Open Source Ecology - soil-stuff

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_type

A soil type is a taxonomic unit in soil science. All soils that share a certain set of well-defined properties form a distinctive soil type. Soil type is a technical term of soil classification, the science that deals with the systematic categorization of soils. Every soil of the world belongs to a certain soil type. Soil type is an abstract te...

5:38 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Reference_Base_for_Soil_Resources

World Reference Base for Soil Resources

The World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is an international soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps. The currently valid version is the fourth edition 2022. It is edited by a working group of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS).

5:39 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta

Terra preta

Terra preta (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈtɛʁɐ ˈpɾetɐ], literally "black soil" in Portuguese) is a type of very dark, fertile anthropogenic soil (anthrosol) found in the Amazon Basin. It is also known as "Amazonian dark earth" or "Indian black earth". In Portuguese its full name is terra preta do índio or terra preta de índio ("black soil of the ...

5:39 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_test

Soil test

Soil test may refer to one or more of a wide variety of soil analysis conducted for one of several possible reasons. Possibly the most widely conducted soil tests are those done to estimate the plant-available concentrations of plant nutrients, in order to determine fertilizer recommendations in agriculture. Other soil tests may be done for engi...

5:40 PM

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost

Compost

Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and manure. The resulting mixture is rich in plant nutrients and beneficial organisms, such as bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, a...

Eric Lotze pinned a message to this channel. 7/27/2023 5:40 PM

Other bit, i was reading up on “Humic Acid” and turns out a lot of it is made from lignite/similar low grade coals?!?

5:42 PM

So odd crossover there with #bio-petrochemistry potentially (Hydrothermal Carbonization to Humic Acid?)

5:42 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humic_substance

Humic substance

Humic substances (HS) are coloured recalcitrant organic compounds naturally formed during long-term decomposition and transformation of biomass residues. The colour of humic substances varies from yellow to brown to black. Humic substances represent the major part of organic matter in soil, peat, coal and sediments and are important components ...

Eric Lotze pinned a message to this channel. 7/27/2023 5:42 PM

@Stochastic you've been hacked. Please fix that.

I have been looking into this more too, i think i have tabs currently open on this lol, let me go dig

5:52 AM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernozem

Chernozem

Chernozem (from Russian: чернозём, tr. chernozyom, IPA: [tɕɪrnɐˈzʲɵm]; "black ground"), also called black soil, regur soil or black cotton soil, is a black-colored soil containing a high percentage of humus (4% to 16%) and high percentages of phosphorus and ammonia compounds. Chernozem is very fertile soil and can produce high agricultural yield...

5:53 AM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loam

Loam

Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > 63 micrometres (0.0025 in)), silt (particle size > 2 micrometres (7.9×10−5 in)), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < 2 micrometres (7.9×10−5 in)). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–silt–clay, respectively. These...

5:53 AM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_earth

Dark earth

In geology and archaeology, dark earth is a substratum, up to 1 meter (3.1 feet) thick, that indicates settlement over long periods of time. The material is high in organic matter, including charcoal, which gives it its characteristic dark colour; it may also contain fragments of pottery, tile, animal bone and other artefacts. It is interpreted...

5:53 AM

Irish Had Odd Thatch-as-a-chimney-filter thing, then used that as compost kind of like biochar or maybe moreso kind of humic adid territory

5:54 AM

Cool, but also, i'm like with no chimney are your lungs still good granted bigger problems than long term lung health back then

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertisol

Vertisol

A vertisol is a Soil Order in the USDA soil taxonomy and a Reference Soil Group in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB). It is also defined in many other soil classification systems. In the Australian Soil Classification it is called vertosol. Vertisols have a high content of expansive clay minerals, many of them belonging to the mo...

6:10 AM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mollisol

Mollisol

Mollisol is a soil type which has deep, high organic matter, nutrient-enriched surface soil (A horizon), typically between 60 and 80 cm in depth. This fertile surface horizon, called a mollic epipedon, is the defining diagnostic feature of Mollisols. Mollic epipedons are created by long-term addition of organic materials derived from plant roots...

6:11 AM

some of those may need editing also i wanna see how long it takes until you terraform the area into that 60-80cm layer, especially if you do the initial 1 time till of a PILE of compost/biochar and all that

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/montana/soil-your-undies-challenge

http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/1023/c90000-20087833.html

Grass grid barriers combat sand erosion in China's deserts - People...

Grass grid sand barriers have emerged as one of the most effective, cost-efficient, and environment

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China is using grid barriers to prevent erosion of sandy deserts

5:12 PM

The grids (which I have seen as tubes of sand, piles of straw, and grass) prevent the wind from sweeping away all of the sand and soil usually found in deserts

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When accompanied by new grass and brush planting it can revitalize the deserts into more stable vegetation filled areas

5:14 PM

Similar principles could be used to prevent soil erosion in a lot more places than deserts, I’m quite confident

@Alexa has reached level 18. GG!

Alexa

Similar principles could be used to prevent soil erosion in a lot more places than deserts, I’m quite confident

hi! I'm reminded of this project: https://www.instagram.com/lead.tz/?hl=en

LEAD Foundation (@lead.tz) • Instagram profile

189K Followers, 229 Following, 371 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from LEAD Foundation (@lead.tz)

Eric Lotze

Other bit, i was reading up on “Humic Acid” and turns out a lot of it is made from lignite/similar low grade coals?!?

Biochar is the stuff you're looking for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMAiBqiMpDo

Canadian Permaculture Legacy

Make INSANE soil fertility with chickens and biochar

5:25 AM

Adds infrastructure for soil life, basically. Lots of hollowed out plant cells, turned to amorphous carbon, forming roads and houses and pipes and canals and cisterns for soil microbes and fungi and the like. Which makes their lives easier, so they can spend more energy chewing up rocks for nutrients, which is where plants get their nutrients from - they can't eat rocks any better than we can. (edited)

Angle

Biochar is the stuff you're looking for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMAiBqiMpDo

I keep hearing about biochar lately. They say it's good for cat-ion-exchange capacity, which I don't fully understand (edited)

For soil, that means the ability to hold onto nutrients, IIUC. (edited)

11:36 PM

So, with low capacity, nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium will wash straight through your soil, without hanging around for long enough for plants to get at them.

11:37 PM

This is only one of the benefits of biochar, IMO - it also improves the ability of the soil to retain moisture, and it's ability to transport air and water. And it serves as beneficial infrastructure for soil life, like I said above.

Earthworms also excrete humic acid. It and fulvic acid are present in their castings. Biochar mixed with worm juice would be a great soil additive.

@laloeb has reached level 4. GG!

Wait did i post my dumb soil memes on here yet

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7:40 PM

SANDY LOAM?!? Who is she?

7:40 PM

Lives in my head rent free lol

Eric Lotze

Click to see attachment 🖼️

Do they really stop at 25'

I don’t think so, granted with trenching you do have issues like cave ins so maybe if it is a thing it exists to probably force you to terrace/staircase your way down or whatever.

Eric Lotze

I don’t think so, granted with trenching you do have issues like cave ins so maybe if it is a thing it exists to probably force you to terrace/staircase your way down or whatever.

Yeah it doesn't make sense, but I don't know enough about them to disprove it outright lol

Eric Lotze

Click to see attachment 🖼️

lmfao xD