Ecological Soil Management for Organic Gardeners

8/9/2019 Ecological Soil Management for Organic Gardeners

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All About Soil!!Ecological Soil Management For

Organic Gardeners

Wendy Sue Harper, Ph.D.Vegetable and Fruit Technical Assistance

AdvisorNortheast Organic Farming Association of

Vermontwww.nofavt.org

o : e oun a on othe Garden

WSH

Todays Presentation

Ecological Soil Management of The Whys and Hows of Organic Matter

Management

Soil Tilth: Nothingness is most important,here.

Bio-diversity: It is more interesting than youmight think!

To achieve healthy soil, healthy plants,and ecological balance.

A Plant & SoilEcosystem Light

Air

Water, etc

Nutrients

pH

CEC

Moisture

Microbes,Earthworms etc

TemperatureAir

Texture

Structure

Pollutants


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a t o s etc

CEC

Soil Air

icrobes

ganicMatter

Stru

ctur

e

Texture

pH

Pollutants

A Simplified Soil Ecosystem

A Good Loam Soil:

50% Solids

(Hard Stuff)

50% Pores

(Nothingness)

45% Mineral5% Organic Matter

(Once Alive or Stil

Alive Stuff)25% Air

Big Pores

25% Water

Small Pores

So why is this important?

Roots:

1 Support the plant

2 Absorb water and nutrients

3 Exchange gases

4 Store starches and sugars

5 Transform nutrients

6 Produce plant hormones

7 Interact with microbes to activate diseasesuppression mechanisms and plant immunity

An Undisturbed Soil Profile:

Ap

Zone of accumulation

Zone of biological activity

Organic matter

= = =


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Tunbridge VT State Soil

Soil Fertility is

The ability of a soil to provide a physical,chemical, and biological environment for

the plant that is health sustaining.

This is a long-term ecosystem based or

ecological agriculture perspective!

Seven Principles to Maintain SoilFertility

1. Maintain a Proper Air to Water Balance2. Maintain Soil Tilth

3. Prevent Erosion

4. Maintain Soil Organic Matter Levels

5. Maintain Biological Diversity

6. Maintain a Proper Soil pH7. Maintain a Balance of Nutrients

A systems approach means you gotta do them all.

Each alone will not make a fertile soil.

Maintain Soil OMWhy Bother?

Versus

Organic matter makes structure and feeds the biology!


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1. Source of Nutrients - N P S & micronutrients

2. Acts as a chelating (binding) agent for the micronutrients

3. Has high CEC; holds cations in soil (ex. K+, Ca2+, Mg2+)

4. Chelates potentially toxic elements (ex. Al3+, Cd2+, Zn2+)

5. Extracts base nutrient cations from minerals

6. Buffers soil pH reaction

7. High water holding capacity

8. Promotes aggregation & improves structure

9. Improves drainage (less erosion) & aeration

10. Affects soil temperature w/ dark color

11. Provides food, energy & nutrients for organisms

12. Stimulates plant root growth13. Active OM helps maintain a diverse group of soil

organisms = less pests and diseases

Soil Organic Matter Profoundly Influences Soil Fertility

The Thin Skins of Water that Coat

Everything.

RootHa

irRAIN

CationExchangeCapacity +

++

+++ We are

positive!

Cations

K+ Mg2+ Ca2+ H+ Al3+

pH near neutral Acid pH

NO3-

**OnlyClay

andHumushaveCEC**

CEC = Plant Pantry

DO YOU KNOW

Whats In Your Dirt?

How Much OM Should You Add?

What have your past OM additions

done?

pH??

HeavyMetals??

N-P-K??

%OM?

?

Micro

nutrients??

