I know... Homeopathy works for the soil as well! Here in Brazil it has been demonstrated many times, and it goes the opposite direction from the conventional agriculture formulas that are all about quantity!
I know... Homeopathy works for the soil as well! Here in Brazil it has been demonstrated many times, and it goes the opposite direction from the conventional agriculture formulas that are all about quantity!
After researching rhizobial associations, you will get some results without inoculation as most exotic species will form associations, just not as good as the host-specific ones.
So, what's your plan with all that grass? Are you further along to a decision?
Keep Planting. Never Stop. Always Improve on What You Have Got.
Thank you SOP, I decided to give it a go with the biodynamic "recipe" that I read about, which seems very well adapted to the majority of Brazilian soils - a green manure "cocktail" of seeds, that includes the following:
- Zea mays (Milho de porte alto) - 24 kg/ha
- Stizolobium aterrum (Mucuna preta) - 16 kg/ha (*)
- Canavalia brasiliensis (Feijao de porco) - 16 kg/ha (*)
- Dolichos lab-lab (Labe-labe) - 12 kg/ha (*)
- Cajanus cajan (Guandu cultivares altas) - 10 kg/ha (*)
- Helianthus anus Leg. (Girassol) - 8 kg/ha
- Crotalaria juncea (Crotalaria juncea) - 5 kg/ha (*)
- Ricinus communis (Mamona) - 5 kg/ha
- Vigna unguiculata (Feijao catador) - 4 kg/ha (*)
- Phalaris canariensis (Alpiste ou painco) - 4 kg/ha
- Leucaena leucena (Leucena) - 2 kg/ha (*)
- Tephrosia candida (Tefrosia) - 1 kg/ha (*)
- Crotalaria ochroleuca (Crotalaria africana) - 5 kg/ha (*)
- Bracatinga de campo mourao - 1 kg/ha
This "cocktail" apparently already proved to restore some of the poorest soils, producing a huge green manure biomass with the succession of plants of various types and sizes that can be slashed at the appropriate time and left on the ground.
My plan is actually to give it a try on a 25m x 25m area and see what happens. If the recipe works on my land I'll for sure use it on a much bigger area!
Quite the list, sounds like most of it would grow in our climate too.
How are you going to get them established where the grass already is?
Keep Planting. Never Stop. Always Improve on What You Have Got.
i dont recon the phalaris will be socessfull there
the other stuff looks good
Yes SOP, that list seems to have been carefully designed by the locals, so I have lots of hope in it.
To prepare the soil I will have to cut the existing grasses unfortunately and hoe the soil a bit (I believe manually, since it will be on a relatively small surface for the trial) - I believe this compromise is a valid one.
Andrew: could you tell me more about why you believe the Phalaris won't do well?
Thank you!
its more of a cool temperate plant
im surprised you can even buy it there
doesnt like acid it used to grow well here 30 years ago but things seem differant now
i do have one paddock of phalaris x (some sort of tropical plant) that may be what is available there. it sometimes contains a nasty alkoliod that affects sheep cattle are more tolerant
no i take it back the above applies to phalaris tuberosa!
Last edited by andrew curr; 27-07-2012 at 06:23 AM. Reason: mixed up
I do not know how to read soil analysis tests either - never had one.
I see lots of stuff growing there and you say that hidden in the grasses are more varieties of plants. Why do you say your land is not fertile?
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote