Fertility
“A New Way to Look At It”
R.
John Townley, President
Soil Life Systems, Inc.
March 18, 2001
As we walk the areas of our
golf courses, we are ignoring, and unaware of what is the very foundation of the
answer to our search for soil fertility.
I am referring to the
“soil life system” that exists
beneath our feet.
The soil is the domain of
myriads of microorganisms and small animals consisting of bacteria,
actinomycetes, fungi and yeasts intimately associated with the soil organic
fraction, which represents the carbon energy and nutrient source for most forms.
The organic fraction has been
classified as Humic substances, Humic acid, Fulvic acid, and Humin.
These are identified and isolated according to their solubility in water
at various pH values. Humic acid
and fulvic acid are insoluble in water at pH values below 2, but soluble at
higher pH values. Fulvic acid is
soluble in water at all pH values. Humin
is insoluble in water at all pH values. All
of this organic matter is derived from the plant residues and soil humus, which
is made available for the new generations of soil life.
The animal fraction of the soil not only utilizes these humic substances,
they are also continually producing them as byproducts of their part in
decomposition of soil humus and organic residues.
These are the smallest organic chemical manufacturing plants in the
world, producing a host of organic substances such as polysaccharides, phenols
and peptides.
Organic matter benefits the soil in many ways.
It not only helps increase water infiltration rates, but also improves
waterholding capacity. The tilth of
the soil is also improved, thereby providing easier emergence of the plant.
It serves as a slow-release source of N, P, and S for plant nutrition and
microbial growth. Additionally,
organic matter acts as a buffer against pH changes in the soil and at the same
time creates a source of cation exchange. It
serves as cement for holding the clay and silt particles together forming
aggregates, which help prevent soil erosion.
It facilitates the breaking of the iron-phosphate bond, allowing these
elements to be utilized by the plants. It
also chelates the metal-micro nutrients, thereby preventing their leaching out
of the surface soils. Finally, it
contributes to the stimulation of plant growth and seed germination.
The bacteria themselves
utilize the chemicals these wondrous animals produce, first, for satisfying
their energy requirements. These
beneficial soil organisms do not possess the photo synthetic means to derive
energy from the sun and, therefore, derive their energy from the carbon
containing substances remaining in or on the soil.
The balance is used to influence plant growth and to amend the soil,
resulting in increasing the yield and quality of both food and fiber.
Remember, this is a dynamic process.
Soil fertility, defined, is
the ability of the soil to sustain abundant plant growth.
What we are really doing, as we struggle to maintain fertility,
is to improve the environment for the soil
life systems. We must first
have a completely vigorous soil life
system before we can enjoy the
fruits of our planting. A healthy
soil is a fertile soil. Remember,
the soil organisms eat first at the table of nutrients, including the organic
matter.
The dastardly things we have
done, and continue to do to our soils give us what we so richly deserve – an
ever increasing acreage of soil with substandard fertility.
The continual application of
NH3 along with other excess applications of commercial fertilizers,
pesticides and herbicides, are poisons that affect the soil life systems first,
and soil fertility second.
As I review this entire
fertility phenomenon, and look at the relationship between the “soil life
system” and its influence upon soil fertility, I am in a state of quandary ---
which came first, the “soil life system” or “soil fertility?”
References:
Biological Properties of Soils, Chapter 6
Microorganisms and Their Increasing Importance in Today’s
Agriculture Humic Substances in Soil and Crop Sciences: Selected
Readings
SLS HUMATE
GOES INTERNATIONAL!
Golf Enviro Systems is pleased to announce
distribution of SLS Humate on an international basis. Along with securing a new
distributor for SLS Humates in Georgia and the Carolinas; we have shipped our
new greens grade humate to the Australia/China market through distribution by
The Ninemire Group. The availability of the new SLS greens grade humate, along
with the highest level of humic acid of any humate on the market, has proven
beneficial to the turf professional.
INTRODUCING MicroHumate® LIQUID
MicroHumate-The only high-analysis, totally
organic liquid humic on the market!
MicroHumate is the result of a combination of
micronizing and suspension technologies, and delivers the maximum possible
concentration of humic/fulvic acids, plus the important humin fraction, to your
plants and soil in a liquid form (may be shipped as a dry concentrate).
