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Entry Date
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Nick Name
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Location
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Monday, April 30, 2018
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Little Ketchup
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Grittyville, WA
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Entry 85 of 290 |
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Correction: pot on the LEFT is one gallon... I think. Pot on the right is 2 gal. Pot in the middle is 1/2 gal... although I’m sure I’ve seen plants in these advertised as one gallon, and the one gallon as 1 1/2 gallons... etc.
Anyhow since I’m on here let me post a real topic of discussion: Why is the soil along the fences and around the trees so loose and everywhere else it’s compacted? 1) There were cattle here and the animals did not step in those areas
2) The people here including myself never stepped on those areas
3) Those areas never got tilled... ever... so the soil particles never had the opportunity to form any sort of dense aggregate.
4) No one spread cheap nitrogen fertilizer on those areas or left them barren, so there is no calcium deficiency, but there is a calcium deficiency elsewhere... Or there was less irrigation with acidic water which might also leach calcium out... but wouldn’t it leach magnesium first?
5) These areas are simply never exposed directly to pounding by heavy rain/ there is always leaves or brush or some obstruction that deflects the impact of the rain.
I don’t know which of these things is the cause. But it is clear that something HAS damaged the native soil. It’s very noticeable when rototilling. Its so noticeable that I’m astounded.
I know heavy rain (month after month unless we’re lucky) can eventually cause the soil to set up hard. But I also suspect an excess magnesium or depleted calcium. The native soil is so light and fluffy its unlike any soil I’ve ever seen. (Other than lightly damp seedling mix.). But then in the disturbed/ cultivated areas the soil has completely changed. It’s definitely lost its lighness and I’ve got work to do to keep it from behaving like clay even though it’s loam. I hope I figure it out.
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