Mike Gaughan wrote:To the original poster, your comparison of Solomon and Savory is interesting...Savory is lobbying that controlled grazing with cattle is the key to revegetation of the deserts and controlling climate change (Google his now famous TED Talk). On the other hand, Solomon argues (in The Intelligent Gardener, I believe) that soil improvement through controlled grazing is a myth. This is a topic where Soloman may be out of his league. His knowledge of gardening and basic soil chemistry is very strong, but his opinions on grazing do not appear to be in line with other sources I've read. Of course, some of those other sources include Joel Salatin, who is trying to sell books on rotational grazing. And Solomon is trying to sell books on gardening. Both Solomon and Salatin, however, do seem to possess altruistic motives to improve the world through better agriculture. But from my standpoint, where is that fuzzy line between science and marketing?

Good topic, Daniel. Thanks for bringing this up!

Mike Gaughan wrote:I've read Solomon's The Intelligent Gardener and found it to be generally scientifically valid, at least as far as the basic topic of cation exchange. His formulas for mineral additions are strongly based on Albrecht's theories, and are also in-line with Michael Astera's recommendations. For an excellent overview of soil remineralization, check out Astera's article at http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010178.better.than.organic.pdf.

I implemented Soloman's concept in my garden this year, beginning with a soil test from Logan Labs. I worked through the formulas for each nutrient and came up with a prescription for my soils. Some materials such as lime were available at my local garden center. I ordered other materials, such as copper sulfate and zinc sulfate, from Alpha Chemicals http://alphachemicals.com/home. I tilled them into garden this spring. I can't really say I noticed any difference in plant growth as compared to previous years; however, we had a trying spring/early summer here in central CT. The season started with an extended cold, dry spring, then a mid-spring heat wave, followed by intense heat waves in July. August (so far) has seen seasonal temperatures and excellent growth. I have noticed that some of the veggies have been especially tasty, including the broccoli and tomatoes. I don't know this is the result of the additional of minerals or the plant varieties. It is difficult to put my finger on whether the performance of the plants is the result of re-mineralization or other factors such as weather or variety.

My big issue with the Soloman method is that the refined mineral salts he recommends, such as copper sulfate, are soluble in water. A tablespoon of copper sulfate will dissolve in a glass of water just like regular table salt. So, if I were to apply copper sulfate powder to my soil and then some big rains came through, the material would, worst case, leach right out of the root zone of the soil. Soloman would argue that the cation exchange capacity of the soil would trap the copper sulfate and prevent leaching. In fact, Soloman's prescriptions are such that you only add the quantity of minerals that can be trapped by your soil. I hope it works! Another approach, such as that espoused by Eliot Coleman, is to add rock dusts (finely ground rock, as opposed to refined salts) that are insoluble in water but release their minerals through biological processes. The theory here is that rock powders will slowly break down over time, providing a long-lasting source of minerals. The Soloman method seems more short term.

The trick with the Coleman method is finding natural rock powders that contain minerals in the right proportions needed by your soil. For example, greensand (recommended by Coleman) contains a lot of potassium and micronutrients (good) but also has a high percentage of magnesium. My soil test says my soil is already too high in magnesium, so adding greensand would throw the soil out of whack with regards to the very important calcium:magnesium ratio. With the Soloman method, you can tailor your mineral additions so you get just the right amounts of calcium, potassium, phosphorous, sulfur, mangesium, manganese, copper, zinc, boron, and sodium.

My plan for next year is to add biochar and bentonite clay to my compost pile to drastically increase the cation exchange capacity. I will then add the minerals to the compost, let it sit for a while, then add the whole mix to the garden. I hope this approach will minimize leaching of the relatively expensive mineral powers and provide the greatest benefit to my plants.

Just my 2 cents, thanks for reading!

Angelika Maier wrote:My soil has deficiencies indeed because I cannot grow decent sized beetroots, one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Generally I think that soil tests are not bad, but I would prefer cheaper methods (I'm not a farmer). And like many people here the soil is so bad that people build up the soil instead of using what's there (or what's not there). If you build up soil you are most likely to be dficient in something, but what is the something??

Walt Chase wrote:

Thats why the soil test.  No soil is "perfect".  Case in point, I started a new garden patch several years ago.  Soil "looked" really nice, I added compost etc to add organic matter to it and build up the mostly mineral soil.  That patch wouldn't grow hardly anything.  After a couple of years I finally broke down and had my soil tested.  Applying the amendments recommended by the test turned that garden around 180*.  I've since tested yearly and follow Steve Solomons methods of minerally balancing the soil. That patch now grows wonderfully anything I plant in it.  Veggies actually taste better than before.  I haven't had tissue samples tested to see how the mineral content is or tested what the Brix is as that is past my interest, but I do know that now I have a great garden in what was just a few short years ago a virtual garden desert. Soil testing is, in my humble opinion, a great investment in your soil, and one of the first things any gardener should do so that you know what your starting point is and can develop a plan to get to where you want to be. 

John Saltveit wrote:  A big factor is how much organic material is in your soil.  CHC is measured and it means how much nutrition your soil can digest and hold. If you have sand, there is almost no point in adding minerals because until you add organic material over time, your soil won't be able to hold the nutrition. You'll just be dumping minerals into your local stream system.
John S
PDX OR

People buy humic acid in bags, but I wonder, if there is a way to make compost, that creates good amounts of it?

Tj Jefferson wrote: The plants have cleared deficiencies much faster with the humic than without.

Mike Gaughan wrote:I've read Solomon's The Intelligent Gardener and found it to be generally scientifically valid, at least as far as the basic topic of cation exchange.  His formulas for mineral additions are strongly based on Albrecht's theories, and are also in-line with Michael Astera's recommendations.  For an excellent overview of soil remineralization, check out Astera's article at http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010178.better.than.organic.pdf.