18/09/2024
📌THIS POST IS ALL ABOUT HELPING YOU TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD PLAYER IN YOUR FARM ECOSYSTEM, AND TURN IT TO WORK FOR YOU.
I Absolutely LOVE when I pull back the biomass and see the soil covered in worm castings, worms wriggling away, one I even caught on top.
Soil moisture and structure is improving rapidly, and fertility is huge - check out my previous Broccoli crop post!
This has not cost me money. No fertiliser, no bought in composts, products, biostimulants on this particular section.
Not even any watering.
HOW!? You say?? From dead compacted clay you couldn’t even drive a table fork into?
I used natures system- ie, annual w**ds, and their natural cycling function.
And I’m now being able to move towards healthy, pest resistant, fertiliser free crops. Now that I let my w**ds do their job. And importantly, actively managed them in an ecological manner.
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THIS IS SO CULTURALLY CONTROVERSIAL!
WHAT FOLLOWS IS A BIT SCARY, BUT ITS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING. READ ON WITH COURAGE…
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So people havent said too much when I’ve posted about using my w**ds to build my soil. One brave soul however did give me a lecture on the cultural history of one particular w**d, and telling me I was irresponsible for my post 🤣🤣 but most probably read in uncomfortable silence.
It’s safe to say,
As a culture, we are TERRIFIED OF WEEDS.
WE FIGHT HUGE WARS ON WEEDS.
That poison our soils, our soil life, creatures and ecosystems, and worst of all, ourselves.
Not to mention the millions spent on these poisons that don’t fix the problem - the w**ds keep coming back,,,, WHY!?????
We must look beyond the symptom of the w**ds, to the *why* of the w**ds. And make appropriate management decisions to address that *why*. Once the *why* is addressed, the symptom of w**ds will fade into your review mirror.
Sure, this w**d war can be rationalised in that w**ds to create some limits to production.
But this is only when production is seen through a short term lense in terms of that years crop. Not when production is seen in terms of the whole of systems function and productivity (ie, fertility).
Or, we design our farm enterprises, timing and cost structures around our cultural war on w**ds, rather than designing our farming systems, timings and cost structures around ecological restoration that builds beyond w**ds for greater financial and productive outcomes in the long run.
When we can move our mindset, even for a short time, beyond the war of w**ds, and put to the side for a minute the judgment of “good” or “bad” on any plants…
Opportunities open.
We can see what the conditions are that are triggering these w**ds to flourish. Then we can make targeted management decisions to move through and beyond these w**ds, rather than stay and fight them.
Some of the conditions that trigger w**ds to flourish are:
- high levels of sunlight at the soil surface (bare ground)
- compaction
- insufficient soil carbon ratio to the amount of free nitrogen molecules (in various states), and/or the absence of trace elements to properly complete the nitrogen metabolic pathway.
-there is an imbalance of other nutrients in your soil, caused by the disruption of plant architectural and biological diversity over the years.
Particular w**d seeds in the seedbank are then signalled to germinate by these conditions, and they are trying to cycle the nutrients, add carbon, cover ground, and other jobs.
Ecologically, This is the greatest source of w**d competition, not them blowing in from the neighbours.
SO. Where to from here?.
1) read what your w**d is telling you. Don’t just look at the chemistry indicators, but the architectural and biological indicators also.
2) get going on some creative brainstorming. How you could adapt your farming practices to USE these w**ds as signposts of the direction you need to go in to heal the wound these w**ds are Band-Aiding over. Let go of, just for a short time, all of the constraints you currently have. Explore ideas with the genuine idea of,
⚙️🧐“I wonder, what if?”🧐⚙️
3) once your focus shifts to healing the wound, and away from ripping off the Band-Aid, the Band-Aid becomes redundant. You have stronger, more resilient soil.
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These ideas are scary, and controversial.
You feel like they could cost you millions.
But it is possible to explore these ideas in a safe-to-fail manner.
And it is possible to move forwards on building your soil health without having to fight w**ds.
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Send me a PM to look at some farm ecosystem coaching with Transformation Ag if you want to explore the possibilities at your place. Wheatbelt, Midwest and Southwest WA.
