What measurements to make.

[Farmersdaughter]

I am a scientist by training, ( with a PhD in biochemistry before coming back to family farm). I am very keen to improve our soil and plan to start trying to make and use compost tea to improve soil biology. My question is what should I measure to see if I have made a difference. I have a new microscope and intend to try and quantify what is present in my compost, compost tea and soil. I hope to apply compost tea to parts of fields and compare to untreated areas. What information do you think other farmers would want to know to decide if improving soil biology was worth doing.

 

[permapen]

I would think the main measurement farmers want is productivity. If I were designing the experiments I think I would examine the soil in nearby undisturbed woods, then grow three sets of plants together: one in standard field soil, one in your 'improved' soil, and one in woodland soil. Compare the productivity with the soil contents to find correlations.

With regard to improved soil, you might like to look at permaculture's 'hugelkultur' approach of bringing in huge amounts of biomass, from tree-trunks to chopped-down weeds, and letting them decompose in place even as you grow in them.

 

[shakerator]

I would think the main measurement farmers want is productivity. If I were designing the experiments I think I would examine the soil in nearby undisturbed woods, then grow three sets of plants together: one in standard field soil, one in your 'improved' soil, and one in woodland soil. Compare the productivity with the soil contents to find correlations.

With regard to improved soil, you might like to look at permaculture's 'hugelkultur' approach of bringing in huge amounts of biomass, from tree-trunks to chopped-down weeds, and letting them decompose in place even as you grow in them.

Would cereals grow well in woodland soil??

 

[permapen]

Would cereals grow well in woodland soil??

Ha, perhaps not - but the growth/content might still tell you something. It's about the most biologically active soil I can think of local to the test site.

 

[permapen]

Actually I want to amend my first point, about productivity. I meant yield, meaning how much you can sell your product for (quantity, quality, demand), minus how much you paid for inputs (labour, fertilizers, energy, rent etc). An improved soil might alter that.

 

[Tomjoad]

Would cereals grow well in woodland soil??

In the past I've heard of turf being grown on soils removed from woodland in the US

 

[permapen]

In the past I've heard of turf being grown on soils removed from woodland in the US

Major groan.....

 

[marco]

I am a scientist by training, ( with a PhD in biochemistry before coming back to family farm). I am very keen to improve our soil and plan to start trying to make and use compost tea to improve soil biology. My question is what should I measure to see if I have made a difference. I have a new microscope and intend to try and quantify what is present in my compost, compost tea and soil. I hope to apply compost tea to parts of fields and compare to untreated areas. What information do you think other farmers would want to know to decide if improving soil biology was worth doing.

what you need is a brix refractometer, it measures the sugar content of plants. if you have a few different mixs and are unsure of which to use. measure your crop then use each of your mixes on a different area. come back in 45 mins, whichever areas brix reading has gone up most thats the one to use

 

[Smudge]

What about measuring grass growth with a plate meter and comparing areas treated and untreated with the compost tea?