Dschall- In answer to your questions-- Compost is a free input. We make it by hand cutting the rice grass and mixing it with dried rice straw and vegetable kitchen waste. No manure. I was referring to suggestions that involved spending money when I said we had no money for inputs. I apologize if that was unclear. We have a solar panel, sugar, and an aquarium pump. If we applied the finished compost to our 4 acres it would provide almost zero improvement in pH and be washed out during rainy season. Further, the hottest month of the year here is April and we keep the compost tea in the shade, so I think it is probably aerating sufficiently. We teach Soil Science, English, and Systems of Democracy in the classroom 6 hours a day, five days a week. This week in Soil Science we taught the nitrogen cycle and how to mix inputs into compost tea differently to get a finished product that is bacterial or fungal, and which plants to which to apply which type of tea. Scrap wood is plentiful around here, especially bamboo. We do not have a shredder so it is difficult to compost or otherwise grind wood products, however, burning for ash would make the wood more easily applied. I will answer each of your questions and maybe you can explain their relevance to my initial inquiry. How many acres do you have access to? 4 How many acres are in rice paddies? a little over 3 What crops do you grow in the non-rice season? Chinese cabbage, bitter gourd, chiles, yard long bean, many asian eggplants-- however, if we cannot raise the pH signifigantly we will probably switch to crops that grow better in low pH. Does grass (not just bamboo) grow in the area? rice grass Is there anything green growing in the ditches? No, they are waterways. Are there wild or farm animals in the area? If so, what are they? Ducks Was there ever a forest or grassland in the area? Dunno. Maybe 1000 years ago? How many people are being supported by the land? 20 Do they get food from anywhere else? The goal is to be self sufficient. The low pH of the soil last year provided a smaller than necessary veg harvest and we had to raise $$ to buy food that was our intent to produce. Thus this inquiry for answers. Are they vegetarians? They eat whatever is put in front of them. If veg is all we have that's all they eat. They eat duck and duck eggs fairly regularly, as well as snakehead fish and snails that we net from the ditches. That soil test was not particularly good. Make a note for your journal to get a better test next time. --Soil test was free and is the standard test provided by Chiang Mai University. They won't do another free test for 5 years. We were lucky to get that one, as soil testing paid for by the Thai government provided free to Burmese refugees has a complicated political element to it. When these folks return to Burma, many will not have access to electricity to power a pump, IPM strategies must be developed to address their twin pests of monkeys and parrots, and they will NEVER have access to the results of a soil test. So when I say we are teaching organic farming it is in much the same vein that Hawkeye Pierce would teach surgery to a Korean med student, if you get my drift. Who is Buzz Killington? I've been working in the jungle too long to keep up with pop culture. Lazygardens, Nandina-- azolla?? Cool. we have a small pond with water hyacinth which I chop and use in a basket layered with rice straw to germinate mushroom spores. I'll look into azolla. Will the ducks eat it?

A lot of interesting info here, and obviously plenty of room for debate. I don't have near the knowledge many of you do but I can share my personnel experience as a hobbyist gardner. For several decades I have refused to use pesticides, just basically not liking the idea of using poisons. Knowing that a healthy plant is more successful in fighting disease and pests I would use chemical fertilizers to help keep my plants healthy. Well unfortunately, or maybe fortunately I was forced into early retirement and the last couple of years I have had a lot more time for hobby stuff. I started composting, having readily available lots of leaf and green matter in the yard. Then I started learning more about soil biology by poking around the web (that's how I found this place). So I decided to up the game and go 100% organic, relying only on my compost, and compost teas. My plants were easily just as if not more healthy than previous years, but the thing I noticed most was it seemed I had more beneficial insects in the garden. A couple of years I tried to introduce lady bugs for the occasional aphid problem. They would just fly away never to be seen again. This year no aphids but I kept seeing the random ladybug. Additionally I have found it hugely satisfying and feel a more complete cycle between my garden and my table. I am increasing my knowledge and experience of composting, and feel my compost is becoming better with every batch by adding simple things such as alfalfa and seaweed (always take my pack when I visit the ocean). Having a microscope I have also been able to see for myself the change and increase of microbial life in my soil and assume that will lead to a more healthy relationship between plant and soil. Now I have to find someone to give my leftover chemical ferts to..

