One man's weeds are another man's herbs, or helpful plants or symbionts with regard to the soil biome or pest prevention.
Also, the times of naked soil should be over by now. Dies out too quickly in warmer climates, can't keep heat in colder climates, loses nutrients too fast, can't keep a proper biome,... naked soil is unnatural for a reason. (Loose straw is a good cover.)
It's quite simple, really. Weeds are any plant that has an economic cost to leave growing, and if it increases the seed bank in the soil. Some of my weeds could be incredibly costly to leave. Also, most of my weeds are actually volunteers from one type of previous crop.
With regards to your comments about naked soil, you are correct that soil does not naturally want to be uncovered, and weeds are part of nature's process to cover it up again. And yes naked soil does lose organic matter. However where I l
Here's an interesting observation regarding tillage. Most of our latest and greatest tillage machines in Canada these days come from Europe. High speed discs, rippers, mulchers, etc. Apparently tillage is widespread in Europe (I can attest to that as I've seed many, many tilled fields in the winter in Europe). Most of these fields have been heavily tilled, plowed even, for centuries. Yet their organic matter is pretty good and have been stable for decades. And their yields are very good, often double wh
Tilth is really not the problem, compaction is the problem. that was the advantage of historical tillage, which was done with animals. now it's done with machines that tend to compact the soil and create hardpan, which in turn holds water and creates anaerobic conditions that destroy soil diversity.
The other big problem of tilth is soil blowing away, but if you don't cut down all the trees between fields that's not a big problem.
The UK imports about ten times as much food as it exports. Is it really producing as much food as it could be? Or is it just producing high-value crops that are expensive to ship?
Define "weeds". (Score:2)
One man's weeds are another man's herbs, or helpful plants or symbionts with regard to the soil biome or pest prevention.
Also, the times of naked soil should be over by now. Dies out too quickly in warmer climates, can't keep heat in colder climates, loses nutrients too fast, can't keep a proper biome, ... naked soil is unnatural for a reason. (Loose straw is a good cover.)
Re: (Score:4, Interesting)
It's quite simple, really. Weeds are any plant that has an economic cost to leave growing, and if it increases the seed bank in the soil. Some of my weeds could be incredibly costly to leave. Also, most of my weeds are actually volunteers from one type of previous crop.
With regards to your comments about naked soil, you are correct that soil does not naturally want to be uncovered, and weeds are part of nature's process to cover it up again. And yes naked soil does lose organic matter. However where I l
Re: (Score:3)
Here's an interesting observation regarding tillage. Most of our latest and greatest tillage machines in Canada these days come from Europe. High speed discs, rippers, mulchers, etc. Apparently tillage is widespread in Europe (I can attest to that as I've seed many, many tilled fields in the winter in Europe). Most of these fields have been heavily tilled, plowed even, for centuries. Yet their organic matter is pretty good and have been stable for decades. And their yields are very good, often double wh
Re:Define "weeds". (Score:2)
Tilth is really not the problem, compaction is the problem. that was the advantage of historical tillage, which was done with animals. now it's done with machines that tend to compact the soil and create hardpan, which in turn holds water and creates anaerobic conditions that destroy soil diversity.
The other big problem of tilth is soil blowing away, but if you don't cut down all the trees between fields that's not a big problem.
The UK imports about ten times as much food as it exports. Is it really producing as much food as it could be? Or is it just producing high-value crops that are expensive to ship?