• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 1
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 2
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 3
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 4

 

 

Vermiculture, Vermicompost

Worm Castings - Part 4

 

Using Vermicompost

Vermicompost is a fully stabilized organic soil amendment that is much more microbially active than the original organic material that was consumed.

• It has a fine particulate structure and good moisture-holding capacity.
• Vermicompost contains nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium in forms readily taken up by plants.
• It also has plant growth hormones and humic acids, which act as plant growth regulators.

 

You can either use your vermicompost immediately or store it and use it later.

• The material can be mixed into the soil in your garden and around your trees and yard plants.
• You can also use it as a top dressing on outdoor plants or sprinkle it on your lawn as a conditioner.
• It’s best to protect the vermicompost from direct sunlight by incorporating it in soil or covering it with mulch.

 

You can also make “vermicompost tea” to spray on your plants.

• Simply add two tablespoons of vermicompost to one quart of water and allow it to steep for a day, mixing it occasionally.
• Water your plants with this “tea” to help make nutrients in the soil available to the plants.
• Be sure to use the vermicompost tea on your plants within 24 hours of making the batch of solution.
• Do not use vermicompost tea on the edible portion of a plant unless you are absolutely certain that the solution does not contain pathogens.

 

Mixing castings for use in starting a garden

 Pauly Piccirillo - How To Mix Worm Castings For the Garden.

 

A good video by the great man Geoff Lawton

 Geoff Lawton: Permaculture Online

 

The way to much information section

Worm farming information:  A special thank you to Rhonda Sherman for all her work in the industry.

• Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage (Rhonda Sherman, 2017, AG-473-18).
  • How to set up and maintain a worm bin in your home or office to compost food scraps.
• https://composting.ces.ncsu.edu/vermicomposting-north-carolina/

 

"Vermicompost for Healthier Plants"

 JC Raulston Arboretum - "Vermicompost for Healthier Plants"

 

A worm farmers experience, first rate information.

 Andrew Fields

 

 Andrew Fields

 

Worm farming experience and wisdom found in this video.

Tour of Green Leaf Worm Farm - Hosted by Owner Sean Moore

  Dion HD Productions

 

Worm Bin Troubleshooting

Bin smells bad

• Overfeeding
  • Stop feeding for 2 weeks
• Non-compostables present
  • Remove non-compostables
• Food scraps exposed to air
  • Bury food completely
• Bin too wet
  • Mix in dry bedding, leave lid off
• Not enough air
  • Drill more holes in the bin

 

Bin attracts flies

• Food scraps exposed to air
  • Bury food completely
• Rotten food
  • Avoid putting rotten food in bin
• Too much food
  • Don't overfeed worms

 

Worms are dying

• Bin too wet
  • Mix in dry bedding; leave lid off
• Bin too dry
  • Thoroughly dampen bedding
• Extreme temperatures
  • Move bin where temperature is between 59° and 77°F
• Not enough air
  • Drill more holes in bin
• Not enough food
  • Add more bedding and food

 

Worms are crawling away

• Bin conditions are not right
  • Review above;
  • Leave lid off and worms will burrow back into bedding as they escape the light.

 

Mold is forming

• Conditions are too acidic
• Cut back on acidic foods; remove mold; moisten bread products

 

Bedding is drying out

• Too much ventilation
  • Mist bedding
  • keep lid on the worm bin

 

Liquid collecting in bottom

• Poor ventilation and/or over-watering
• Leave lid off for a couple of days and add dry bedding
• Feeding too many watery scraps
• Cut back on coffee grounds and food scraps with high water content
• Mix food with bedding material before feeding

 

To prevent unwanted seeds, generally a professional for profit operation.

• Compost traditionally until the internal compost pile temperature reaches 131 °F to 170 °F for 3 days. 
• Remove composting material (is not done we only want to kill the seeds and pests)
• Spread around and let the compost cool or you can cook your worms.
• Add this compost as feed stock to the worms.

 

Pests - Not all are harmful but annoying

Potworms

• Potworms are common in worm bins and enjoy slightly acidic conditions.
• Potworms are small white worms commonly found in soil.
  • They can develop into massive populations, especially in compost piles or in earthworm farms.
• They’re scientifically known as enchytraeids (enn-kee-TRAY-ids) and are segmented relatives of the earthworm.
  • They are often thought to be baby red wigglers, but baby red wigglers are reddish even when they are tiny.
• The name “potworms” comes from the fact they inhabit the soil in pots and containers.
  • There is some unnecessary worry that overpopulation will choke out the worm population.
  • That is typically not the case as potworms and a host of other creatures, including those that cannot be seen except under a magnifying glass or microscope, reside peaceably with earthworms, often in great numbers.
• When a potworm invasion occurs, they can number as many as 250,000 in a ten-square-foot area.
• Adults measure about a quarter of an inch, and can literally appear to be in the millions in comparison to your red wiggler worm population. Potworms tend to congregate together under food.
• Potworms feed on the same type of litter as earthworms and inhabit rich organic environments such as a compost heap or worm composter.
• They are efficient at aerating soil and breaking down just about any organic material.
• This species prefers an acid environment that is moist.
  • When lots of acidic materials are added to the bin, or when starchy materials are added and allowed to ferment.
  • If the bin is too dry, they will die.
• The easiest way to reduce potworm populations is with bread soaked in milk.
  • They will flock to a piece of soaked bread and can be lifted out and destroyed in large batches
• Just as potworms won’t harm other living worm species, they do no damage to living plants.
  • The only possible problem that could occur with potworms in a worm bin is if their population grows so large that they compete for food with the red wiggler composting worms.
  • However, this rarely happens and potworms generally help with the composting process.

 

Spider mites (Brown and white)

• Mites are the most common pests to show up in your vermicomposter.
• Most worm beds usually contain several species of mites.
• Earthworm mites are small and are usually brown, reddish or somewhere in-between.
• They tend to concentrate near the edges and surfaces of the worm beds and around clusters of feed.
• They are not known for attacking the earthworms but do eat the worm’s food.
  • When the mite population is too high the worms will burrow deep into the beds and not come to the surface to feed, which hampers worm reproduction and growth. 
• Mites can compete with the worms for available food if the population spirals too high. High mite populations usually result from:
  • Feeding the earthworms overly moist garbage and vegetable refuse as feed.
  • Over-watering. Keep the beds damp but not wet.
  • Poor bed drainage. Ensure that there are adequate drainage holes at the bottom of your worm bin or housing.
• Remember, the same conditions that ensure high worm production will be less favorable to mites.
• If you find your worm farm overrun by mites, expose the beds to the sun for light for a few hours.
  • Cut back on water and feed and then, every 1 to 3 days, add calcium carbonate.
  • Add additional shredded paper or coconut coir to absorb any excess moisture.
  • Drain off any liquid that has collected in the base and check to make sure the spigot is not plugged.
• They seem to love cantaloupe and watermelon. Place the rinds on top of the compost (after you have enjoyed the fruit of course).
• Leave it over night and the next day you will have mites covering the rind from top to bottom. Wash the mites off over the sink. Keep repeating the process until you are satisfied with the results. When you're done leave the rinds in for your worms to enjoy.