Thanks SC77, There are several Blue Seal dealers within 10 miles of my home or my place of work. All, Below I posted the products available. Any thoughts on which one to use? The information given did not listed amount of sq/ft coverage per 50lbs bag. Do you know what the coverage might be? Safe 'N Simple Pre��"emergence Weed Control 9��"0��"0 100% organic, Safe 'N Simpleî Pre-emergence Weed Control 9-0-0 is an all-natural plant product made from Corn Gluten, a dried protein separated from corn during the manufacture of starch in the food industry. In 1985, while studying its value as a fertilizer, researchers at Iowa State University discovered that Corn Gluten contains a natural organic compound which inhibits root development in seedlings. Germination occurs, but seedlings die from lack of a root system. The result is an environmentally safe, non-toxic, completely natural weed control. Safe 'N Simpleî 9-0-0 provides weed control and an excellent source of slow-release nitrogen, 9% nitrogen by weight, in an easy to spread crumble form. When spread at the recommended rate Safe 'N Simpleî 9-0-0 provides 4 lbs. of nitrogen/ 1,000 square feet. Nitrogen is released as microorganisms break down in the soil. Available in 25 & 50 lb. bags. * Size and Price: 25 lbs - $29.9950 lbs - $47.99 * Quantity: 1 Safe 'N Simpleî Farm, Field & Pasture Food Safe 'N Simpleî Farm, Field & Pasture Food 5-1-5 is an all-purpose natural fertilizer containing soybean and alfalfa meals, nutrient rich organic plant material that will enhance the soil, increase soil biological activity, and provide needed nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for healthy lush plant growth. Recycling plant material back into the soil is natureâÂÂs way of replenishing nutrients and rebuilding soils. Conventional synthetic fertilizers supply plant nutrients. Safe 'N Simpleî 5-1-5 provides plant nutrition and promotes a healthy soil ecosystem. Farm, Field & Pasture Food nutrients are derived from soybean meal, alfalfa meal, fish meal, and sulfate of potash-magnesia. * Size and Price: 50 lbs - $26.99 * Quantity: 1 Safe 'N Simpleî Lawn Food 6��"2��"4 Safe 'N Simpleî Lawn Food is a natural based fertilizer containing soybean, alfalfa, and fish meals, organic materials that enhance the soil, increase soil biological activity, and provide needed nutrients for a thick healthy green lawn. Recycling plant material back into the soil is nature's way of replenishing nutrients and rebuilding soils in natural habitats. Conventional synthetic fertilizers supply plant nutrients. Safe 'N Simpleî 6-2-4 provides plant nutrition and promotes a healthy soil ecosystem. The key to long term lawn success is a healthy soil environment. Available in 50lb. bags * Size and Price: 50 lbs - $26.99 ...

Well, shrubs, I don't disturb the soil much with my method of growing potatoes. I simply lay the seed potatoes on the surface and cover with mulch, usually chopped leaves. Harvesting involves pulling the mulch off and picking up the spuds. Having said that, while Ma Nature doesn't get out there with her 6 HP Troy-Bilt tiller, I don't see her growing much in the way of eggplant, peppers and tomatoes out in the wild either. I wonder why that is? I'm in favor of a program of limited tilling when it is necessary. When is it necessary? Every garden or field will be different but if the difference is not tilling and waiting years for the earthworms to do their thing so I can grow a carrot or getting organic matter into the soil and crops off it in the same year, then some form of tilling is the way to go for me. I double dig most of my raised garden beds. The disturbance of the soil structure seems to have little to no visible negative effects and I for one am not alarmed at harming the mycorrhizal fungi. Nor am I going to avoid tilling when it will benefit me in order to avoid injuring the earthworms. (Earthworms, which as noted in other threads, are noxious invaders of this northern forest I call home.) Nor will I rely soley on methods Ma Nature uses to build soil, since in my limited years left on the planet and my need to feed myself during those years, I recognize that Ma Nature has had approximately a 10,000 year head start on me in the soil-building department. Wayne