Agronomy 101

AGRONOMY 101: Here are the main principles we know. All plants grow from energy, not from fertilizer. Energy sources include solar, chemical, bacterial, lunar, infrared produced by soil minerals/fertilizers when subjected to earth’s vibration due to constant lightning on a world wide basis and cosmic forces identified by Steiner. All life depends on minerals. Enzymes, vitamins, hormones, etc. all loose their function if there are no minerals. Calcium is the king of minerals, the major growth mineral and the major source of energy when other minerals interact with it. Phosphorous is the major reproductive mineral and energy producer/carrier within the plant. When we concentrate on making Ca & P available, we raise the Brix or sweetness/mineral content/nutrition of our crops. However, we can’t ignore Mg, K or S or any of the usually listed trace minerals, let alone about every known one on the chemical chart.So how do we maximize energy gathering and use? Everyone gets a free shot at using sunlight, lunar cycles and earth’s vibration (Schuman Resonance). Conventional growers buy their chemical energy in the form of mined (KCl) & manufactured fertilizers (Phosphates and Nitrogen) and usually ignore or are unaware of bacterial energy sources. They are also unaware of the chemical energy created by the interaction of fertilizers or the FIR energies from earth’s vibration. With energy costs skyrocketing, a grower can’t afford to keep buying what is available free when nature is understood and used. The biggest "tricks" are to add calcium sources if needed, replace other minerals, add and/or stimulate microbial systems, use legumes or azobacter to fix N, add carbon through compost or manure/green manure and reduce or remove rescue chemicals.

I have to disagree with experts that say it can all be done with bacteria alone, as some of the best bacteria producers add mineral feed sources to their bacterial products. Albrecht proved that soils may recover when minerals are added/balanced.Potassium (K) is not incorporated into plant tissue to any extent, but it is very necessary for functioning of systems within the plant. There is usually lots of K tied up in clay soils, so bio-activation may save money on future purchases. Bruce Tainio looks at K levels via plant tissue analysis and knows that if the K is not equal to or above the N, then the pH of the plant sap will not be at 6.4. It is lower than 6.4, the plant is open to plant diseases and above 6.4, insects are attracted. The reason this is important, it that at 6.4, the correct energy patterns will be generated in the plant and the infrared coming off the plant will be interpreted by insects as non-desirable food. Although K is easier to make available than calcium or phosphorous, it can be overridden by excess N, usually in the nitrate form that easily "mass flows" into the plant rather than controlled flow by bacteria and plant processes.
Magnesium has been "demonized" because of its association with dolomite lime, yet every chlorophyll molecule has a magnesium atom as part of its structure. The magnesium is the attractor and user of sunligUSING BIOLOGICALS: There are probably a few of you who have never used a biological or something to stimulate microbes – but I will assume most of you have. So the big question is; “If I have used a product once on my soil, do I need to use it a second time or even keep using it or switch to a different one?” Let’s look at the conditions that cause us to use a biological in the first place. Compaction It is very doubtful that all remnants of compaction would disappear after one application of any one product. Even applying calcium, ripping and adding microbes, enzymes and conditioners probably wouldn’t make everything perfect the first season. Toxicity It takes time for microbes to degrade manmade molecules. Some persist in the soil for years. Good microbes may die when coming in contact with these toxic molecules and need to have back-up or reserves to keep breaking down the structure. pH Soil pH helps determine which biologicals will survive and flourish. Some areas of your soil profile may not be in the right range to support the types you have applied. Food Supply Many biologicals are sold with a supportive food supply mixed in. What happens when the packaged food supply is used up? Can your soil supply the minerals, nitrogen, carbohydrates, cellulose and lignin necessary to support the hopefully burgeoning population of good microbes? Are your economic crops putting out enough high brix root extrudates to feed and sustain the populations you hope to build? Natural Cycles There is a natural cycle of one type of microbe consuming another and so on up the food chain. Do you have sufficient of each type to keep all the cycles going? In short, it is very doubtful that one application of a microbial package, a liquid enzyme or a homeopathic will achieve what you want. 

Those of you using compost teas are certainly not going to use just one application for much of the same above reason. Microbes on leaf surfaces have the same feed and survival problem as do soil microbes and maybe a few more due to weather, air pollution, and electronic pollution which we will touch on later. So it is easy to justify the yearly use of biologicals as long as they offer a return on investment. CSI always checks a variety of biologicals available in the market place as well as the best food source for the current soil situation when you ask us for recommendations. We had an excellent response this late summer using a sugar called High Carbon Dextrose [See enclosed price list] on our lawn and flowers. I have two different annual flowers that have survived till 07 in outside boxes – in spite of quite a few nights of temperature in the low 20’s. If there is enough energy, plants can survive seemingly impossible conditions. 

Beneficial fungi have probably suffered the most at the hands of chemical farming, since the main chemicals applied to soil are herbicides [plant killers] and fungi belong to the plant world. To really make fungi flourish requires use of compost, fish, vinegar, sugars and humate or humic acid materials because fungi have a much higher carbon to nitrogen ratio [C:N of 20:1]. Anyone growing perennials must repair the damage done and encourage the fungi. Even crop farmers need to bring up the fungi population to be about 80% of the bacterial population for “balanced soil”. CSI offers you high quality, whole ocean fish –  “Fish Agra” – and the other materials also.

Sulfur is essential for making the higher grade amino acids which determine the higher nutritional status of feed stuffs. It gives a much higher efficiency to any N use.We need boron to influence silica to move calcium, yet soils are almost always too low in B.

We need N as the electrolyte in what is essentially a "battery" system with positive and negative minerals in the soil or soil solution to make the "current" flow. Most of you who use our testing services realize we don’t make total N recommendations. We usually suggest adding 100-200 lb/a ammonium sulfate for the ammonia nitrogen and sulfate sulfur that almost all soils test low. Then we use the protein nitrogen in fish to provide a base of stress protection. How much more you need to add is up to you, keeping in mind your organic matter and legumes.We can also increase our gathering of free energy in several unique or common ways. Good tilth increases microbial life. Adequate iron (Fe) darkens leafs and increases sunlight absorption for photosynthesis. Good soil paramagnetism increases solar/cosmic energy absorption. Lots of humus releases CO2 which increases plant sugar production and saves moisture loss when stomata stay open for shorter periods of time. Spraying or broadcasting Steiner preparations absorbs free, specific solar and cosmic patterns. Playing Veges Sound Machines increase nutrient uptake for by root and foliar.

Therefore, sustainable agriculture means adding minerals, adding and/or stimulating microbes, adding carbon, gathering free N, and removing any input detrimental to the whole system. Herbicides and fungicides are the most damaging as it is the missing, good fungi that are a major loss of efficiency in traditional farming. Nature will reward you for your efforts. Humans for generations to come will benefit from the mineralized food which will be their medicine, not a manmade foreign molecule called a drug, sometimes sold at obscene prices.

Crop Services International, Inc

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