posted 11 years ago
Well you made mention of the fact that the burned-over areas did well. By that token, I'd either try select burns, or again, check out biochar, and try mixing that stuff in to your soil. If you don't know what terra preta is, check it out. I think it was the Aztecs that used biochar to improve their soil, which was usually only inches thick, and their tropical climate caused the soil to burn out quickly. I would guess that its air-retention properties would take care of your air and structure problem, though.
-CK
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein