CLAY POTTERY
The clay hydroponics balls are a substitute for the clay pottery sherds that the Amazonians put into their terra preta. The clay absorbs water and releases it slowly, helping to keep the ground moist between waterings.
Maybe those Amazonians had a public health program back then, unlike here in the United States nowadays, and so they did not worry about infections from cuts made by sharp pottery sherds in the soil while they were tending their gardens.
As for us, we'll make the investment in the nice round-edged hydroponics clay balls. And it is an investment. Those things are expensive. But still cheaper than a trip to the Emergency Room.
ROCK POWDER FOR ESSENTIAL MINERALS FOR YOUR PLANTS, AND FOR YOU
The other new ingredient that needs some explaining is the rock powder. We learned about the power of rock powder from a small book called "Soil and Immunity," by Dr. Bernard Jensen. This is a deeply philosophical book that often digresses into other issues, but the main idea is that much of human disease is related to mineral deficiency, and that mineral deficiency is because our food lacks minerals. He also says that much about our food system is dysfunctional and does not promote human health; in fact, that system promotes disease.
Dr. Jenson says that plants need far more than the three nutrients that are provided in the usual commercial fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium); and he says that plants need almost all minerals in trace amounts. Dr. Jensen says that microbes in the plants' roots break down the rock powder and make the minerals available to the plants, in particles that are tiny enough to pass into the root system. He says that when the plants have a full spectrum of minerals, that they are more nutritious and also tastier, and that eating them makes us healthier. I can vouch for the tastier, because our vegetables (especially the corn, cucumbers and tomatoes) were among the very best that I have ever tasted. My mouth is watering right now, just thinking about them.
So Mike found a source for rock powder, and he applied two 50-pound bags of it to the garden. You can get rock powder in various grades and coarseness. Mike started with a very fine powder so that the plants would receive the mineral boost faster. We plan to also add some coarser rock powder that will break down more slowly and last a long time. Mike says that the rock powder is expected to last over 70 years, so I figure that once we add the coarser grain, that should be sufficient for the rest of the time that we expect to live here.
If you don't have a source for rock powder, I believe that adding lava rock would accomplish the same thing, just more slowly. We placed lava rock around a lot of plants in the yard because we have some major snail and slug issues here in the eternal springtime of Southern California, and those will not cross lava rock. I have noticed that lava rock breaks down rather quickly, and I think that lava would contain practically all the minerals that a plant or microbe could ever want.
OTHER SOURCES OF ENRICHMENT FOR THE TERRA PRETA
ANIMAL BEDDING
NOTE: Only use bedding from vegan animals. Animals that eat meat, especially if it is raw, can spread a lot of diseases and parasites.
ANOTHER NOTE: If you are going to use animal bedding as compost for your terra preta, do not use cedar. Cedar has a natural pesticide in it and is poisonous.
We have been adding the aspen-chip bedding from our large tortoises' sleeping area, which is very rich in, well, you know, tortoise fertilizer. This is some seriously good stuff for a garden, especially since our tortoises dine mostly on clover.
Speaking of recycling, tortoise-style, we also are able to use any vegetables that were spoiled by insects by feeding them to our large Sulcata tortoises. Those guys will eat and recycle almost any plant matter, except for beans. And they're cuter than a worm farm.
If you have rabbits, then that bedding and the dung would be a fantastic addition to your terra preta.