 

 Christy Ruffner - ControllingSpiderMitesInTheWormBin

 

Fruit Flies

• Not a friend, neither an ally, just plane annoying. 
• A common method for ending the cycle of nature on these worm farming pests mainly in your house.
  • Fill a small bowl with apple cider vinegar,
  • wrap it with plastic wrap and punch a couple of small holes in the middle about the size of a toothpick. 
  • They will fly into the hole and eventually drown.
  • They are attracted to the acid in the vinegar.
• This is probably what attracted them to the bin in the first place.
  • Remember to add the food in small layers to avoid rapid bacteria growth and pungent odor.
• A way to prevent their eggs from hatching can be to boil it before feeding it to the worms or freeze it but only if you see them in the fruit. 
  • Freezing will probably only kill the larvae and not the cocoons.
• Make sure to bury the food under at least 2 inches of bedding to eliminate any flies from getting in.
  • This will also mask the smell from emanating from the bin and attracting other worm farming pests.

 

Springtails

• Springtails are tiny, wingless insects, usually white in color but may also be yellow, gray, red, orange, metallic green and lavender.
• They feed on mold, fungi, bacteria and decomposing plant material so they are harmless to earthworms.
• Springtails can “jump” about 75 mm. They have a tiny spring-like structure under their bellies that causes them to jump when disturbed.
• Springtails are most numerous in wetter bedding, while numbers decrease as the bedding dries out.
• Although they have on occasion been observed to eat dead or weak worms, springtails are primarily a nuisance because they eat the worm’s food and can, when the populations are big enough, drive the worms deep into the beds and keep them from coming to the surface to feed.
• One deals with them the same way one deals with mites

 

Earwigs

• They are not harmful in a worm composter but may eat some of the earthworm food.
• Earwigs are outdoor insects usually found under mulch, logs or dead leaves.
• They both need and are very attracted to moisture.
• Earwigs are rapid runners, and are easily identified by the prominent pincers on the end of the abdomen.  
• The common earwig is a light, reddish brown flattened insect, up to one inch in length.
• Most species of earwigs are scavengers that feed on dead insects and decaying plant material but some species are predators.  
• Earwigs may try to pinch if handled carelessly, but are harmless to people.

 

Beetles

• Beetles are not harmful in the worm composter.
• The most common beetles in compost are the rove beetle, ground beetle and feather-winged beetle.
• Feather-winged beetles feed on fungal spores,
• The larger rove and ground beetles prey on insects, worms, snails, slugs and other small animals.
  • Rove beetles are the most common group of beetles found in composting bins.
• They are slender, elongated beetles with wing covers (elytra) that are much shorter than the abdomen; over half of the top surface of the abdomen is exposed.
• Their tail often bends upwards and they can be mistaken for earwigs.
• Most rove beetles are black or brown. Most rove beetles are medium sized beetles; a few species are up to one inch long. Rove beetles are active fliers or runners. When they run they often raise the tip of the abdomen.
• Rove beetles don’t sting, but can give a painful bite.
• They are found in or near decaying organic matter and feed on other insects such as fly maggots.

 

Centipedes - Remove these pests

• Centipedes are fast moving predators that will kill worms and should be removed.
• Centipedes resemble millipedes, but their bodies are more flattened and less rounded at either end.
• Centipedes have one set of legs per segment on the bodies and a pair of pincers which originate behind the head. The centipede is generally more reddish than the millipede.
• The stingers behind their head possess poison glands that they use to paralyze small earthworms, insect larvae and small insects and spiders. 
  • The only way to control centipedes is to remove them by hand which should be done carefully.
  • They will use the pincers to sting.

 

Millipedes

• They are harmless to earthworms.
• Millipedes have worm like segmented bodies with each segment having two pairs of walking legs.  
  • Millipedes move much more slowly than Centipedes and have a rounder body.
• Colors range from black to red, but those species found in the worm bin are commonly brown or reddish-brown.
• Millipedes are vegetarians that break down plant material by eating decaying plant vegetation.
• They will roll up in a ball when in danger.

 

Sow Bugs and Pill Bugs

• They are highly beneficial in the worm composter but can harm young plants.
• Sow Bugs, also known as a “wood louse” are fat bodied crustaceans with delicate plate like gills along the lower surface of their abdomens which must be kept moist and a segmented, armored shell similar in appearance to an armadillo.
• They are brown to gray in color and have seven pairs of legs and two antennae. They move slowly, grazing on decaying vegetation.
• They shred and consume some of the toughest materials, those high in cellulose and lignins.
• Sow bugs are usually found in the upper areas of the worm composter where there is an abundance of unprocessed organic matter.
• Pill bugs, or “roly polly bugs” look similar to sow bugs but roll up in a ball when disturbed.

 

Slugs & Snails

• Slugs and snails can be found in your vermicomposter. While they will not harm the worms they will eat any fresh kitchen waste in the composter.
• The biggest detriment is the eggs they lay.
  • The eggs can be transferred into your plantings in the compost providing them with a meal of succulent young plants.
• It is best to remove any slugs or snails you find immediately. If they become a problem you can make a slug trap as follows:
  • Cut several 1 inch opening in the sides of a clean, covered plastic container.
  • Sink the container into the bedding of the top tray of the worm composter so that the holes are just above the level of the compost.
  • Remove the lid and pour in ½ inch of beer or a yeast mixture of 2 tablespoons flour, ½ teaspoon baker’s yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 cups warm water.
  • The slugs will be attracted to the beer or yeast mixture, fall in and drown.
• Check the container regularly.

 

Ants

• Ants are attracted to the food in a worm bin.
• They feed on fungi, seeds, sweets, scraps, other insects and sometimes other ants.
• Try not to spill anything near your bins and clear away any spillage as soon as it is spotted.
• The presence of ants is an indication of dry bedding.
  • Moisten the bedding and turn it with a trowel to disrupt their colonies and most ants will find some place else to live.
• One way to keep ants out of your worm composter.
  • Put each of your bin’s legs in a dish of water that has had a drop of dish soap placed in it to reduce the surface tension of the water. This prevents the ants from walking across the water.
  • Alternatively, most of the garden centers sell ant goo, a sticky substance that is painted around the stems of rose bushes to trap ants.
  • It is eco friendly as it doesn’t contain any insecticide poisons.
• If all else fails and the ant invasion has already become serious,
  • Dust the area around your beds with pyrethrum dust or douse the ant nest and the trails leading to your bin with a granular insecticide, or use commercially available ant traps, which contain slow release poisons that the ants take with them back into their nests.
  • Please be sure not to use any insecticide on the actual worm bed soil or you will kill your worms.
  • If ants are already established inside the beds soak the section they are in with water and they will usually go away.
• The ants don’t bother the worms and they actually benefit the composting process by bringing fungi and other organisms into their nests.
• The work of ants can make worm compost richer in phosphorus and potassium by moving minerals from one place to another.

