memex/0_inbox/in/books/PDM/Bill Mollison - Permaculture A Designer's Manual text/205.txt

ealalysls and mlerllaurganlsms Me llderlum,
vanadlum, and lim‘ all asslsl reel baelerla m me
elealierl el avallallle sell flihv/gzn lasealalyslsl

GASEOUS MOSAICS OVER TIME,
SOIL Mlclzasn‘zs
Lllle pH, ealllln exellange, and slrllelure, narural sell ls
always a mrlsale al aerelllr and anaerelsle palehes
erlled lnrere—slles, where erlller oxygen luele el nr

. elhylenelanaerrllllllsllesdevelap alllylenelnhlllllslln
llle sellse el suspendlllgl, llllerelllal aellylly, and lllle
carbon dloxide, ls presenl as IAZ ppm ln sell l5mrlll
I98“ As llle elhylerle al an erygerlaexhausled slle
drlluses eul, nxygun needs back and Hun/ares lhe
slle Under nalurrl leresls and grasslands, llllseyele, er
drrlee, el oxygen—elnylene ls eellllnuells, and mm
mllvgc'n lllele eeeurs as ammerlra. uselul le planls arld
plarll reels

wnerl we cullivale and aerale, rlllnagerl laeeemes a
rlrlrale er a rlllrlle lwhleh lherl lrlhllall elhylerle
preduslllarll, arld lune ralller lllan [trmus lrurl lerrrls,
lllus rrlalllng elhylene lerrllallen dllrleull llhe preeess
lrerrl deeaylng leal lll elllylerle predurluan .eeulres a
lerlells lmll ealalysll Also, planl rlulrlenls are \Igmly
bound la lerrle rm and beeerrle unavallable [m reel
uplalle ll renews lllal llle preduclierl el elllylerle ls
rssenllal le planl heallll ind lhe avallallllrly el
nulrlenls

ll ls lrllperlanl lll reallse lhal lle aerellle eendlllen el
sells sueh as we 5d [mm pleughlne er dlumg nel
enly ereales a eendlllarl el "unavmdablz" nulrlenls
arld lerrle lrerl, her also eludlses humus, whkh gels le
all as earllen dlaallde. Also, mslsl plarll reel palhegerls
reeulle llle aelelale ellndlllell AS well, lhe nllrale lerrn
lll nimgen, whlen ls hlgMy mdhlle, ltnhes eul when
ban sells lnrll plalllsl eswpy lhe slle In all, ploughmg
alld earlh |urmng ereale a rlel less el nulrlenls ln
several ways. lhus almespherle pallullerl, slrealrl
pellullell, and low sell llulrlelll slales

Smilh llllldl lllerelllre reeerrllrlends lellsl sml
dlslurllanee. lhe use el surlaee muleh lnul
IlKurpol’iled) as all elllylene pkculscr leld leaves are
lresl ler lhlsl, and very small hul llequerll ammerlla
le ser. ulllll sell balanees are leeevered The ldeal
eerldlllens would be

. pemanenlpaslule,

. Felesl

- olellards vvllh permanenl gm" enap as mulch,

- No—dlg er mulelled gardens.

. No» or lew—eulllvalllln of lleld elep, ar lleld erep
helween slrlps lll leresl le prevlde leaves and
nulrlerlls, and

- The use el legumes ln a sllmlar plepenlen lll lllal
eeeurrllle lll nalllral planl asseelallerls ln lheasea, al all
slash lll lhe sueeesslerl.

Under lllese eendlllells, sell mlneral avallalalllly ls
made pesslhle and sells du rlel Ile up llulelerlls lrl
arldes or predllee PolluunLi

When we azhlwe lhls halanee, sell less and mlneral
dclltxznzy lseeenle yeflerday‘s prehlerrls. And when

 

 

 

planl lea) lllel selll delleleney ean be adlusled wllll
aqueeus lellar sprays, nalure lhen slarls lu lurlerlen
igaln re elrlarn rluerlenls hem sells ‘a mlerelaes and
reel lnyeel-rhlza al lhe mleleslle leyel. mm, A, ml,
The Livlng Sell”, Pemlllelllllne lllernlll on, July ‘5! l

8 1
THE SOIL BIOTA

oh semearrd and peer puslllle, ll ls dlllleull lll keep
sheep al a sleelllrl; rale el s-a/ha The very same
paslure may suppell 275 l at paslure gmbs, llr up le
e.5|ol’eal1hwnm\s/ha , ell lhal llllle grasses) meal el
llle rrllmal blemass er yleld ls underground, dul el
sigh! Everl where wheal ereppln, rs earrled en
mnllnlleusly ler m: eyeles lllelllhamsled, ukl lhe
plough layer suppom as l ell llvulg mmbii‘ hlemass
mew eelenllsl, 2 Dee 'szl About l.z |/hi el orgillit
rarlaen ls lehlrned annually le IM sell a: reel and slalll
rrlalerlal hem graln (my

5e large ls lhe sell lylelrlass lllal lls gmwlh lnusl be
very slew. speradle, and based en a lurlurver el
humus/reed ulllhln lhe sell ralller lllall a lood lnpul
hem lhe wheal erep wasles. l-lumus ln lllls sell has a
mean age el mm years, and pmbably del-lves lrem
leresll lllal long pleeeded llle wheel; ll ylelds up ls
rlulrlenls very slowly, and ls leslslanl le laaelerlal
allaell However, ll ls equally elesr lhal (here are
per-reds el sudden lood supply lrerrl reel masses al
harvesl and hem reel exudales during llle growth lll
wheal move el planl {nun may lae lesl as sugivs er
sempeunds leleased lellle serl vla reelsl. However he
sell lllela aehleve ll, llley Exls| all a very meagre leeel
supply lnr such a lalemass, ralller hke an elepharll
eahrlg a «bug: lame a diy‘ ol llle lelal hlerrlass al
Rmhlnmsted, wall ls fungi, zeal is haelerla, m yeesls,
algae, and plelerealls, and arlly m llle Inge! launa
sueh as unhworms, nerrlallldes, arlhrapeds and
rrlelluse laurla lllle mum and mamhunal, and their
larvae. suell elasses el organlslrls are laurld ln sells
everywhere, lrl dlllerenl pleperlierls Andamn (Nrw
selmllsl, d Oct 'lsl gives some ldea el llle eerrlplerlly
lselew gmuhd, where every square melre er leresl
lepsell ean eerllaln a lhellsarld speeles el anlnlals, arld
I-l km el fungal hypllae:

Very small ammalr are alale llr llvea llasleally aqua|K
llle lrl sell, lll lhe waler lllm allaelled le sell Crumbs,
whilel-x‘u speeles are eenllned lepere spaees and llle
bunvws lal macmlauna

A wheal lleld ls rusl lhe plaee mesl llkely la preduee
hlgll levels el sell blela, and plnugh rlepplllg has lln
Carladal redueed humus Ilvels le 1% el lhe hrlglrul
levelr over rrluell el llle wheal eeurllry.

clrmalleally llle lsalanee and pleperllerl ul sell lllela
vanes gleauy, wull lhe and sells el eenllereus and lull
leresl yleldlrlg lew earlhwerms, and llle humle peels
even less, so lhal llle sell mycled by wvrms alse varles
lrelrl z-lsn l/ha lll.sa25 errl deplh el sell/yearl

205