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What will you get in this BLOG?
Initial informations to regenerate soils
Ideas on where to go and start a project
Brief descriptions on soil needs
pointers but not recipes: recipes are always tailored to specific projects.
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February 7, 2024
How do we investigate ?
Is my soil healthy?
Regeneration Project
The Problem: the field was planted 2 years ago after importing soil (following all concervation and municipal regulations). Two years later half the trees (conifers and deciduous) have died.
What was done prior to calling Oasis Ontario?: a consultant went to look at the trees. Soil samples were taken and sent to the lab. The regular approach...
Oasis Ontario's Analysis:
we looked at the soil test results and they did not give much information. Chemical imbalances, low organic matter, ratios seemingly good but levels of some elements wrong. TYPICAL RESULTS!
We then went into the field in the spring of 2023....
Rows of trees are dead
The cover crop is growing well with patchy area all over. This cover crop is 98% gramineae, The 2% left is some volunteer clover and weeds.
Soil samples taken and analysed through microscopy. We only found bacteria. No higher forms of microorganisms. No fungus!
Observation while digging:
No aggregation. The soil crumbles. Aggregation appears only in the top 3 inches below the cover crop. Under the top layer the soil crumbles.
Worms are present only near a root, either a dandelion, a clover, etc. or in the old potting soil from the dead trees
Clovers and vetch have NO nodules
Poor water infiltration. Spongy ground areas.
!!! Very INTERESTING !!!: The soil on the edge of the field is most likely an old pasture with an old gate for farm and animal use. The grasses there are super thick, the thatch is incredibly dense and digging there is easy but with a huge root mass to cut. We found 10 times the amount of worms here!!!
What should be done??? REGENERATION.
There are various PROTOCOLS we can use at various time of year, or at various time of production cycles. It depends on what is needed. HOWEVER, we need to think differently now and go back to our old traditions of farming. We can call this regeneration but we can just say it is to RECREATE MOTHER NATURE.
More to come as this is just the beginning of the regeneration for this farm...
Lets not forget that:
we can regenerate prior to seeding or planting our fields and it does not necessarily take years. Sometimes just a few months.
we can regenerate while our crops are growing.
no matter what, a precise PROTOCOL gets adopted and must be followed!!!
Pasture Regeneration