 

Blow and House Flies

• Excess flies buzzing around your worm bins or worm farms are usually the result of having used meat, greasy food waste, or pet feces as feed.
• They spread disease and can also result in maggots if the beds aren’t properly sealed.
• If your farm is kept indoors or under some sort of shading
  • Hang up some fly strips, which will draw them away from the farms. 
  •  A properly maintained worm farm will normally not stink and therefore not attract flies.

 

Soldier flies

• Soldier fly larvae are harmless to you, your worms and your plants. They are very good decomposers and, if allowed to stay in your vermicomposting system, will help to recycle your waste.
• Just be sure that your worms get plenty to eat as well. The soldier fly manure does make good worm feed as well.
• Soldier flies are true flies that resemble wasps in their appearance and behavior.
• Adult flies vary in color from black, metallic blue, green or purple, to brightly colored black and yellow patterns.
• The larvae of the fly are a type of small maggot that feeds exclusively on putrescent material.
• They are often found in worm composters but are not a real threat to the worms.
  • They do not attack them or compete with them for food and may in fact complement the compost worms activities.
  • Like the vermiculture worms their feces make excellent compost.
  • They can best be kept out of the worm composter by not using meat and fatty waste and by keeping the moisture on the dry side.
  • Make sure that there is a good cover of bedding material over the feeding area.
• These remarkable creatures, unlike the common housefly, do not spread bacteria or disease.
  • The larvae ingest potentially pathogenic material and disease-causing organisms and thus render them harmless.
  • Moreover black soldier flies exude an odor which positively discourages houseflies and certain other flying pests.
  • When the larvae reach maturity they leave the feeding area to pupate.
  • The adult fly is nocturnal and characterized by very fast and rather clumsy flight.
    • It has no mouth and cannot bite or sting.

 

Maggots or larvae

• The most common type of maggots found in a worm bin are grey-brown and about 1/2″ long.
• These are the larvae of the soldier fly, a large pretty, blue/black fly.
• These larvae are attracted to compost piles and to the worm bin, and will not harm you or your worms.
  • In fact, they are good decomposers and, like the redworms, will produce a high quality casting.
• If you haven’t added animal proteins, and don’t have any foul odors in the bin, then in all likelihood the maggots you are seeing will be soldier flies.
• Once your bin has soldier flies, it can be difficult to say goodbye to them.
  • Your best tactic is to simply allow them to grow out of the larval stage (which they do quickly) and fly off.
  • If you really can’t stand them, you’ll have to harvest the worms and get rid of all your vermicompost material (put it in an outdoor compost pile, or bury it in the garden).
  • Then put your worms back into fresh bedding.

 

Flatworms and Planarians

• Land Planarians are extremely destructive to earthworm populations and need to be removed and destroyed upon sight.
• Land Planarians, also called Flatworms, are iridescent slimy worms with a hammer or disk shaped head.
• They eat slugs, each other, and are voracious predators of earthworms.
• Much like slugs, they hide in dark, cool, moist areas during the day and require high humidity to survive.
• They are rare in rural sites.
• Feeding and movement occur at night.
• They can survive desiccation only if water loss does not exceed 45 percent of their body weight.
• They are thought to primarily be distributed by tropical plants.
• Planarians are a predator that you will want to remove and destroy every time you see one.
• Spray with orange oil or bleach, or collect to dry out in hot sun.

 

Summary

Utilizing worm castings in the garden is an excellent way to ensure balanced plant nutrition and maintaining a healthy soil web.  Castings are sometimes referred to as "black gold" due to the plant and soil benefits but also its economic value as high quality worm castings can be profitable.

Additionally, vericulture works to remove food and other organic waste products from landfills where it does not assist nature.  Today more and more restaurants, schools, farms, military and many other businesses and institutions are utilizing vermicomposting and truly making a greener world!  For this, they have our respect!

Depending on the food stock that you feed the worms the traits of the castings can be different.  Such as more manure based castings are different than vegetable based worm castings but they all work great.  Their is also not much data available on this aspect but I do know that is a thing.  In time when more data is more accessible I will update this compilation. 

I hope you have a positive view of worms and perhaps become friends with them.  We owe much to the not so lowly earthworms and I thank them!

 

Congratulations for learning about composting worms!

 

 

Credits - Please support these people and organizations directly.

• Dave
• http://floridanativeplantseeds.com/perennial_seeds_A-L.htm
• https://liaandrews.com/episodes/
• WormPost SE - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WormPostSE
• Larry Hall 
• DownToTheRoots
• Home Farm Ideas
• Rob Bob's Backyard Farm & Aquaponics
• The Abled Gardener 
• GreenShortz DIY
• Gregor Skoberne
• I AM ORGANIC GARDENING
• The Growing Club
• The Farm at South Mountain
• Pauly Piccirillo
• JC Raulston Arboretum
• Rhonda Sherman
• geobeats
• Christy Ruffner
• 
• http://www.wormfarmingrevealed.com/
• The Record Company
• ChetFakerVEVO

 

Links

• Natural farming section
• Indoor gardening environment
• Biochar
• Compost extract & Compost teas
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 1
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 2
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 3
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 4
• Soil recipe

 

 

 

~A Proud Cultural Healing and Life compilation

 

 

• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 1
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 2
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 3
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 4

 

 

Vermiculture & Vermicompost

Part 2

 

Composting Worms and sources

Finding suitable worms for vermiculture.

• It takes one pound of worms (1,000 individuals) to start a good-sized compost bin.
• You may find redworms near compost, under rotting logs or similar decomposing situations.
  • You won’t be able to tell the difference between Lumbricus rubellus and Eisenia fetida. 
• Composting worms can be purchased either locally or order via the Internet.
  • If a shop cannot tell you the scientific name of the worms do not purchase.

 

Worms suitable for vermicompost are from the epigeic class of worms.

• Eisenia fetida - Red Wigglers 
• Eisenia Hortensis - European Nightcrawler
• Eudrillus Eugeniae - African Nightcrawler
• Lumbricus rubellus - Red worms, often confused with red wigglers or Eisenia fetida
• Amynthus Gracilus - Alabama Jumpers

 

Attracting compost worms & a worm barrel update...

 Rob Bob's Backyard Farm & Aquaponics - Attracting compost worms & a worm barrel update...

 

4 Different Kinds Of Composting Worms

 Larry Hall - Why Am I Raising 4 Different Kinds Of Composting Worms? Well Let Me Tell You Why!