Take a Soil Test and Use Soil Test Recommendations


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tp://p

ss.uv

m.edu/

ag_testi

ng/fo

rms.h

tml

Soil TestReport

Soil Test Results

Recommendation

Limestone

Nitrogen

Phosphorus

Potassium

Management Info

Who to call

Make and Maintain Soil Structure

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Ohio State University

Think about being a root. Which soilcan you grow through best! Get your


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What Building Structure Does for You

Drainage in clay soils (macropores)

Water holding capacity in sandy soils(micropores)

*Building structure with OM Creates thePores You Aint Got!*

Macropore hold air and drain (in-between)

Micropores hold water (inside)

OM = Drought Prevention Insurance

Pores Are Different!Air is storedinbetween theaggregatesafter

water drains.

Water is storedinside theaggregates.

Little inside space =less water. Little in-between space= less air

Cornell University

Saturationafter asoakingrain.

Soil thathasdrained.

Sand Clay

Making Soil Structure:

Improves: drainage, air exchange, moisture

holding capacity, root penetration and seedgermination!

Lowers bulk density and reduces erosion!

It ameliorates natural textural properties!

!Dont Destroy Your Structure

!Wait and work your soil when it has dried outenoughno mud patties

!Add OM to improve soil structure

!Keep soil covered to protect soil structure

Create Great Soil Tilth


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How to Identify Compaction

Compaction densely packs the soil together,destroying tilth, structure and increasing bulkdensity.

Soil has higher proportion of solids to pore space. Compaction: Surface Crusting Surface Compaction Subsoil or Deep Compaction Plow or Tillage Pan

Symptoms Drainage and Moisture Issues

Temperature Issues Plant Stress- N & K Erosion

University of Minnesota ExtensionUniversity of Nebraska

DFW

Why feed the soil?

In Soil Organisms:Decompose plant and animal residuesreleasing nutrients and making humus

Change nutrients to plant available formsImprove soil structure and tilth (thru 1)Improve plant nutrition (thru 1,2, & 3)Diverse populations increase biologicalstability and balance& resistance to system degradation& resilience or the bounce back factor

Create self-sufficiency (Emergentproperties)' internal system nutrient cycling'beneficial mutualistic organism relationships' internal system pest population management

SMB

SMB

SMB

Microbes dissolve

Interesting Relationships!Population control for nematodes and fungi

Fungal

Hyphae

Parasitized

Nematode

Captured

Nematodes

Interesting Relationships and

Population Checks and Balanc

DFW

DFW

SM

SMB

SMB


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Relationships!! Phoresy:Detritivore Hitchhikers

Sucker Disc

ImmatureMites

Phoretic

Nematodes

DFW

DFW

DFW

DFW

Plant - Microbial RelationshipsRhizobium and Legumes: Mutualism

SMB

Plant - Microbial RelationshipsMycorrhizal Fungictomycorrhizae Endomycorrhizae

B

SMB

Brady

and

Weil,

2002.

Brady

and

Weil,

2002.

www.profileproducts.com

Plant to Plant

Mutualistic

Relationships

Bra

and

Di S i M h i


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Disease Suppression Mechanisms The process of OM breakdown from OM additions:

compost, cover crops, manures, etc.

Antagonists

Bacillus, Entrobacter, Trichoderma, Streptomyces,Pseudomonas, and more! Single strains are not as effective as mixtures of

microbes! Antibiosis, Nutrient competition, Parasitism Induced systematic resistant- plant vaccination (less

common)

Doesnt suppress all diseases: some easy,some hard

Lasts about 6 months

s s oSMB

SMB

fungal-jungle.blogspot.com

www.profileproducts.com

& SOIL

The Foundation of Food Web is FOOD.DFW

How Can You Get OM IntoYour Soils?

Animal Manures

Composts

Cover Crops

Mulches

Peat Moss

Others?

Any Cautions? C:N Ratio or Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio


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Aerobic Methods

Small piles and bins

Windrows

Passive aeration

On-Farm Compost Handbook

u c ar en ng -

WSH

Cover Crops in the Garden 2008

WSH

Cover Crops in the Garden

Oats Buckwheat

Annual Ryegrass Rye-Vetch

Serial planting after onions


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Cover Crops in the Garden

Before and

After Cutting

WSH

WSH

Food Means.

