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Chief Phillip 'Cloudpiler' Landis 's Profile
Chief Phillip 'Cloudpiler' Landis
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Joined:
03/02/2011
Last Updated:
04/02/2011
Location:
Humansville, MO, United States
Climate Zone:
Cool Temperate
Gender:
Male





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What a Difference Soil Makes!

Posted by Chief Phillip 'Cloudpiler' Landis about 13 years ago

Transforming leached, sandy clay with very little humus, into rich, fecund, living Earth!

After spending a decade in the parched, wind-blown, sun-baked, frost and snow-frozen high desert of Utah, the rainy, forested, protected foothills of the Ozarks seemed like heaven on earth.  The property I was able to acquire was covered with sedond growth trees, thriving, living, exuding happiness trees.  I had found Eden.

When I settled down to observing the soil, however, I was to have a comeuppance.  It was nothing but sand with very littel humus, laying on top of two feet or so of solid red clay.  Wonderful to build with, but not so good to grow anything on.  In fact, i broke the ground in the usual way (rototiller God forbid!), and tried to grow some food that first summer.  Not happenning.  The rain pounded, and the sun pounded, and I had hardpan in no time.  The poor plants just wilted and withered away.

That Fall I enrolled in a PDC course that changed everything!  I am watching the soil build now, right before my very eyes.  For the first time in my life, I have living soil to work with, soil that may just need a little extra sand in it to make it ideal.  What a turnaround! 

 

Leached%20sandy%20soil Great%20soil Soil%20arm%20deep

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Tim Auld
Tim Auld : Hey, great to hear! Would you mind sharing the details of how you are improving the soil? Also, your photos would be more accessible if they were reduced before uploading. Cheers and good luck!
Posted about 13 years ago

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Chief Phillip 'Cloudpiler' Landis
Chief Phillip 'Cloudpiler' Landis : The procedure depended on the time and money available. Lots of time, no money. I trimmed the trees up to twelve and fifteen feet. The limbs were placed at the bottom of the berms, whether they were fishscale, circle or just raised beds depended on location and runoff sector map. Molded hay that I acquired from a neighbor went on top of the limbs, then a layer of sand. On the sand went another of hay. Then another of sand and another of hay. Then a top dressing of composted fescue hulls went on top. I know you should leave all this to compost in place, but I put in little pockets of sand and planted melons, squash, beans, potatoes, turnips, sweet potatoes, comfrey, and I placed apple, cherry and gourmi at the driplines of the circle and fishscale berms (they were built around mature oak and hickory trees). The plants did much better than ever I expected. One wintering over, and what you see in the first and second pic is what I have to plant in this spring. What's more, when I reach into the berm, like in the third pic, I can bring up molding, rotting limbs that are just as spongy and wet as can be. This will bode well right around the end of August when our two-week draught hits.
Posted almost 13 years ago

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Climate Zones
Chief Phillip 'Cloudpiler' Landis has permaculture experience in:
Alpine
Cold Temperate
Cool Temperate
Arid

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