 

Feeding worms

• Once the earthworms have settled into their new home (after a couple of days) 
  • Add a small amount of food scraps on the surface of the bedding.
• The amount should not exceed 1-inch high.
  • This will prevent the food scraps from building up heat which is detrimental to the worms.
• Feed your earthworms any non-meat foods such as vegetables, fruits, crushed eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds, shredded paper coffee filters, and shredded garden debris.
  • Red wigglers especially like cantaloupe, watermelon, and pumpkin.
• Do not add citrus fruits or fruit peels to the bin 
  • They can cause the bin environment to become too acidic.  
• Never add meat scraps or bones, fish, greasy or oily food, onions, garlic, fat, tobacco, citrus, salty foods, or pet or human manure.
  • They can bring in pathogens and attract pests.
• Chop or blend food scraps into small pieces so they break down easier.  
  • This is not necessary but will help the food stock become consumed faster.
• Once you have fed your earthworms, use a three-prong garden tool to cover the food scraps completely with 1 to 2 inches of bedding to prevent fruit flies from finding the food.
• Food scraps can be stored for a few days before adding them to the worm bin.
  • Store in container with a lid next to or under their kitchen sink.
    • Coffee containers are excellent. 
  • Food scraps can also be stored in a container or bag in the freezer.

• The worms may be fed any time of the day  
  • Earthworms can be fed as seldom as every two to three weeks, depending on how many earthworms are in the bin.
• If you are going away for a couple of weeks, apply 1⁄2-inch layer of food scraps and cover it with two inches of moistened, shredded paper.
• Manure can be used but is recommended to compost it first.
  • Non composted manure can be used but it can make the worm bin to hot.

 

Worm Chow Recipe by down to the roots.  Adding a spoonful of this sprinkled over the food stock will ensure a balanced and healthy nutrition for your worms which ensure quality castings.  Think quality in and quality out!

• 1 Part-Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Part-Corn Meal
• 1 Part-Ground Oats
• 1/2 Part-Ground Oyster Shell/Egg Shell - Eggshells need to be cleaned and dried before using.

 

Feeding composting worm bins video section

 DownToTheRoots - How I feed my composting worm bins.

 

Homemade dry worm food (Worm Chow)

 DownToTheRoots - Homemade dry worm food (Worm Chow)

 

Processing eggs shells for worm bin

 DownToTheRoots - How I process egg shells for my worm bins.

 

Utilizing fish manure.

Home Farm Ideas - What to feed worms

 

Worm Slushies

 

Harvesting the Vermicompost

You may harvest the vermicompost by one of three methods

After a few weeks, you will begin to see vermicompost on the bottom of the bin. Vermicompost is soil-like material containing a mixture of earthworm castings (feces) and partially decomposed bedding and food scraps.

• In about four months, it will be time to harvest the vermicompost. :

 

Method 1: Sideways Separation.

• Feed the earthworms on only one side of your worm bin for several weeks, and most of the worms will migrate to that side of the bin.
• Then you can remove the vermicompost from the other side of the bin where you have not been adding food scraps, and add fresh bedding.
• Repeat this process on the other side of the bin.
• After both sides are harvested, you can begin adding food scraps to both sides of the bin again.

 

Method 2: Light Separation. 

• Empty the contents of your worm bin onto a plastic sheet or used shower curtain where there is strong sunlight or artificial light.
• Wait five minutes, and then scrape off the top layer of vermicompost.
• The earthworms will keep moving away from the light, so you can scrape more vermicompost off every five minutes or so.
• After several scrapings, you will find worms in clusters; just pick up the worms and gently return them to the bin in fresh bedding (with the old bedding mixed in).

 

Method 3: Vertical Separation. 

• Before you begin vermicomposting, either buy a manufactured stacking bin or make your own. 
• Set one bin aside and vermicompost in the other bin for a few months.
• When the bedding in the bin fits snug against the bottom of the bin you set aside, simply fit the second bin inside the first one, and begin only feeding in the top bin for the next several months.
• Most of the earthworms will move up into the upper bin to eat, and eventually the lower bin will just contain vermicompost.

 

Be on the lookout for earthworm egg capsules; they are lemon-shaped and about the size of a match head, with a shiny appearance and light-brownish color. The capsules contain between two and seven baby earthworms. Place the egg capsules back inside your bin so they can hatch and thrive in your bin system.

 

• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 1
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 2
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 3
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 4

• Section 1 - Roots
• Section 2 - Cloning
• Section 3 - Shoots (leaf and above ground structure)
• Section 4 - Plant Nutrition Transport and Cellular Respiration

 

Plant Physiology & Nutritional Transportation

Section 4 - Plant Nutrition Transport and Cellular Respiration

 

 

Plant Nutrition and Transport

Since many people will already understand plant structure I have added that section below even though it would be more appropriate before this section.  However, their is very good information in the plant structure section I recommend watching the videos.  Very few people will not learn something from the videos to the writings (compilation).

Regardless of water and nutrition, a plants transport system depends on a correct growing environment in terms of temperature and humidity as this directly affects the internal and external functions of the plant system.

Basic Plant Nutrition - We often think of plant nutrition and NPK but this is not wholly correct at the cellular level as far as the plant cares about specifics.  For example, we need protein, be it from meat or milk all things correct we can utilize protein in that form.  Our body only cares it has a protein.  Generically stated for illustration.

• Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, Oxygen, phosphorous and sulfur.

We will discuss plant nutrition in all its details in later sections but for the intention of understanding how a plant internally functions in transporting and in creating energy the above will be the main subject of plant nutrition within this specific section.

 

 

The Video below illustrates with excellent visuals/graphics and explains above and nutritional transportation.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmNq4uCgWjpvoTpbphih3g - Transcript is available at youtube site, select more and transcripts under the video.

• All organisms require food and water for their survival. Transportation is the process of transporting water,food and minerals to the different parts of the plant body. Xylem, transports water from the roots to all parts of the plant through root hairs. Raw materials such as carbon dioxide, water and other minerals are used to prepare food in the presence of sunlight through photosynthesis.This food is then transported to all parts of the plant by the Phloem.

 

Below you will find a video that will explain in an easy to understand format what the plant needs nutritionally and how it transports nutrition and utilizes it.  While it may seem a bit a redundant the videos compliment each other and together equal a quality lesson.  The top video has superior visuals but the bottom has more information and is an effective illustrative video as well.

Paul Andersen explains how nutrients and water are transported in plants. He begins with a brief discussion of what nutrients are required by plants and where they get them. He shows you dermal, vascular and ground tissue in monocot and dicot roots, stems and leaves. He then explains how water is pulled up a tree in xylem and how sugar is pushed in a plant through phloem.

More at Bozeman Science:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEik-U3T6u6JA0XiHLbNbOw

 

Transcript of the video is available at the youtube site selecting more then transcript in options under video.

