>[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > Robert, > > Have these large crops in your garden been tested for nutrients? > > No. They're not abnormally large, at least, I don't think so. >There are sunflower plants growing in someone else's garden in >Abbotsford that are at least as tall as mine. > > Last year, our maize never grew taller than about 50 cm. I'm >absolutely delighted that we have "normal" maize this year. The >cabbage hasn't fared very well (lots of aphids) and every fruit tree >(except our apple) dropped its fruit. If you'd seen the soil we >started with and how it looks now, you'd be pretty impressed, I think! > > Should I be concerned?
I don't think so Robert. It might be a concern if you hadn't been rebuilding your soil, or even building it from nothing. Without stable soil conditions (if there is such a thing) and a control for comparison there are just too many variables to isolate this single CO2 factor, which is likely to be very slight (at least for now). The great crops you're getting (trees next year?) are a predictable result of your fertilisation work, "compost, sweat, sunlight and water". Should be less sweat every year. Meanwhile, strength to yer arm! :-) Anyway, when chemists look at plants and/or soil and start talking about nitrogen, beware!!! For a start, nitrogen may be a plant nutrient, but it isn't a people nutrient. Do you know how they measure protein content in crops? They don't, they measure the nitrogen content instead and multiply by, by what, 6.14, IIRC, the ratio of N in protein, and, hey, that's the protein content. Only it turns out that the more N in the form of NPK chemical "fertiliser" was used to grow the crop (or maybe just pump it up and paint it green) the more likely it is that a lot of the alleged protein content will be nitrates and nitrites and other semi-synthesised stuff that's not only not exactly nutritious it can be downright toxic. The N in your compost, however, is different: it doesn't deplete the soil O/M, it doesn't wreck the soil pH, nor the soil life, it doesn't make dead pools in the Gulf of Mexico or anything like that, it just steadily becomes available to the roots as the plants need it, and, along with all the other effects of your compost - primarily biological effects - it helps the plants build real protein. But the difference will not only not be apparent to said chemist, he'll probably deny it exists, thus flying in the face of a large amount of scientific evidence, and a vast amount of other evidence. Of course there are chemists and chemists, just the same as there are fertilisers and fertilisers. All best Keith >robert luis rabello >"The Edge of Justice" >Adventure for Your Mind >http://www.newadventure.ca > >Ranger Supercharger Project Page >http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/ _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
