Soils of Mittleider gardens have been tested by soil laboratories on many occasions. Dr. Mittleider's garden has been tested after 20 years of growing and still showed no signs of salt contamination, toxicities of the subsoil or salinity problems. And you'll find earthworms in those beds. The plant and root growth are prolific and create wonderful soil tilth over time without the need of organic amendments. Fresh clean plant residues can always be worked back into the beds but it is not necessary. The fertiliser mix is only sufficient to replace the nutrients that gets taken up by the plants. Nobody in their right mind wants to waste money by over-supplying salts to your garden.
I have no idea what this method is, but sounds a lot like semi-hydroponics, basically use sterile non-organic growing medium and provide all nutrition in liquid form from readily absorbable chemicals.
I tried the semi-hydroponics once few years ago. I found the need for keeping precise chemical levels, right temperature and humidity etc too difficult. It needed very regular attention, lot of measuring etc. I soon gave up and went back to the nature's way.
All the elements you've listed are in abundance in regular soil. They're "chemicals" when they come in a bottle, I guess, but not when they're mixed in with soil. I guess they feel odd when they come out of a bottle. As to oddness, to a new gardener, using compost as an amendment sure feels "odd", especially when it is based on manure. You want me to put WHAT on my plants??
That being said, the problem with chemicals in a bottle is that you can use too much of them, such that the soil has a lot more in it than it should.
As noted above, it is my impression that this method uses a medium that is virtually hydroponic, in the the soil substrate is very light. As a result, it leaches very effectively, and the nutrients are pretty much just what you put in it. Hydroponic gardening is pretty much chemical-from-bottle based. Unlike hydroponics, the nutrients you put in this soil pretty much end up on the floor below it, however.
Soils of Mittleider gardens have been tested by soil laboratories on many occasions. Dr. Mittleider's garden has been tested after 20 years of growing and still showed no signs of salt contamination, toxicities of the subsoil or salinity problems. And you'll find earthworms in those beds. The plant and root growth are prolific and create wonderful soil tilth over time without the need of organic amendments. Fresh clean plant residues can always be worked back into the beds but it is not necessary. The fertiliser mix is only sufficient to replace the nutrients that gets taken up by the plants. Nobody in their right mind wants to waste money by over-supplying salts to your garden.
I have no idea what this method is, but sounds a lot like semi-hydroponics, basically use sterile non-organic growing medium and provide all nutrition in liquid form from readily absorbable chemicals.
I tried the semi-hydroponics once few years ago. I found the need for keeping precise chemical levels, right temperature and humidity etc too difficult. It needed very regular attention, lot of measuring etc. I soon gave up and went back to the nature's way.
All the elements you've listed are in abundance in regular soil. They're "chemicals" when they come in a bottle, I guess, but not when they're mixed in with soil. I guess they feel odd when they come out of a bottle. As to oddness, to a new gardener, using compost as an amendment sure feels "odd", especially when it is based on manure. You want me to put WHAT on my plants??
That being said, the problem with chemicals in a bottle is that you can use too much of them, such that the soil has a lot more in it than it should.
As noted above, it is my impression that this method uses a medium that is virtually hydroponic, in the the soil substrate is very light. As a result, it leaches very effectively, and the nutrients are pretty much just what you put in it. Hydroponic gardening is pretty much chemical-from-bottle based. Unlike hydroponics, the nutrients you put in this soil pretty much end up on the floor below it, however.