More at Bozeman Science:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEik-U3T6u6JA0XiHLbNbOw

• Paul Andersen explains how nutrients and water are transported in plants. He begins with a brief discussion of what nutrients are required by plants and where they get them. He shows you dermal, vascular and ground tissue in monocot and dicot roots, stems and leaves. He then explains how water is pulled up a tree in xylem and how sugar is pushed in a plant through phloem.

 

Oxygenic Photosynthesis  & its equation

During oxygenic photosynthesis, light energy transfers electrons from water (H₂O) to carbon dioxide (CO₂), which produces carbohydrates. In this transfer, the CO₂ is "reduced," or receives electrons, and the water becomes "oxidized," or loses electrons. Ultimately, oxygen is produced along with carbohydrates. 

• Oxygenic photosynthesis functions as a counterbalance to respiration as it intakes carbon dioxide it reintroduces oxygen into the atmosphere.
  • Carbon dioxide exhale by many living things and oxygen released by the oxygenic photosynthesis process.
  • Their are other types of photosynthesis and other energy generation but we are mainly going to discuss oxygenic photosynthesis in plants.

 

 

Light-dependent reactions (also called light reactions):

• Light photons contacts the reaction center a chlorophyll pigment releases an electron.
• The electron in the chlorophyll makes an electron hole and the electron wants to escape and is released via an "electron transport chain" which generates the energy to make ATP "adenosine triphosphate" which is energy and NADPH. 
  • The electron hole in the chlorophyll pigment is filled from electron from water and oxygen is then released into the atmosphere via the stomata.

 

Photosynthesis Equation

In photosynthesis, solar energy is converted to chemical energy. The chemical energy is stored in the form of glucose (sugar). Carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight are used to produce glucose, oxygen, and water. The chemical equation for this process is:

• 6CO₂ + 12H₂O + light → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ + 6H₂O

Six molecules of carbon dioxide (6CO₂) and twelve molecules of water (12H₂O) are consumed in the process, while glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆), six molecules of oxygen (6O₂), and six molecules of water (6H₂O) are produced.

This equation may be simplified as: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + light → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂.

 

 

Photosynthesis video that better illustrates and effectively teaches the above and more.

Transcript of the video is available at the youtube site selecting more then transcript in options under video.

More at Bozeman Science:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEik-U3T6u6JA0XiHLbNbOw

• Paul Andersen explains the process of photosynthesis by which plants and algae can convert carbon dioxide into usable sugar. He begins with a brief description of the chloroplast. He describes the major pigments in a plant (like chlorophyll a and b). He then describes both the light reaction and the Calvin cycle. He finishes with a discussion of photorespiration and strategies for avoiding this problem evolved in CAM and C4 plants.

 

Cellular Respiration

I know we think of plants and us as very different as they use photosynthesis but we both use cell respiration very similarly and few actually understand nor appreciate that understanding but it is important to understand this aspect as when it comes to evaluating various traits of plants this information is vital if you understand how to "see" it and "use" it.

• By understanding this we can better acclimate a growing environment for optimal levels for specific plants in greenhouses and indoor gardens based on observations and adjustments of your plants and not following a generic guide.
• By learning to identify plants that have strong photosynthesis and cellular respiration rates in selecting genetics for clones or breeding is often an desirable but under looked trait.

The video below further explains photosynthesis and respiration and discusses how photosynthesis played a role in early life on the planet. 

• For many this video may seem a bit much and that is ok.  It is mainly listed for those who want more information and understanding with more details.  He also explains different versions of energy creation but is not a large portion. 
• I highly recommend this video but for your average gardener this information is overly technical for that need.  The plant cell video prior in this thread is similar however there is additional information when viewing both lessons.

• Paul Andersen details the processes of photosynthesis and respiration in this video on free energy capture and storage. Autotrophs use the light reactions and the Calvin cycle to convert energy from the Sun into sugars. Autotrophs and heterotrophs use cellular respiration to convert this sugar into ATP. Both chemosynthesis and fermentation are discussed. The evolution of photosynthesis is also discussed.
  • Do you speak another language? Help me translate my videos: http://www.bozemanscience.com/transla...
  • I post the translate request even though the posting is old, the link is still good as of the time of this compilation.

 

The following video explains processes of cellular respiration in an easy to understand lesson.

Transcript of the video is available at the youtube site selecting more then transcript in options under video.

More at Bozeman Science:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEik-U3T6u6JA0XiHLbNbOw

• Paul Andersen covers the processes of aerobic and anaerobic cellular respiration. He starts with a brief description of the two processes. He then describes the important parts of the mitochondria. He explains how energy is transferred to ATP through the processes of glycolysis, the Kreb cycle and the Electron Transport Chain. He also explains how organisms use both lactic acid and alcoholic fermentation.

 

Summary

The knowledge base of plant physiology is currently growing at fast rate.  As such each year they are learning more and more about the physiology of plants and some of these are not listed above as science has not yet determined what those functions truly are or what they are doing outside just learning they exist. 

• As a result, the older this work is, it might need a revision or update depending on the extent new knowledge that will be learned as science as whole learns more. 
• This is compiled January 2017

You should now have a working understanding of plant physiology and if you understand how environment and basic nutrition plays a role.  You use this information and apply it to your garden. 

• By utilizing all this information you can grow your plants to "best practice" as is possible for your growing areas limitations.

Often we go to stores and see a massive variety of fertilizers with all kinds of claims and fancy graphics and names.  Few people can see past the advertising as it is the advertisers and/or other equally untrained to moderately skilled gardeners who teach most home gardeners, outside of a family/friend dynamic with access to experienced gardeners.  Many gardeners are at a knowledge disadvantage.

This information is compiled in part as an attempt to answer this issue by working to instill fundamental knowledge so that home gardeners can learn what is gimmick and what is a good product and how to use it properly for their crops. 

• A benefit of these lessons if learned is freedom from false advertising as you will not be easily fooled as knowledge can work to prevent emotional and impulse sales based on "adjective" sales tactics.

By understanding plant physiology you understand how plants transport nutrition and create energy.  This knowledge base will serve you well in future management practices as you can better attune your environment, nutrition and management to optimize your specific crop.  This is more desirable in high value crops.  By optimizing the plants ability to transport nutrients and generate energy you can begin to obtain the plants potential. 

• However, by allowing negative factors to act against early plant physiology during its early growth stages can have significant limiting factors that the plant cannot fully recover from and thus the plant will not obtain its potential no matter the betterment after the shock.

Plant Physiology in breeding, generically you first want to select plants that illustrate early strong plant physiology traits from roots to leaf health and vigor.  Often in plant breeding plants will be selected for other traits and not consider plant physiology traits as they should, often taking this aspect for granted.  This is in part a reason why some plants seeds offered for sale are not good at rooting equally from a package of seeds. 

• These seeds were potentially not correctly bred for optimum plant physiology.  However, most amateur seed makers may not understand and/or appreciate this aspect.

