From: Rambler > > I am part way through reading Albrecht vol 1 and have some questions. > > 1. Are there different CEC ratios for different crops? Technically the answer is probably yes but I believe if you get somewhere in the ballpark range with CEC numbers then it is likely that something else is then the most limiting factor. Microbial activity - nutritional factors - moisture stress - low brix etc > > 2 Are there different CEC ratios for different soil Ph? No this is a cart before the horse thing - always remember that pH number is the result of whats going on in your soil not the cause of it - you can get pH into the ideal reading (temporarily) and still be in big trouble because the underlying problem is not properly dealt with > > 3 Are there different CEC ratios for different soils? To a degree yes - you wouldnt put dolomite on a clay soil - it probably works better with the calcium / magnesium ratio at the high end of ideal and magnesium lower (say 12%ofCEC) , whereas a light sandy soil would be better with the magnesium at the higher end (say 18 or 20 %ofCEC). But if you are ANYWHERE in this range you are already better than most of the agricultural soils on earth. Also these numbers are only the BASE from which we work and the real key to how well things grow is the functional nutrition that we provide to plants and that can be mightily different from what a CEC soil test shows. > > I grow ornamental crops ie perennial flowers and all year round > harvesting of cut ferns. > I have a heavy clay soil and all my crops require a ph of between 5-6 > It might be useful to direct a question to Elaine Ingham - a fungal dominated compost would probably be useful to hold pH down in this range if it suited the plants that you grow > In vol 1 Albrecht is mainly discussing grain and lequme crops that grow > in a ph range 6-7. As i have been reading the above qeustions have > come to mind. Any thoughts please.I am working with soils that have been > thrashed to death after 20 years of chemical farming. > Maybe you need a detox - I was talking to a fellow the other day that uses homeopathic rescue remedy for this and there are also Malcolm Rae cards, (we use these) for unbeneficial effects of pesticides etc > All my crops are perenials and take 2 years to replace and bring into full production > again. Progress is very slow and i still have a very large morgage > I know this feeling intimately and it really does bring a strong dose of reality into how we think and operate. I thought I was the only one on this list that owed a big chunk of money to the bank too.
> to clear before i achieve a level of sustainability. > Tony Robinson > Rambler FLowers > New Zealand All the best Lloyd Charles
