mild curling of leaves; growth stunted (often confused with nitrogen deficiency) • Sign of excess: Sulfur burn from too low pH. • Sources: Gypsum, composted legumes, sulfur, superphosphate.

  19. MICRO-Nutrients Boron, Chlorine, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Zinc

  20. BORON • Function: Important to plant growth. • Sign of deficiency: Young leaves are pale green at base, develop yellow spots, then become twisted, thickened and curl under; leaves are small; multiple buds; dieback from terminal buds; heart rot (corkiness); cracked stem in celery, heart rot and girdle of beets. • • Sign of excess: Leaves turn yellowish red. • • Sources: Clover, borax (add only if prescribed), granite dust. *Can become toxic if overapplied!

  21. COPPER • Function: Plant growth, utilization of iron, increases flavor and sugar content of vegetables and fruits • Sign of deficiency: Young leaves turn pale and may become mottled and wilt; leaves develop brown spots; leaf tips dieback; leaves may not grow; growth slows or stops; multiple buds; susceptible to fungal diseases. • Sign of excess: Iron uptake blocked. • Sources: Manure, rock powders, copper sulfate (use with care), neutral copper, grass clippings, sawdust.

  22. COPPER

  23. IRON • Function: Plant growth, chlorophyll and carbohydrate production. • Sign of deficiency: Young leaves turn yellow or very pale but veins remain green (chlorosis); growth is weakened and stunted. deficiency often appears in soils with pH above 6.8 • Sign of excess: None known. • Sources: Humus, manure, compost, blood meal, iron sulfate (copperas)

  24. IRON

  25. MANGANESE • Manganese accelerates seed germination and hastens fruiting and ripening of crops. • Deficiencies result in yellowing, cupping and/or spotting of leaves, stunted growth, and reduced crops. brown spots may develop on leaves; plant growth stunted or plant slow to mature. • Sign of excess: Tissue dieback in the leaves; dieback surrounded by yellow border. • Sources: Oak leaves, leaf mold, carrot tops, alfalfa; manganese sulfate (tecmangam). 

  26. MANGANESE

  27. ZINC • Function: Fruit development; aids in moisture absorption and in the production of chlorophyll . • Sign of deficiency: Young leaves mottled yellow, plant tips stop growing; plants wilt easily. Occurs in peat and alkaline soils: abnormally long, narrow, mottled, yellowed leaves, poor fruiting, dieback. Small, thin, and yellow leaves; yield low; Deficiency leads to iron deficiency, which it resembles. Also leaves are malformed, small and narrow. Growth is stunted. • Sign of excess: None known. • Sources: manure, ragweed, vetch; zinc sulfate.

  28. ZINC

  29. Sufficient Nutrient Levels: • Soil pH- 6.0-7.0 desired range for most plants grown in mineral soils • Phosphorus (P)- 40-100ppm • Potassium (K)- 120-2000ppm *higher levels generally needed on soils high in clay and/or organic matter • Magnesium- above 70ppm • Sulfur- 20-30ppm • Zinc- 6-10ppm • Manganese- 20-40ppm • Iron- 10-50ppm • Copper- 0.4-0.5ppm • Boron- 0.8-2ppm • Organic Matter- 5% (or more!)

  30. READING SOIL TESTS • Soil tests measure plant-available nutrients and provide nutrient recommendations • Readings given in parts per million (ppm) (one acre of mineral soil 6-7 inches deep weighs about 2 million lbs. To convert to lbs/acre, multiply by two) • Organic Matter- amount of decomposed plant and animal residues in soil. 3-5% is sufficient, but more preferred. • CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity)-measures the soils ability to hold elements with positive (+) charges (cations) such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. CEC increases with increasing clay and organic matter. Normal value for loamy soil is 4-8. • Percent Base Saturation- The proportion of CEC occupied by a given cation or combination of cations. Soil should have 85-90% base saturation “Ideal Soil Concept” • 65-75% Ca • 10-15% Mg • 2.5-5.0% K • 5-13% H

  31. Is there too much of a good thing? • Boron Deficiency often caused by application of too much lime • Phosphorus and Zinc are antagonistic High P levels, want high Zinc • High Mangensium soils can be perceived as “clay” must maintain Mg and Ca levels • High Potassium (K) caused by excessive compost can limit uptake of Mg and Ca (Solution? Apply trace minerals, sulfur and calcium)

  32. How to Improve your Soil • Compost • Soil amendments • Cover Crop/Green Manure • Crop Rotation • Reduced Tillage

  33. Let us not forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts will follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization." Daniel Webster Recommended Readings: Teeming with Microbes-Lowenfels and Lewis The Biological Farmer- Gary Zimmer Advancing Biological Farming The New Organic Grower-Coleman The Soul of Soil- Gershuny The Albrecht Papers- Soil Fertility and Animal Health

  34. Questions? "It is high time to learn that our national health lies in our soil and the guarantee against failing health lies in the wise management of the soil for production of nutritious foods." William A. Albrecht 

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