In the following sections we will discuss plant development from roots to fruit and discuss the nutritional and environmental aspects for typical garden variety plants.  If this work has helped you, please share what you learn with others.  It is in that energy that this has come to you and I thank you for your time.   ~Hempyfan.

 

Congratulations for finishing Plant Physiology.
 

 

Need More???

If you would like to learn more on Plant Physiology I highly recommend:

BIOPL3420 - Plant Physiology - Video Lecture/Class 28 videos long - Thomas Owens - Cornell University

• Plant Physiology Taiz and Zeiger  - https://ia802504.us.archive.org/16/items/PlantPhysiologyTaizZeiger1/Plant_Physiology_(Taiz_&_Zeiger)[1].pdf

Click to go to video series

 

 

Credits and appreciation:   ~ I sincerely respect and thank them.

The Science Media Production Center at Cornell - https://www.youtube.com/user/CornellTL/about

Plant Physiology Taiz and Zeiger  - https://ia802504.us.archive.org/16/items/PlantPhysiologyTaizZeiger1/Plant_Physiology_(Taiz_&_Zeiger)[1].pdf

https://www.scribd.com/

http://www.els.net/WileyCDA/ElsArticle/refId-a0002075.html

http://www.askiitians.com/revision-notes/biology/

Bozeman Science:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEik-U3T6u6JA0XiHLbNbOw

http://biology.about.com/od/plantbiology/a/aa050605a.htm

http://www.livescience.com/51720-photosynthesis.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/differences-and-similarities-between-chemosynthesis-and-photosynthesis.html

One Drop Forward - https://www.youtube.com/user/onedropforward/videos

Plant Energy Biology - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEIGuXCAGkkHgAZP9LWbXgA

http://www.els.net/WileyCDA/ElsArticle/refId-a0002061.html

http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/170/2/603.full#sec-13

Everest Fernandez - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC65Wtjuej_YyOOxg4PC-uhA

Freesciencelessons - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqbOeHaAUXw9Il7sBVG3_bw

Physical Biology - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjFaU87t6M2d3xPH8m30goQ

 

 

~A Proud Cultural Healing and Life Compilation.

FIN

 

• Section 1 - Roots
• Section 2 - Cloning
• Section 3 - Shoots (leaf and above ground structure)
• Section 4 - Plant Nutrition Transport and Cellular Respiration

 

Plant Physiology & Nutritional Transportation

Section 3 - Shoots (leaf and above ground structure)

 

 

Air (Shoots) Environment

Shoots, is the above ground parts of the plants.  We will discuss plant cell structure and nutritional transportation within the plants. 

• This is the area where the plant energy is made.
• Some of the videos will repeat similar information but they all offer extra bits of information that all combined offer a higher benefit.  In addition, if one video style is not effective in understanding than the virtual reality video/app may be more effective in illustrating for you.

 

Plant Cell Structure

• Crayonbox - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Kk19SMbIuqcNI4lew96kA
• Plant cells are more complicated and exciting than you might think!
• This video shows you the structure of the plant cell. Sam introduces you to the cell organelles and their functions. You learn about cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus and nucleolus, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complex, vacuole, chloroplasts, and mitochondrion. Sam explains how proteins are produced inside the cell.
• The NAMOO app features beautiful encyclopedia-inspired interactive simulations you can use to learn about plants. Plant science is fun! Download your NAMOO and play with roots, stems, flowers, and other plant parts!

 

Virtual tour of a plant cell

This is a virtual tour of a plant cell you can control by the upper right toggle on the screen of the video.  If your computer is strong enough you can enlarge to full screen (may need to go to youtube site, double click video and it will show link on bottom right of video).  This is a great tool for understanding plant cells and photosynthesis.

 

 Plant Energy Biology

Leaf Anatomy

Upper epidermis is a single layer of cells containing few or no chloroplasts. The cells are quite transparent and permit most of the light that strikes them to pass through to the underlying cells. The upper surface is covered with a waxy, waterproof cuticle, which serves to reduce water loss from the leaf.

• Epidermal cells are on the upper and lower surfaces of a leaf.
  • The epidermis usually consists of a single layer of cells.,
    • Some specialized leaves of some desert plants and in cold environment plants can have epidermal layers which are several cells thick.
  • Cuticle - Waxy layer that prevent water loss within the leaf.
    • Plants that live in water do not have a cuticle, waxy layer.
  • They have two features which prevent evaporative water loss: they are packed densely together and they are covered by a cuticle, a waxy layer secreted by the cells.
  • Flavonoid pigments are contained in large vacuoles inside the epidermal cells.
    • Flavonoids absorbs ultraviolet radiation,
      • Similar to a sunscreen or tanning lotion for internal layers of the leaf, by filtering out harmful solar ultraviolet radiation.

 

Palisade layer consists of one or more layers of cylindrical cells oriented with their long axis perpendicular to the plane of the leaf. The cells are filled with chloroplasts (usually several dozen of them) and carry on most of the photosynthesis within the leaf.

• Palisade cell layer at top of leaf - To absorb more light
  • Palisade cells contain many chloroplasts to absorb all the available light.

 

Spongy layer beneath the palisade layer, its cells are irregular in shape and loosely packed. Although they contain a few chloroplasts, their main function seems to be the temporary storage of sugars and amino acids that were synthesized in the palisade layer above the spongy layer of the leaf.

They also aid in the exchange of gases between the leaf and the environment. During the day, these cells give off oxygen and water vapor to the air spaces that surround them. They also pick up carbon dioxide from the air spaces.  The air spaces are interconnected and eventually open to the outside through pores called stomata.

• Collectively, the palisade and spongy layers make up the mesophyll.

 

A single vascular bundle, no matter how large or small, always contains both xylem and phloem tissues.

• xylem - Consists of tracheids and vessels that transport water and minerals to the leaves.
• Phloem - Transports the photosynthetic products from the leaf to the other parts of the plant.

 

Lower epidermis contains most of the stomata (thousands per square centimeter) which are located in the lower epidermis. Although most of the cells of the lower epidermis resemble those of the upper epidermis, each stoma is flanked by two sausage-shaped cells called guard cells. These differ from the other cells of the lower epidermis not only in their shape but also in having chloroplasts. .

Stomata

• Open in light and closed during night.
• Transpiration is when the plants intakes carbon dioxide, releases via evaporation water and oxygen.
• More plentiful on the underside of the leaves but are all over the leaf.
• Approximately 95% of water in the plant transportation system is lost due to transpiration.
  • Water evaporation from stomata as part of the osmatic pressure system.
• Guard cells when open accumulate potassium salts, causing an osmotic pressure that uptakes water.
• Guard cells control the open and close stomata function and is influenced largely by the environment (light, temperature and humidity) and results in osmotic pressure.
  • Guard cells can detect blue light and varied levels of CO2 (carbon dioxide).
  • Guard cells are the only epidermal cells to contain chloroplasts.
    • Some chloroplasts are found in the cells of young stems and immature fruits but do not play a large role in photosynthesis.
  • During drought stress guard cells release abscisic acid.
    • It inhibits plant cell growth and is is in part responsible for fruit drop, leaf death and seed dormancy. and helps plants respond to water loss and seasonal changes. Its effects can be reversed with gibberellins.
    • Abscisic acid is a hormone that will trigger dormancy.
      • Often growers tend to think of dry soil negatives as reducing media microbe and fungal life, concentrating salts but few know or appreciate the abscisic effect on plants as only by knowing plant physiology will one tend to appreciate this outside of experience in the field with drought conditions.
        • Do not allow young plants to dry out in their media unless that is part of that natural environment for your plant.  Example of cactus.