Containing 39% oxidized lignite (humate) in
micro-sized particles; MicroHumate uses the advantage of the tremendous surface
area to more readily improve your plants and soil. A total humic/fulvic acid
analysis of 24% exceeds any known liquid product on the market, including the
so-called dry, water-soluble products that can only re-constitute a maximum of
12% HA with very high pH.
MicroHumate is totally organic, non-toxic and
safe to handle. The natural pH of 3.7 enables MicroHumate to be safely used in
all types of agriculture, horticulture, and home uses.
FALL AERIFICATION
Believe it or not, it is time to begin thinking
about the upcoming Fall aerification process for the golf course. I will admit
that this was always one of the most stressful events of the year for me as a
Superintendent. I also knew that it was one of the most important.
Aerification is the ideal time to step back and
evaluate your soil and fertility program. Today is the day to take those soil
samples, send them to the lab, and allow us to get the results back prior to the
aerification process. This will be an evaluation of your past fertility program,
the influence of the irrigation water, and the influence of Mother Nature.
Aerification is the rare occasion when fertilizer amendments can be incorporated
deeper into the soil profile, resulting in the most dramatic and rapid change in
the balance of soil nutrients.
The nutrients levels that should be examined or
added at aerification include: Organic Matter (Humates); Organic Fertilizer
(Nature Safe at .5 -1.0#N/m); Calcium (Calcite Calcium or Hi-Cal); Magnesium (
Hy-Mag or Dolomitic Lime); Potassium (0-0-45 Super K or Polyon 0-0-46).
Golf Enviro Systems stands ready to assist you
with not only the evaluation of your soil test results, but with the development
of programs that will result in balanced soil chemistry. Balancing soil
chemistry is the way to make your life less stressful.
From the West Edge of the
Everglades
By R. John Townley, President
Soil Life Systems, Inc.
None of us have forgotten the fundamentals of
fertility, NPK, and we finally became acquainted with organic matter, humus and
the like, and eventually we became acquainted with the micro-nutrients. Then,
about 20 odd years ago, we learned about humic substances: humic acids, fulvic
acid and humin. After some time we began to learn the importance of these
different compounds, which have no known chemical structure, but exhibited and
re-arranged known organic chemicals into a group of chemical compounds known
today as Humates, Humic Acid, Fulvic Acid and Humin. Also, Humates have no known
molecular weight.
Somewhere along the path of learning we became
acquainted with the DYNAMIC LIVING SYSTEM in the soil which is the domain of
myraids of bacteria, fungi, and a host of other micro-organisms and small
animals that go unnoticed in our everyday pursuit of soil fertility. These tiny
troopers, micro flora, weigh in at about .5 to over 4 metric tons per ha. The
live weight of the fungi may surpass the weight of the bacteria. The biological
by-products of this army of troopers influence fertility and soil structure,
depending upon the types of organic amendments that are applied to the soil.
The editors and publishers got into the act by calling
this brown to black soil substance HUMUS, and quickly associate it with organic
matters.
They did, however, begin to notice that fertile soil did
have a dark color and that such soil did have a dark color and that such soil
exhibited better tilth and water holding capacity.
Previous study revealed that the soil bacateria comprise
a dynamic system which depends on the organic residues in the soil to supply the
energy for their existence. The byproducts of their existence are the humic
substances we find so necessary for soil nutrition and fertility.
As we look at the picture of fertility and the
remarkable role soil bacteria play, we must remember to supply raw materials
necessary for them to meet their production requirements.
The organic matter can be found in the various accepted
organic fertilizers available from your dealer.
The first organic fertilizer I used was found in a well
established feed lot and I mixed the humates with a spreader filled with the
manure and applied them together. I applied this mixture on all the fields prior
to discing and to the pastures in the fall or early spring. Remember, too, the
soil bacteria are most numerous at the soil surface, so surface application is
an advantage.
Along in the 1970s McCalla and Lavy in Microorganisms
and Their Increasing Importance in Agriculture stated that “never forget
the microorganisms eat at the first table.”
We now have available, adequate sources of organic
fertilizers. Use them with your humates and start feeding your “troops”
TODAY.
In turf maintenance the tees and greens have less growth
and therefore, have fewer cuttings for a source of crude organic matter and
should be given first consideration when using supplemental organic fertilizers.
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