Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
balance. The goal is to get these minerals into the soil in a biological or at least
bio-available form. We add them and let the soil life assimilate them over time.
In some cases minerals may be added to the compost pile to start the
bio-availability process, but it's a good idea to keep good records of how much of
what is in which pile. For example, one could mix a bag of rock phosphate into a
good sized compost pile , but it would be nice to know just how much Phosphorus,
Calcium etc was in the bag to start with, and that it was all in that pile and could be
spread over X amount of area.
Know all the ingredients of anything you add to the soil if at all possible. How much
Cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) does that phosphate rock have in it?
Glacial rock dust, granite dust etc. cfan be great sources of fresh minerals, but they
can't be relied on to supply the primary cations and anions. Most of them have low
enough numbers of the major nutrients that they won't throw things out of balance,
though, and because they are freshly ground up and sharp grains of rock, they will
increase the energy level in the soil. Both heat and electrical charge concentrate at
sharp points.
Handy Facts:
The top 6 to 7 inches of an acre of soil is assumed by convention to weigh two
million pounds (2 000 000 lbs). The top 15 to 17 centimeters of one hectare of
soil is assumed to weigh two million kilograms (2 000 000 kg).This is referred to as
the plow layer , and is where most of the growth happens and where most of the
available nutrients are.
One part per million (1 ppm) of the plow layer equals two (2) pounds per acre or
two (2) kilograms per hectare:
1ppm = 2 lbs/acre
1ppm = 2 kg/ha
An acre is 43 560 square feet, or close to 45 000 ft 2
Apound is 453 grams, or about 450 grams.
One part per million = approx. 2 grams per 100 square feet.
1 pound/acre = 1 gram/100 ft 2
1ppm = 2 grams/100 ft 2
1ppm = 2 grams per 10 meters 2
(To calculate Total Cation Exchange Capacity TCEC accurately, see theAppendix
section on Calculating CEC)
 
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