1. Avoid composting because it allows the generated nitrogen to evaporate. Composting can allow as much as 75% of the nitrogen to escape into the atmosphere as ammonia. In the fall, residue and organic matter should be worked into the soil. It may slow mycorrhizal fungus a little but the trade off is usually worth it.

2. Animal urine contains much higher levels of nitrogen and potassium than manure. During medievil times, farmers kept livestock inside their crop fields at night and in the winter. With modern portable shelters and portable feeding troughs, this is a way of distributing urine onto crop fields. If urine can immediately soak into the soil directly, it prevents nitrogen evaporation.

3. Manure is high in phosphorus. Work animal manure and organic matter directly into the soil during winter. Allow at least 2 weeks before planting. For crops that are in direct soil contact, allow 120 days after raw manure application before harvest time and raw consumption, or cook the harvest. For crops not in direct contact with the soil, allow 90 days after raw manure application before harvest and raw consumption.

4. Work a small amount of hardwood chips into the soil every year. They will increase potassium and encourage fungus which will kill nematodes. Too much wood chips, and they will use more nitrogen than they contribute.

5. When plowing, do not just flip the soil. Thoroughly mix the previous crop residue and then water lightly. This aerobic decomposition is better than anaerobic. This will encourage decomposition, which will reduce disease, and also encourage rapid growth of the next crop, which will help control weeds.

6. Encourage the proper RHIZOBIAL BACTERIA to fixate nitrogen.

7. Encourage MYCORRHIZAL FUNGUS to aid in nutrient absorption and soil mineralization.

8. Do not leave soil without mycorrhizal roots in it for long periods of time. Fava, vetch, flax, and barley are good non food cover crops.

9. Grow deep rooted mycorrhizal plants in your rotation to break up the soil and bring nutrients up from deep below: alfalfa, sunflower, okra, hemp, wheat, turnip, carrot, salsify, parsnip, etc.

Vegetable Root Structure

Grain and Seed Root Structure

10. Turn animals onto stubble to speed up decomposition.

1. In the non winter season, allow cattle and poultry to naturally spread urine and manure on the forage pasture.

2. Grow deep rooted plants to break up the soil and bring nutrients up from deep below: alfalfa, chicory, turnip, dandelion, grass family, etc.

3. Worms will drag organic material underground in perennial beds and pastures from the organic matter on top of the soil.

4. Leaves from trees and grass are best left in place to nourish the plants that grew them. Try not to repeatedly rob organic matter from plants that need it.

5. Encourage dung beetles to spread and bury manure in pastures.

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MYCORRHIZAL FUNGUS

Mycorrhizal fungi increases uptake of nutrients for most plants, especially phosphorus.

Mycorrhizal fungi is a free naturally present fungi that has a mutualistic relationship with most plants except Brassica, beets, buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa. In this mutualistic relationship, carbohydrates are transported down where the fungus steal some for their own growth and the fungus free up nutrients and help pull them up into the plant. The fungus and the plant need each other to thrive.

Crops which encourage the widest variety:
Sorghum - Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench
Leek - Allium porrum (L.)

Crops which encourage the highest numbers:
Pea
Lentil
Barley
Bean

The more organic matter is worked into the soil, the more important it is
plant a mycorrhizal cover crop soon after the organic matter has been 
incorporated into the soil. Without a new source of carbohydrates, fungal 
levels begin to drop.

Ideally, work manure and crop residue in during the fall and plant a 
cover crop such as flax or oats.

Try to work the soil as little as possible and as shallow as possible 
unless large amounts of organic matter are being introduced. 
This will help keep the mycorrhizal population intact.

Plant Management Network
Rodale Institute
Agricultural Research Centre of Finland
University of Manitoba - cover crops

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Trichoderma viride:
Flax will encourage this fungus.
The cyanide in the roots will encourage Trichoderma viride,
which will suppress other harmful fungus and bacteria.
Must allow to fully mature for the cyanide to leave the seed
and deposit into the roots.