 

I have also added trichomes as they are part of some plants more than others in significance.  However, this is not part of plant physiology and I will discuss more on this subject in future compilations.

• Trichomes - Help to avert being eaten or invaded by some pests by restricting insect movements and/or by storing toxic or bad-tasting compounds.
  • The rate of transpiration can be reduced due to a reduction in air flow across the leaf surface.

 

 

Leaf Anatomy graphic illustrations

• Plant Biology with NAMOO: Leaf Anatomy - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Kk19SMbIuqcNI4lew96kA
• Leaves are beautiful and industrial. Located within every leaf is a fully functional food factory. This production process is called photosynthesis. Sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide are used to produce glucose (food!) and oxygen.

 

 

Leaf Types - Monocot & Dicot

 

Monocots vs Dicots Explained

• It is really easy to determine a monocot and a dicot. However, first, it is important to understand that monocots and dicots actually represent the two main branches of flowering plants. That means that almost all flowering plants can be divided into one of these two groups. Of course, the key word is almost all. There are some that don't fit into the two groups all that well.
• The five main characters I like to use are Leaves, Roots, Stems, Cotyledons, and Flowers.
• For a more detailed description, visit our page at http://www.untamedscience.com/biology...

 

Watermelon Plant Time Lapse

Learjet15 - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv5UDsFrvS1Mh838rVJuJSw

 

The video below explains more of the plant structure.  This is a good video to gain an appreciation of a plant structure as it is in that knowledge that can better not just understand the structure but how nutrition plays its role in building the structure. 

• By understanding a plants development at the various stages of growth nutrition can be accurately adjusted optimally for the development of the plant.  In short, this knowledge will help you speak plant.

 

Plant Structure Video

Transcript of the video is available at the youtube site selecting more then transcript in options under video.

More at Bozeman Science:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEik-U3T6u6JA0XiHLbNbOw

• Paul Andersen explains the major plants structures. He starts with a brief discussion of monocot and dicot plants. He then describes the three main tissues in plants; dermal, ground and vascular. He also describes the plant cells within each of these tissues; epidermis, parenchyma, collenchyma, sclerencyma, xylem and phloem. He describes both primary and secondary growth in plants. He finishes the podcast with a discussion of double fertilization in plants.

• Section 1 - Roots
• Section 2 - Cloning
• Section 3 - Shoots (leaf and above ground structure)
• Section 4 - Plant Nutrition Transport and Cellular Respiration

 

 

Plant Physiology & Nutritional Transportation

 

Section 2 - Cloning

 

Clones

I discuss cloning a bit but will cover this topic in more practical detail in following writings.  This compiled section is intended to instill an understanding of the internal processes during a typical cloning process.  Regardless of cloning method this information is valid.

To create clones of plants a chemical imbalance must occur.  This can be created in various ways but in this instance we will discuss traditional cloning.  While the method of cloning may vary the chemical process is similar in rooting and the type of roots being created for the plants.  The figure below will help illustrate this process well.

• By understanding this process you will begin the basis of learning how to create the type of roots you desire in a "best practice" or  "optimized" process.

 

• The graph above and below explanation from http://www.plantphysiol.org
• Pointed arrows represent positive interactions, and flat-ended arrows represent negative interactions. Yellow roots are adventitious roots, the white root is a primary roots, and blue roots are lateral roots.

Below explains the illustration above.

• Adventitious root formation on cuttings.
  • In intact plants, cytokinin and strigolactones are predominantly produced in the root
  • Auxin is predominantly produced in the shoot.
  • On wounding,
    • jasmonic acid peaks within 30 min and is required for successful root development.
    • Reactive oxygen species, polyphenols, and hydrogen sulfide also increase and promote adventitious rooting.
  • Polyphenols do this via reducing auxin degradation.
    • Auxin builds up in the base of the cutting, acting upstream of nitric oxide to promote adventitious root initiation.
  • Auxin, nitric oxide, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) increase soluble sugars, which can be used for root development.
  • The cloning act removes the original root system and thus levels of cytokinin and strigolactone (they inhibit root growth) are reduced removing this natural counter too root growth in a normal plant.
  • At later stages,
    • Auxin inhibits primordia elongation (reduced shoot growth) while ethylene promotes adventitious root emergence.
    • As the new root system establishes,
      • The production of cytokinin and strigolactones is restored and the plant will begin to function normally.

 

General Cloning information

• Staminate (male) plants have  higher average levels of carbohydrates than pistillate (female) plants, while pistillate plants have higher nitrogen levels.
• Almost all plant cells contain the DNA and "capability" to create a whole plant. (Clone and petri-dish)
  • Not all plant species and phenotypes clone equally.
  • Selection of rooting material is important. 
    • Selected that have finished growing up and start growing to the sides or radial growth.Younger, firm, vegetative shoots,
      • Top of the plant is not ideal.  the secondary tops or crown of a plant is ideal.
    • Cuttings of relatively young vegetative limbs 10 to 45 centimeters or 4 to 18 inches and are made with a razor blade and immediately placed in a container of pure water so the cut ends are covered to prevent an embolism (air bubble).
      • 3 to 7 millimeters (1/8 to 1/4 inch) in diameter.
    • The medium should be warm and moist before cuttings are removed from the parent plant.
• Feed rooting cloning parental plants, a balance of low nitrogen to high carbohydrate is desired and achieved in several ways.
  • Higher carbohydrate to Nitrogen is ideal.
    • Iodine and Starch test. (video below)
      • Highly impractical and unnecessary for most growers but I put in this writing for information and for the curious and those who are optimizing in their growing methods and systems for "best practice" with specific/known plants or crops.
    • Reduce nitrogen and allow for carbohydrates to build up.
    • Crowded roots will increase carbon due to competition for the nitrogen in medias.
    • The  carbohydrate to nitrogen ratio rises the farther distance between the tip of the limb,
      • Cuttings are not made too long.
    •   Etiolation
      • Etiolation is a condition caused by the growth of plants in the absence of light. It is characterized by a pale yellow coloring, sparse leaves, and weak, elongated stems. The stems of a plant grown in darkness grow longer and thinner in order to reach a potential light source.
      • Its stems will also grow faster than those of a plant exposed to adequate sunlight. Since leaves grow at the internodes of a plant's stems, a plant suffering from etiolation will have less leaves than a normal plant.
      • Chloroplasts that have never been exposed to light remain immature and non-pigmented and are known as etioplasts.
      • When a plant suffering from etiolation is exposed to sunlight, a process known as de-etiolation occurs. In de-etiolation, a plant begins producing chloroplasts, becomes greener in color, and produces fuller and more plentiful leaves. Over time, the internodes of the stem will become a normal length.
    • Inhibiting rooting factors
      • Woody Stems.
      • High nitrogen in parent plant.
      • High nitrogen in clone leaves.

