4 ms·

Here are the primary components that you would require - 1. Organic Matter: Compost and mulch enrich soil and improve structure. 2. Microorganisms: Bacteria, fu

Here are the primary components that you would require - 1. Organic Matter: Compost and mulch enrich soil and improve structure. 2. Microorganisms: Bacteria, fungi, and mycorrhizae break down organic matter and enhance nutrient uptake. 3. Soil Fauna: Earthworms, insects, and arachnids aerate soil and mix organic matter. 4. Nutrients: Macronutrients (N, P, K) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, etc.) are essential for plant growth. 5. Soil Structure: Aggregates and porosity improve aeration and water retention. 6. Water Management: Proper irrigation and drainage ensure optimal soil moisture.

noefingway 2y ago
Item 3 is important in more ways than most people realize. Last year many farmers in my area that planted soybeans early had a problem with slugs eating the sprouting beans and were forced to replant multiple times. This spring I went to a growers conference and heard a presentation by a Prof. Tooker from Penn State Ag about the slug problem, which he has been researching for several years. Turns out that the slug infestation can be directly traced to the use of insecticides used in seed treatments. The insecticides kill beetles (and other beneficial insects) that eat the slugs but don't kill slugs because they aren't insects (they are mollusks). No beetles more slugs. Take away is don't use treated seed. However, standard practice at seed companies is to treat seed with fungicides and insecticides, thus creating a problem rather than solving it.
- behringer 2y ago
  We just need to add a mollusk treatment!
  - zeristor 2y ago
    The beetles are the mollusc treatment.
    - genter 2y ago
      OP is making a joke: the solution to too many pesticides is even more pesticides.
  - fsckboy 2y ago
    copper kills invertebrates (it's in a range of fishtank infection treatments, doesn't kill fish but will kill snails and crabs)
    - bbojan 2y ago
      Copper kills funghi too, and that's a problem as funghi are important element of healthy soil.
- cameron_b 2y ago
  The attempt is surely to solve for an abundance of beetles, but it is often helpful to think of many of these 'problems' as imbalances. Nature does not work in two-variable equations, and the abundance or absence of an element typically has repercussions that are difficult to study. An often-cited example of missing the bigger picture in controlling one variable would be the Chinese campaign against the Four Pests - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Pests_campaign https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Pests_campaign
- vaylian 2y ago
  When I think about insects and slugs, then slugs are typically considerably larger and have more body mass. Is it only the smaller slugs or slug eggs that the insects eat? I have a hard time imagining a beetle eating a slug.
tastyfreeze 2y ago
2 provides 4 from the insitu minerals. It may be necessary to add minerals if you are growing plants that require something the native minerals dont have. But, the majority of minerals plants need are available everywhere. The soil biology is required to unlock it for plants to use. If you see the macrobiota in soil it is an indicator microbiota is present. The more the merrier.
cscheid 2y ago
Please - if I wanted to know what an LLM thinks about this, I would have asked it myself.
- malfist 2y ago
  I was just coming to comment the same thing. This seems like an ai bot answer. And it's a green username
- panny 2y ago
  Amusingly, it is catastrophically wrong, like AI slop typically is.
  - jhide 2y ago
    Can you explain the catastrophe? It does seem AI generated but it doesn’t seem wrong
    - panny 2y ago
      It doesn't mention soil pH at all. AI didn't mention anything about sending off samples to a soil lab for testing, just "dump good sounding stuff on your soil, that'll make everything better!" It didn't even mention grabbing a recent soil survey to get a rough idea of what soil you are dealing with. It is garbage advice which will lead you to waste money and likely make your soil worse instead of better.
- Cthulhu_ 2y ago
  It really is a "nobody asked" kind of comment.

noefingway 2y ago

Item 3 is important in more ways than most people realize. Last year many farmers in my area that planted soybeans early had a problem with slugs eating the sprouting beans and were forced to replant multiple times. This spring I went to a growers conference and heard a presentation by a Prof. Tooker from Penn State Ag about the slug problem, which he has been researching for several years. Turns out that the slug infestation can be directly traced to the use of insecticides used in seed treatments. The insecticides kill beetles (and other beneficial insects) that eat the slugs but don't kill slugs because they aren't insects (they are mollusks). No beetles more slugs. Take away is don't use treated seed. However, standard practice at seed companies is to treat seed with fungicides and insecticides, thus creating a problem rather than solving it.

behringer 2y ago
We just need to add a mollusk treatment!
- zeristor 2y ago
  The beetles are the mollusc treatment.
  - genter 2y ago
    OP is making a joke: the solution to too many pesticides is even more pesticides.
- fsckboy 2y ago
  copper kills invertebrates (it's in a range of fishtank infection treatments, doesn't kill fish but will kill snails and crabs)
  - bbojan 2y ago
    Copper kills funghi too, and that's a problem as funghi are important element of healthy soil.
cameron_b 2y ago
The attempt is surely to solve for an abundance of beetles, but it is often helpful to think of many of these 'problems' as imbalances. Nature does not work in two-variable equations, and the abundance or absence of an element typically has repercussions that are difficult to study. An often-cited example of missing the bigger picture in controlling one variable would be the Chinese campaign against the Four Pests - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Pests_campaign https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Pests_campaign
vaylian 2y ago
When I think about insects and slugs, then slugs are typically considerably larger and have more body mass. Is it only the smaller slugs or slug eggs that the insects eat? I have a hard time imagining a beetle eating a slug.

tastyfreeze 2y ago

2 provides 4 from the insitu minerals. It may be necessary to add minerals if you are growing plants that require something the native minerals dont have. But, the majority of minerals plants need are available everywhere. The soil biology is required to unlock it for plants to use. If you see the macrobiota in soil it is an indicator microbiota is present. The more the merrier.

cscheid 2y ago

Please - if I wanted to know what an LLM thinks about this, I would have asked it myself.

malfist 2y ago
I was just coming to comment the same thing. This seems like an ai bot answer. And it's a green username
panny 2y ago
Amusingly, it is catastrophically wrong, like AI slop typically is.
- jhide 2y ago
  Can you explain the catastrophe? It does seem AI generated but it doesn’t seem wrong
  - panny 2y ago
    It doesn't mention soil pH at all. AI didn't mention anything about sending off samples to a soil lab for testing, just "dump good sounding stuff on your soil, that'll make everything better!" It didn't even mention grabbing a recent soil survey to get a rough idea of what soil you are dealing with. It is garbage advice which will lead you to waste money and likely make your soil worse instead of better.
Cthulhu_ 2y ago
It really is a "nobody asked" kind of comment.