One simple promise.
If your property is maintained by blackland permaculture we will spray or treat THAT area with our bio-complete products once a month all year round. Your soil WILL get healthier. Period!
LIVING SOIL
To understand our products let me explain a few things first.
Living soil and not inert DIRT is what makes plants grow. From lichens growing on rocks in the tundra to the mighty redwood forests, ALL plants need living soil. The "living" part of the soil is literally that billions of living things called Microbes. Your stomach has some of these same microbes, we call those probiotics or gut biome. They get into our system through our food. They are supposed to be in the ground and then taken up by plants that we eat as food. Most farms use so many chemicals the microbial numbers are just not in the soil anymore. This is why we take probiotic supplements. Using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides will never allow you to have the numbers, diversity or balance of microbes to support healthy plants. Every application of chemicals kills more microbes until the only way you can make things grow is with the chemicals. The nutrition and health of the plants produced by chemicals decreases every year.
We are all growing increasingly fat, sick and starving... well, so are the plants. Just because you have a fat green lawn doesnt mean its healthy. Healthy plants resist disease, pests, and require far less water. They are strong, resilient and thrive. When you're the only one on your street still cutting your green lawn in the summer without the $400 water bill, you'll see what we mean. When your oaks are growing like crazy while your neighbors are losing them, you'll see. Everyone will see but its what you cant see that makes all the difference. Tiny microscopic microbes working the way GOD intended.
Living soil and not inert DIRT is what makes plants grow. From lichens growing on rocks in the tundra to the mighty redwood forests, ALL plants need living soil. The "living" part of the soil is literally that billions of living things called Microbes. Your stomach has some of these same microbes, we call those probiotics or gut biome. They get into our system through our food. They are supposed to be in the ground and then taken up by plants that we eat as food. Most farms use so many chemicals the microbial numbers are just not in the soil anymore. This is why we take probiotic supplements. Using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides will never allow you to have the numbers, diversity or balance of microbes to support healthy plants. Every application of chemicals kills more microbes until the only way you can make things grow is with the chemicals. The nutrition and health of the plants produced by chemicals decreases every year.
We are all growing increasingly fat, sick and starving... well, so are the plants. Just because you have a fat green lawn doesnt mean its healthy. Healthy plants resist disease, pests, and require far less water. They are strong, resilient and thrive. When you're the only one on your street still cutting your green lawn in the summer without the $400 water bill, you'll see what we mean. When your oaks are growing like crazy while your neighbors are losing them, you'll see. Everyone will see but its what you cant see that makes all the difference. Tiny microscopic microbes working the way GOD intended.
THE MICROBES
The microbes are made up of a vast array of inter-dependent organisms that make up a "soil food web". Dr Elain Ingham has pioneered this field of study and its her Soil Food Web School that is our primary source of content and techniques. There are tons of videos in you tube you can watch about the subject. Dr Elaine is a national treasure and we are lucky to have been trained by her.
So, the Soil Food Web demonstrates how bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa and others make up a very complex inter-dependent relationships with plants. Without some of these microbes the complexity of system breaks down. The microbes that make bio available nutrients are missing, those nutrients are not produced and the plants suffer. Its never as simple as "more nitrogen", "add calcium" or some 24-36-0 bottle from walmart ... The complexity of these relationships is still cutting edge science but thanks to Dr Elaine we know a lot of the main characters. The full complexity will take us decades longer to work out so for now our best strategy for REPAIRING soil is to create "Bio-Complete Compost" and use it to reintroduce the microbes back into the soil.
So, the Soil Food Web demonstrates how bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa and others make up a very complex inter-dependent relationships with plants. Without some of these microbes the complexity of system breaks down. The microbes that make bio available nutrients are missing, those nutrients are not produced and the plants suffer. Its never as simple as "more nitrogen", "add calcium" or some 24-36-0 bottle from walmart ... The complexity of these relationships is still cutting edge science but thanks to Dr Elaine we know a lot of the main characters. The full complexity will take us decades longer to work out so for now our best strategy for REPAIRING soil is to create "Bio-Complete Compost" and use it to reintroduce the microbes back into the soil.
APPLICATIONS
The way we add compost depends on the need. Our primary applications are Compost, Compost Tea, and Compost Extracts.
