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Are we just mining the soil?
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Author:  nhbaler [ Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Are we just mining the soil?

I have been reading about the compost tea and have made some and sprayed it on my hay meadows,I cut hay off over a hundred acres and if I keep putting compost tea on it will I be mining the nutrients? I know it puts micros in the soil but what should I be putting back in the soil to replace what I have removed from it?On this much acres corn glutton is too expensive,I do use liquid molasses.I want to build up my soil,stay with organics and cut hay off of it.The grass is hybrid bermuda and it is not replanted to rotate crops or plow in a cover crop. Am I asking for too much? Thanks for any replies.

Author:  CaptainCompostAL [ Fri Oct 16, 2009 5:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Are we just mining the soil?

Compost tea and molasses is not the final answer for good organic soil building maintenance.
Nothing totally replaces good ole homemade composting, mulching, cover cropping, and using rich protein fertilizers of any economical form.

I use aerated compost tea recipes with dry molasses as a regular foliar and soil drench, only as a complement, and as an "insurance policy", that my plants get everything they need as nutrients, microbes, and moisture, as I constantly enrich the ground with more composting in my no-till garden beds. Teas were not designed to replace composting.

For the lawn, I use homemade compost, lime, corn/soybean fertilzers and sometimes aerated compost tea and more dry molasses.

Author:  CHF3 [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 12:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are we just mining the soil?

I kinda like the 'no net loss' theory... whatever I collect, I compost and return.

So you are growing hay for.... what exactly? What I mean is, if you are feeding it to your livestock you are returning it. If you are selling the hay, why not see if you can talk someone into letting you have a truckload of manure back now and then.

Lol, only a composter thinks trading food for poop is a great trade.

Author:  nhbaler [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Are we just mining the soil?

Thanks fir the info,I sell the hay and it is gone,what if I leave some grass let the frost kill it and then cut it and let it stay on the ground or should I lightly disc it just enough to push it to the ground so the micros can consume it like compost or a green manure crop? Can I keep spraying compost tea on through the winter or would it do any good to keep adding more microbes to consume the grass and come spring time it should be in good shape? Thanks

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