What is missing here is humus in the soil

That is exactly what I'm trying to instill in the minds of my in-laws ... but what do I know about rice ... the paddies I have - oeps ; my wive has - haven't been "burned" for the last ten years and I plough in the "ricedstrow" and afterwards the weeds ... I know it is twice the ploughing but after ten years we already have decent results ... now I can use mechanical harvesters !!!!
 
Support for Humus

Humus is a vital ingredient for healthy soil. The value hidden in the meaning of humus is that all growing plants take from the soil chemicals and minerals that they need to grow. These constituents simply cannot be replaced by adding a few bags full of nitrogen and potash. Sooner or later the soil becomes less productive and crops begin to fail. It is, in my opinion, absolutely essential to recycle unwanted vegetable matter by digging weeds, kitchen waste, rice straw and leaves into the soil. Don't forget that trees in particular get a lot of essential minerals from deep down and place them on the top soil when their leaves fall. An excellent source of humus. There are bacteria living in the soil as well as worms and insects. All of these are part of our food chain. When the balance of the soil is upset by adding chemical fertilisers and failing to add humus then these creatures cannot live to add to the value of the soil.
I have a farm in Buriram which I have left fallow for a few years. The soil is now rich with nutrients and has a healthy look and feel about it. Sadly the farmers cannot wait for a few years. They need income so they have to become productive by any means available to them. This leads to unhealthy practices and reduced future productivity. Change is likely to be slow and bad habits die hard.
 
Mimarlar said:
Humus is a vital ingredient for healthy soil. The value hidden in the meaning of humus is that all growing plants take from the soil chemicals and minerals that they need to grow. These constituents simply cannot be replaced by adding a few bags full of nitrogen and potash. Sooner or later the soil becomes less productive and crops begin to fail. It is, in my opinion, absolutely essential to recycle unwanted vegetable matter by digging weeds, kitchen waste, rice straw and leaves into the soil. Don't forget that trees in particular get a lot of essential minerals from deep down and place them on the top soil when their leaves fall. An excellent source of humus. There are bacteria living in the soil as well as worms and insects. All of these are part of our food chain. When the balance of the soil is upset by adding chemical fertilisers and failing to add humus then these creatures cannot live to add to the value of the soil.
I have a farm in Buriram which I have left fallow for a few years. The soil is now rich with nutrients and has a healthy look and feel about it. Sadly the farmers cannot wait for a few years. They need income so they have to become productive by any means available to them. This leads to unhealthy practices and reduced future productivity. Change is likely to be slow and bad habits die hard.
Click to expand...

I know very little about this, but I do recall during my school days, more than 50 years ago, that we were taught for land to be fertile there must be a rotation of crops. This does not happen here in Thailand as it is rice, ric,e rice, year in and year out!
 
IsaanAussie said:
Take a minute to watch this video from a recent TED presentation.
http://youtu.be/8Q1VnwcpW7E
Click to expand...



Thanks for that link IsaanAussie. Very interesting and informative, as well as somewhat alarming.

Once all the construction is finished up the village for the new additions to the house, and the new restaurant, I will see what I have left for land for a garden plot to start growing my own veggies again. Your info here will be used to help me do it right. :)

I'll be going to the states in late September and will bring back some seeds again to try to grow some more Mexican hot peppers and things not found here I'd like to have.

Mike
 
Great to see some comments on this subject. What has happened is industry has developed NPK fertilisers which are soluble and are readily available to plants. The theory it is very easy to ensure the crop gets the nutrients it needs. Natural farming techniques provide organic material which decomposes to feed the soil ecology and biology as supply the same chemical constituents for the plants, but often not in a plant available form. Those "locked up" nutrients must be mineralised by the biology in the soil first. If there is no biology then organic fertilisers will do little to help the crop.
You will often be cited studies that show a reduction in yield when a farm goes from chemicals back to organics. When the soil is fed first, this does not happen. Get the soil healthy first and then the need for additional fertiliser of either type is vastly reduced.
This year I am using organic fertiliser made on our farm. Our rice is just as healthy as any of our chemical neighbours despite our pellets being much lower in nutrient
Levels than the chemical ones.
It is a fascinating subject.
 