Chitin (shell of crab, lobster, shrimp, snail, fish scale?) -
 
Will encourage Streptomyces actinomycete which will suppress 
harmful fungus.

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RHIZOBIAL BACTERIA
Legumes use rhizobium to fixate nitrogen, but sunflower and okra
also benefit because most beneficial rhizobium will suppress
harmful bacteria.

HOST PLANTS:
Rhizobium leguminosarum var. Viceae - pea and fava
Rhizobium leguminosarum lentil - lentil
Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli - common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.),
Inoculation of Legumes
Temperature Affect on Nitrogen Fixation

Native rhizobium are available in most soils, but at such low numbers that they are not very effective. Inoculations survive at useful levels for only about 2-3 years, under good conditions, without the proper leguminous host plants. Good conditions are high humus, moderate PH, moderate moisture, and moderate temperature.

If planting by hand, soak seed for 24 hours prior to inoculation. This will open the pores for easier inoculation. Plant immediately. The presence of red nodules is proof that nitrogen is being fixed.

Peat:

Natural inoculator of Azospirillum brasilense, a phytostimulator for grains, legumes, and tomatoes.

Alfalfa:

Highest in nitrogen fixation among annual crops. Best if plowed under.

Vetch:

Can overwinter to zone 6. High fixation if environment allows overwinter with spring growth. Maximum nitrogen fixation just as it begins to bloom. Drops rapidly. Mixing with rye improves overwintering and summer growth. Must bloom before mow or chop or it may regrow.

Soy, pea:

food crops, high fixation.

Fava:

Best where moist and cool for 2-3 months and too cool for vetch or peas to actively grow. Fixation can be high but only in the right environment. Will continue to fix nitrogen to full plant maturity as long as the soil is 40-60 F. Plant will die when temperature < 10 F.

Perennial Alfalfa, clover:

high fixation, best in pastures

Able Farm and Gardening
Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N.

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ORGANIC FERTILIZER AMENDMENTS

These amendments should be used only as a last resort. Unlock the nutrients you already have with fungus, bacteria, and PH neutralization that occurs naturally with organic matter.

PH scale and mineral availability
PH scale and mineral availability

Phosphorous sources - for flower, fruit, and seed.
        Bone or rock phosphate - needed if soil is alkaline,
            plant directly in it
        Held in soil by clay.
        Protozoa, bacteria, and fungi release via mineralization.

Nitrogen sources:
       Bacteria fixate from the atmosphere
            and held in soil by clay.
       Protozoa also release nitrogen.
       Used for leaf growth.
       Blood meal.

Potassium sources - for root growth.
        Trees can absorb potassium more easily than most other plants.
        Hard wood chips should be worked into the soil for potassium.
             Work small amounts into the soil every year so as not to
             decrease nitrogen levels too quickly.
        Rock potash. Greensand.
        Potassium can be held in soil by clay.
        Potash for Organic Growers

Micro nutrients:
Calcium - dolomite, limestone, bone
          causes soil to be fluffy and well aerated
          excess may inhibit growth by making soil too alkaline
Silica - granite dust, sand
Zinc - granite dust
Molybdenum - rock phosphate
Trace minerals - granite meal, greensand (glauconite)
                 , kelp meal
Boron - Borax (only add if known deficiency)

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MATERIALS FOR MAKING POTTING MIX
Mix these materials with local soil and allow time to decompose.
Stir regularly.

hard wood chips - grows a fungus which will kill nematodes.
          also high in potassium.
willow wood chips - root stimulant
alfalfa will stimulate growth with octacosanol
          high in silica - strengthens against fungus
comfrey - cell proliferant
horseradish greens, garlic, mustard seed
        - suppresses fungus
thistle - high in silica 
          if allowed to grow to full maturity
          silica strengthens plants against fungus
          allow plants to mature, but not seed, before mowing
burdock leaf - oligosacharides 
               encourage beneficial bacteria
Stinging nettle - growth stimulant, fungicidal

Garden for Nutrition Index