Soil OM( Biodiversity( Ecological Balance

Efficiency of Soil Processes Resistance: Systems Resistance to Degradation

Resilience: Systems Ability to Bounce Back Self-Regulation or Self-Sufficiency (Emergent Properties)

Nutrient Cycling Mutualistic Organism Relationships Pest Checks and Balances(Disease Suppression)

Stability

Which is why organic farmers and gardenersfeed the soil.

Create Great Biodiversity Create Functional BiodiversityProvide Diverse Food: Organic Matter

Add Organic ResiduesAdd Manure or CompostGrow Cover Crops

Provide Diverse HabitatRotate CropsGrow Cover CropsPlant Mixtures of Species

Interplant, Under-sow, Companion Plant, PolycultureAdd CompostUse MulchesPlant Biological or Ecological Islands; Habitat and Food For

Beneficial OrganismsBio-strips, Flower Strips, Beetle Banks, Strip InsectaryIntercropping, Vegetative Corridors, Hedge RowsSelective Weeding

Reduce Tillage, Bare Land, and Chemical InputsChange Tolerance Levels for Pest Some

o a e ro s Biological or Ecological Islands


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o a e ro s

ATTRA

To breaking pest cycles: insects, weeds, diseasesTo manage nutrientsTo reduce erosionTo build Soil OMTo improve yields

Biological or Ecological Islands

www.sare.org

Syrphid Fly

Lacewings

Parasitic Wasp

www.attra.orgwww.sare.org

www.sare.org

NCSU-IPM

NCSU-IPM

NCSU-IP

www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

Refugia or Conservation Head Lands

www.sare.org

University of Minnesota Extensionwww.sare.org

www.ukagriculture.com

Hedge Rows as Habitat

Wind Shelter BeltVegetative Corridors

Spined Soldier Bug

USDA/NRCS/NAC

National Corn Growers Association

Texas A&M University

University of Idaho

www.sare.org

u c as a a ee e a s: r a


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u c as a a

Ground Beetles

Spiders

DFW

DFW

WSH

WSH

ee e a s: r a

Ground Beetles

and other

Predatory Beetles

http://www.orc.govt.nz/

Oregon State University Extension

www.snh.org.uk/

DFW

Intercropping: Living Mulches

Bigeyed BugRover Beetle

Minute Pirate BugNCSU-IPM

www.omafra.gov.on.ca/

ww.dereila.ca

www.sare.org

More Questions on Soils or Compost

WSH

WSH

WSH

WSH

Resources Resources


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Resources) Start with the Soil.1993. G. Gershuny. Rodale Press.) Building Soils for Better Crops. 2000. F.R. Magdoff

and H. van Es. Sustainable Agriculture Network.Handbook Series Book 4.

) Managing cover Crops Profitably. 2007. Sustainable

Agriculture Network. Handbook Series Book 9.) Manage Insects on your Farm: A guide to ecological

strategies. 2005. M.A. Altieri and C.I. Nicholls withM.A. Fritz. Sustainable Agriculture Network.Handbook Series Book 7.

) The Rodale Book of Composting. 1992. D.L. Martin &G. Gershuny. Rodale Press.

) Tales From The Underground. 2001. D. Wolfe.

Perseus Pub

SARE

Resources( A Whole-Farm approach to Managing Pests.

Sustainable Agriculture Network.( Farmscaping To Enhance Biological Control. 2000.

R. Dufour. Appropriate Technology Transfer forRural Areas.

! Soil Organic Matter in Sustainable Agriculture.2004. F.R. Magdoff and R.R. Weil. CRC Press.

! The Nature and Properties of Soils. 2008. N.C.Brady & R.R. Weil. Prentice Hall.

* ATTRA: (Soils and Composting)* NE-SARE:

SAR

Biological Slide References

DFW: The Decomposer Food Web:Ecology of organisms of compost and

soil litter byDr. Daniel Dindal, Professor Emertius,Soil Ecologist, SUNY-Syracuse

SMB: Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry

from Soil Science Society of America

WSH: Wendy Sue Harper, Ph.D.

The End

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Ecological Soil Management for Organic Gardeners