Hi Cent,
This is a another issue on the soils here. Most people I talk to have tried to grow Western veggies etc here but many have failed. The reason is those plants are not prepared for the soil conditions here. Supportive bacteria and fungi are different and diseases and pests are mutations of what the plants are suited for. There is a lot of work going on to provide innoculants and biology to overcome this.
I am following the work of a team in the states that are producing a method of brewing worm compost to produce a bacteria that attaches to the seed and prevents damping off for instance. If I can encourage the same biology in my worm farm and then brew it, those sorts of issues can be eliminated here using indigenous biology. As the counter-point is biology from outside may be different and not survive the local soil environment here.
If you bring back seeds look for disease resistant strains as your best start.


Cent said:
Thanks for that link IsaanAussie. Very interesting and informative, as well as somewhat alarming.

Once all the construction is finished up the village for the new additions to the house, and the new restaurant, I will see what I have left for land for a garden plot to start growing my own veggies again. Your info here will be used to help me do it right. :)

I'll be going to the states in late September and will bring back some seeds again to try to grow some more Mexican hot peppers and things not found here I'd like to have.

Mike
Click to expand...
 
Thanks IA. I have tried a few times with varying results to grow Jalapenos and Habeneros peppers here. A couple times they did great (I grew them in large clay pots that I could move around if need be), and other times they succumbed to insect infestation and fungal problems. I've tried growing these seeds at different times of the year as well. Also tried to get some Beefeater tomatoes to grow here but had no luck at all.
I'll pick your brain if you don't mind once I am ready to start my garden.

I'll probably have a problem finding seeds to buy in the Boston area this late in the season, but have a brother in California that will be visiting me in Boston while I am home that can buy from their garden centers out there what I'll want and bring them to me.

By the way, we found a nice Thai lady in the day market a few months back selling Jalapeno peppers. She had TONS of them, and though some looked a little funky and not as fat, meaty and large as we can grow these in the states, they were quite tasty and spicy, and she seemed to be having good luck getting hers to grow in her farm. I want to buy more when she starts selling them again just for the seeds, as hers seem to do well enough here in Isaan.

Mike

IsaanAussie said:
Hi Cent,
This is a another issue on the soils here. Most people I talk to have tried to grow Western veggies etc here but many have failed. The reason is those plants are not prepared for the soil conditions here. Supportive bacteria and fungi are different and diseases and pests are mutations of what the plants are suited for. There is a lot of work going on to provide innoculants and biology to overcome this.
I am following the work of a team in the states that are producing a method of brewing worm compost to produce a bacteria that attaches to the seed and prevents damping off for instance. If I can encourage the same biology in my worm farm and then brew it, those sorts of issues can be eliminated here using indigenous biology. As the counter-point is biology from outside may be different and not survive the local soil environment here.
If you bring back seeds look for disease resistant strains as your best start.
Click to expand...
 
Cent said:
Thanks IA. I have tried a few times with varying results to grow Jalapenos and Habeneros peppers here. A couple times they did great (I grew them in large clay pots that I could move around if need be), and other times they succumbed to insect infestation and fungal problems. I've tried growing these seeds at different times of the year as well. Also tried to get some Beefeater tomatoes to grow here but had no luck at all.
I'll pick your brain if you don't mind once I am ready to start my garden.

I'll probably have a problem finding seeds to buy in the Boston area this late in the season, but have a brother in California that will be visiting me in Boston while I am home that can buy from their garden centers out there what I'll want and bring them to me.

By the way, we found a nice Thai lady in the day market a few months back selling Jalapeno peppers. She had TONS of them, and though some looked a little funky and not as fat, meaty and large as we can grow these in the states, they were quite tasty and spicy, and she seemed to be having good luck getting hers to grow in her farm. I want to buy more when she starts selling them again just for the seeds, as hers seem to do well enough here in Isaan.

Mike
Click to expand...

I have a number of different pepper and tomato seeds from Australia and will be starting some soon. I have had more than my share of failures on both. Seems there is no problem in germinating in my seed raising and potting mixes, problems come after transplanting. Insects aside I believe I have issues in the soil and I will be treating it with the worm compost tea before planting. I know a few guys that microwave soil but I fail to see the point in an open bed environment. I will also try a better range of companion plantings.
I am hoping to be able to start supplying seedlings of these soon.
 
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