Tim is a big dreamer working at a piddler's pace.
On a third of an acre in a village, living alongside his wife and trusty hound, Tim works towards living life within nature instead of at odds with it. Chickens, gardening, mushrooms and much more occupies Tim's mind as new projects appear and old projects complete. Tim is currently working towards renovating his 1850's home while turning lawn into edible space.
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Biochar is a wonderful way of increasing a soil's CEC potential through application. Biochar's porous structure creates a network of negatively charged surfaces to snag cations and hold them in place. These structures also happen to be wonderful sites for microbes to flourish and form in. I like to consider biochar to be like a nutrient sponge, ready to be drawn upon by plant roots at a moments notice. Biochar will increase the soils CEC almost double that of compost when the same amount is compared.
I have been trying to wrap my head around the idea of soil cation exchange capacity and believe it deserves its own thread. I am actively learning about this topic so if I have misunderstood anything please let me know!
Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) is a measurement of a soil's ability to retain cations in the soil particulates. Cations are positively charged molecules that can be bind by negative charges that exist in soil. When water travels through the soil, these cations can be exchanged between water and the soil. This phenomenon is important because many of these cations are in fact fertilizer for the plants that we hope to grow! I will not get into the physical instructions in order to conduct a CEC test but we can still benefit from understanding the principles of why it is important to consider.
Soils with a high CEC hold a higher capacity of nutrients and water locally that then may be drawn upon by plants for their needs. Soils with low CEC might require more frequent care when it comes to nutritional and watering needs. What influences if a soil has a higher or lower capacity? The two factors that I can consider easily without any complicated testing involve is considering how much clay and organic matter exists in the soil. Higher levels of clay and organic matter coincide with higher CEC levels. PH is reported to have an effect but this is not something I have explored yet.
Does the soil have mostly clay? It probably has a high CEC rating.
Does the soil consist of mostly sand? It probably has a low CEC rating.
A great way to figure this out at a low cost would be to conduct a Mason Jar Soil Test.
Soil Cation Exchange Capacity in relation to Soil Texture
As gardeners, we can influence the levels of organic matter (OM) in our gardens through a variety of ways including adding compost, chop and drop, and the use of mulches. We then can take advantage of soils with increased CEC capabilities as the OM content develops over time.
How often do you find yourself cleaning in your house? I'm talking about intentionally spending time going through rooms cleaning top-to-bottom, not just spot cleaning messes.
When I had to cover a large area with cover crop seed, I spread it around by hand and then followed up with a gentle raking. It worked wonderfully without any additional soil being needed.
If you are targeting small patches that you can approach then I would consider just poking holes with a stick and sprinkling seed in. You can then scuffle the holes closed and continue on with planting.
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Christopher Weeks wrote:I have to imagine the people voting "multiple times a day" have something completely different in mind than those voting "yearly".
You know, these polls are fun because of observations like this. Am I asking the right question? In this case I don't think I have defined what-is-cleaning specifically enough.
I live in a village where sidewalk maintenance is a must in the winter for all homeowners. Fortunately our village now has a little tractor plow that zips along the sidewalks to help out, it still is paramount that the homeowners make it walkable as soon as they reasonably can.
I have found there are a few tradeoffs that unfortunately exist when it comes to snow/ice management. If someone can find something that has no negatives I am all ears.
Options A. Wood Ash - Provides traction and assists in melting snow in several ways. It can be tracked inside a house.
B. Sand - Provides traction. Can build up causing soil to enclose on sidewalk. Can be managed with edging. It can be tracked inside a house.
C. Used Coffee Grounds - Provides traction and dark color assists in melting snow. It can be tracked inside a house. Requires drying before storage or it may mold.