TEAS
A compost tea is really a BREW or BEER. We take compost and use foods to explode the growth and replicate the microbes my the millions. If we're treating lawns, grasses and tree leaves Compost Tea or Brew is sprayed on. Its also great for vegetable gardens and landscape plants. lawns are sprayed every month. If there are a lot of landscape plants or gardens we will alternate the plants and the lawn monthly.
EXTRACTS
Extracts are like teas but party foods are not added and the microbes are teased or pulled out of the compost. The ratio of atual compost to extract is a lot higher than teas so its used more selectively. Trees prefer extracts injected or drenched on the roots. Trees do not need to be treated monthly unless there is stress. If we notice a tree having trouble we will treat it monthly. Once it recovers we will treat trees 4 times a year.
COMPOST
Spreading straight compost is the most costly way to use compost. We use it for disease control or weed suppression. Weeds are not actually weeds at all. They are pioneer plants that show up when the soil is poor. Fix the soil and they go away. No spraying needed. As the soil improves we add additional organic matter through mulches or cover crops. This gives the microbes we are reintroducing into the soil habitat, food and diversity of additional microbes. We will use compost in the program as we deem necessary.
TEAS
A compost tea is really a BREW or BEER. We take compost and use foods to explode the growth and replicate the microbes my the millions. If we're treating lawns, grasses and tree leaves Compost Tea or Brew is sprayed on. Its also great for vegetable gardens and landscape plants. lawns are sprayed every month. If there are a lot of landscape plants or gardens we will alternate the plants and the lawn monthly.
EXTRACTS
Extracts are like teas but party foods are not added and the microbes are teased or pulled out of the compost. The ratio of atual compost to extract is a lot higher than teas so its used more selectively. Trees prefer extracts injected or drenched on the roots. Trees do not need to be treated monthly unless there is stress. If we notice a tree having trouble we will treat it monthly. Once it recovers we will treat trees 4 times a year.
COMPOST
Spreading straight compost is the most costly way to use compost. We use it for disease control or weed suppression. Weeds are not actually weeds at all. They are pioneer plants that show up when the soil is poor. Fix the soil and they go away. No spraying needed. As the soil improves we add additional organic matter through mulches or cover crops. This gives the microbes we are reintroducing into the soil habitat, food and diversity of additional microbes. We will use compost in the program as we deem necessary.
EXCEPTIONS
This is not magic fairy dust. Its nature. We can speed her up but she likes to take her time. Every property is different and will require its own timeline to recover. If a property needs significantly more treatments than is average, we will need to set up additional treatments not covered in this program for as long as it takes for the property to come into a normal healthy state. This will be outlined and provided in writing at the beginning of service. In the event of an out break of pests, disease or contamination we will provide additional options on a case by case basis. Army worms running through your neighbors fields are not gonna stop at your fence, your property has delicious jucy roots. Or if the guy up the hill from you "accidentally" sprays glyfo-satan all over your garden, its gonna hurt. The microbes WILL still be in the soil and WILL help you recover a lot faster. If you MUST use glyfo-satan or his many minions LET US KNOW and we can guide you on how and when its ok to use the dark side of the force. We aren't a cult, if you need to use a product that will impact the microbes, we'll work together to offset the effects. Please do not use weed and feed and seed products or chinch bug bombs. you will set the microbes back months or worse. You will not need ANY additional products. Adding things will only hasten progress.
ORGANIC WARNING
Organic is a garbage term that means less than nothing. Its about as clear as mud. Actually I wish it was as useful as garbage or mud, we can work with that stuff. Please dont use organic products Aunt Hilda gave you unless you run them by us. I can do some quick research and let you know if its legit or snake oil. Anything that does not directly kill microbes, is ok to use. If you are an OCD-IYer We can show or teach you how to make the products we make and use. Its really all you'll need.
-James Burke 979 557-2355
ORGANIC WARNING
Organic is a garbage term that means less than nothing. Its about as clear as mud. Actually I wish it was as useful as garbage or mud, we can work with that stuff. Please dont use organic products Aunt Hilda gave you unless you run them by us. I can do some quick research and let you know if its legit or snake oil. Anything that does not directly kill microbes, is ok to use. If you are an OCD-IYer We can show or teach you how to make the products we make and use. Its really all you'll need.
-James Burke 979 557-2355