Education - Core Concepts | Biological Cultivation | Advancing Eco-Agriculture
1. Healthy Plants Resist Insects and Disease We understand that animals and people have an immune system that is our natural defense against pathogens. For our immune system to function properly and fulfill its purpose, it needs to be supported with the proper nutrition. If nutritional elements are lacking, or not properly balanced, the immune system’s ability to perform is compromised. This same concept holds true for plants. 2. For plants to reach an optimum level of health and immunity, they need to have a fully active enzyme system to continuously process and create higher-order compounds. 3. The ultimate level of plant nutrition is when plants can absorb the majority of their nutritional requirements as microbial metabolites. 4. Regenerative models of agronomy and plant nutrition focus on improving quality and plant health, rather than increasing yields. 5. There is a common understanding that healthy soils create healthy plants. AEA's 20 Core Concepts pdf.
Mastering The Five Fears: finding freedom in the human condition | The Art of Audacity
Devil be gone When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.African Proverb You, dear reader, are one of the lucky ones. Of all the untold billions of intrepid souls who have trod this ancient Earth, you are among the most privileged. You enjoy social, economic and political liberties the likes of which your ancestors would not have dared dream. You have the freedom to travel wherever you wish. You have wealth too, sufficient to realise any vision you can imagine no matter how fantastic or grand. And the means for their attainment exists as well. How the kings of old would have envied your privileged position. You live in an age where the blind can be given sight, the deaf can be taught to hear, and the maimed can be given new limbs. In over ten thousand years of human civilisation there has never, existed a better time to be alive… then right now. You have all you need and much more besides. You are as free as anyone who has ever set foot upon this Earth. Why am I here?
soils
majority come from weathered rock, approximately a 1/2 come from water and air, and a small portion ( less than 10%) from humus, decomposing but not decomposed organic material. Minerals derived from the soil must be dissolved in water. Otherwise the plant will not be able to obtain them. How does soil structure impact on nutrient availability? Soils are characterized by the particles which make up their texture; they may be described as clayey ( common enough in CC, or sandy ( on the eastern shore) or more ideally as loamy. Particles: Additionally, the age of the soil influences its organization. How do plants obtain the nutrients in the soil? CEC is important for maintaining adequate quantities of plant available calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and potassium (K+) in soils.
A Spiraling Eye-Encrusted Overview of the Art of Alex Grey (Part 1)
Introduction On the morning I started writing this, a five-year-old named Caleb happened to be visiting the house and interrupted my writing session to tell me (and this is an exact quote): "Jonathan, I see ghosty things other people don't see." I was tempted to reply: "That's interesting because I just started writing about a grown-up named Alex Grey who also sees ghosty things other people don't see." Instead, I asked Caleb to describe one of the ghosty things, and he said he saw a cupcake with a "skeleton head" in it. In fact, Alex Grey can paint unseen, ghosty things to a degree of potency that can only be compared to a Thor-hammer blow to the head while your body is being strafed by DMT-coated diamond bullets. For less than seventy dollars you can own all three of Alex's monographs -- Sacred Mirrors, Transfigurations and the just published Net of Being. When Terence McKenna was asked what we should do given the dire state of the world, he replied: "Push the art pedal to the metal."
EcoGEM Gypsum and how it corrects aluminum toxicity in the subsoil - EcoGEM
Gypsum and how it corrects aluminum toxicity in the subsoil How does calcium remediate pH problems associated with an acid subsoil? Soils can be acid or alkaline. Acid soils occur where there has been a lot of rainfall over the centuries and soils are highly weathered and many minerals and bases have been leached. Alkaline soils develop in arid areas that lack rainfall. Plant growth comparison: Aluminum vs. Growers apply lime to neutralize or raise pH and generally apply enough lime to raise pH to 6.2 to 6.5 for a period of 4 years and then reapply. If acid neutralization is the goal, then lime is the material of choice to neutralize acid subsoils. In acid subsoils, soluble aluminum is toxic to plant roots and causes root pruning. Global Aluminum Toxicity in Soil Gypsum is calcium sulfate and lime is calcium carbonate. Dr.
hugelkultur: the ultimate raised garden beds
raised garden bed hugelkultur after one month raised garden bed hugelkultur after one year raised garden bed hugelkultur after two years raised garden bed hugelkultur after twenty years It's a german word and some people can say it all german-ish. I learned this high-falootin word at my permaculture training. Hugelkultur is nothing more than making raised garden beds filled with rotten wood. I do think there are some considerations to keep in mind. Another thing to keep in mind is that wood is high in carbon and will consume nitrogen to do the compost thing. Pine and fir will have some levels of tanins in them, but I'm guessing that most of that will be gone when the wood has been dead for a few years. In the drawings at right, the artist is trying to show that while the wood decomposes and shrinks, the leaves, duff and accumulating organic matter from above will take it's place.
Soil Aluminum and Test Interpretation
Aluminum is not an essential element for either plants or animals. Most plant producers have heard that too much aluminum (Al) can be harmful to plants. However, many may not be aware that there are multiple forms of Al in the soil and most of them are not directly harmful to plants. There are also multiple methods of testing the soil for these various forms of Al and several different ways to use these soil test results. Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust. Forms of Aluminum in Testing As mentioned earlier, there are multiple forms of Al in the soil and multiple tests that have been used to identify these different forms. 1. 2. Aluminum Toxicity Excess soluble/available aluminum (Al+++) is toxic to plants and causes multiple other problems. • Direct toxicity, primarily seen as stunted roots • Reduces the availability of phosphorus (P), through the formation of Al-P compounds • Reduces the availability of sulfur (S), through the formation of Al-S compounds • The soil pH
Permaculture Principles