 

Iodine Starch Test

Ibn Sahlan - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwMOknYVLikEwhODDSlEhiQ

 

Cloning 101

• Everest Fernandez - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC65Wtjuej_YyOOxg4PC-uhA

 

Root growth in time lapse

Gregor Skoberne

• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnDrhu5DCQpD1VB3I3bVJJQ
• Root growth of transformed Cichorium Intybus grown in a medium.

 

Corn roots in time lapse

MicropolitanMuseum

• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGFFFsNZoZahwQ8UPFIWhFA

 

Time lapse fast growing corn, roots and leaves growing

Mindlapse - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEPvisw_QQ_anAwxdklxm1Q

 

• Section 1 - Roots
• Section 2 - Cloning
• Section 3 - Shoots (leaf and above ground structure)
• Section 4 - Plant Nutrition Transport and Cellular Respiration

Click for a video on learning.

Plant Physiology & Nutritional Transportation

Section 1 - Roots

Fundamental Gardening Knowledge

 

Pre-Introduction

As I began to learn this information it had an effect I did not count on.  It applied to my health as well and as I learned and began to appreciate more about plant nutrition I got much better at human nutrition.  In this way we grow each other and goes to examples of how plants farm and manage us. 

• By learning about plant nutrition it has enabled me to understand and appreciate how bad my personal diet was and what that diet did and did not do for me.

I was consuming an average diet in regular society and thus nutrition should not of been a cause of concern.  As a result of this diet I suffered the typical afflictions associated with such a "normal" diet that the medical community was willing to offer a wide variety of pharmaceutical solutions except for explaining nutrition, diet and simply instructed to check out the internet for such questions.

Well profits skew that way of thinking and a grey area has been created and we end up with socially acceptable foods that actually harm us as honesty about the frequency of those foods would potentially be damning to foods in question.  All things competent those foods really should not be so easily accepted, except for the fact someone makes money off it, so it is ok.  I hope these words reach, for those it does it can help far more than just with growing a healthy garden but also a healthy you in many more ways than we tend to think when looking about plant nutrition.   We are actually talking about living nutrition as it applies in general to most thing.

I shared the above with you with the idea that learning this can potentially help others how it helped me in more ways than one.  I will now discuss only plant physiology and plant nutrition from here and apologize if the above is unwelcome herein.

 

Plant Physiology Introduction

The following information can be complex and confusing.  It is more important that you understand the basics and the follow up sections will be far less complex as we get into the growth aspects.  Please do your best to understand the basics of this information.  If I can help better explain a confusing subject please let me know and we will find solutions as I am able.

Before we can learn how nutrition helps a plant we need to understand how the plant grows and functions throughout its various stages.  In knowing this we can better apply other management practices as to optimally garden.  Plant physiology is the basis for which the rest of the information will be based on.  We will start by discussing the basic plant structure in terms of energy production and nutritional transportation system of a plant.

• It will help if you understand a bit of thermodynamics and kinetics but this is for more advanced understandings.

As we progress to the nutritional segments of these lessons we will discuss the different varieties of plant foods from organics to salts and their qualities, their benefits, their negatives, how to use, why to use and when to use.  In so doing you will be able to gain knowledge on how to evaluate the many fertilizer options and select from a learn-id position rather than a marketed direction.

This is a compilation of information from a variety of sources with the intention of effective instruction.  I have tried to give all credit for materials used.  Any error is just that, an error and is unintentional and once brought to attention will be correct as appropriate.  This is a not a money/profit generating enterprise.

 

Plant Tissue Types & Structure

• Dermal - Epidermis, Periderm = Prevents loss of water and protects the plant like a skin.
• Ground -  Parenchyma, Collenchyma, Schlerenchyma = Metabolism, Storage & Support.
• Vascular - Xylem, Phloem = Transport water and sugar.

 

Plant Environments (Roots & Shoots)

We often think of the plant environment as one thing but it is really two different environments.  Above and below the ground and is referred to as "roots' and "shoots." 

• By understanding these environments and how it affects plant biology we can better understand how nutrition affects the plant and can begin to better understand how to manage a plant in various stages and environments for optimal growth.

 

 

Ground (Roots) Environment

This is the area of the roots and media layer.  Regardless if hydroponic or soil based it is considered ground or roots.  In following sections we will discuss the different aspects of hydroponic and soil based system medias but for this specific lesson we will consider it one medium type of simply "ground" or "roots" when referencing this area of the plant.

This is the area where plants store energy, the roots.

• Roots transportation process:
  • Water/Salts/Oxygen > Root hairs > Xylem > Leafs > Evaporate > Pressure moves water up each evaporation like a chain.
    • Water/salts move upward via pressure controlled in part by osmotic pressure via water evaporation humidity and temperature.
    • Notice that oxygen is taken up by the roots.  This Oxygen is used in cell respiration, discussed later.
      • This is a key reason why it is important for good drainage for the type of plant you are gardening/landscaping.

 

Type of roots

Root Examples

 

Monocot root illustration

 

Tap root - Dicot plants & ferns.

• Is the main root and will sprout other roots laterally.
• Anchors the plant
• Can grow deep in search of water and begin to break up lower harder soil layers and initiate the tapping of lower minerals within the lower soil column.

 

 

Fibrous roots - Monocot & cloned plants.

• Fine roots that extend from the main stem of the plant.
• Trees 30–50 m tall has a root system that extends horizontally in all directions as far as the tree is tall or more, but around 95% of the roots are in the top 50 cm depth of soil. 
• Plants can be managed to be better drought resistant by training the plants to dig deeper before it makes fibrous roots as to increase the depth of the roots at the top of the media column.  This is only effect if water is accessible via water table, in low water areas this may or may not be as effective depending on the plant type.

 

Parallel venation plants have fibrous roots. Reticulated venation seed plants have tap roots.

 

Adventitious roots (clones and stress roots)

• Adventitious roots (clones and stress roots) are plant roots that form from any non-root tissue and are produced both during normal development and in response to stress conditions, such as flooding, nutrient deprivation, and wounding.
  • We will discuss the rooting due to stress aspect in more depth in a future writing.
  • All plant cells have the DNA to create a cloned plant besides the root.
  • Can be induced by ECMs or Agrobacterium rhizogenes (Bacteria that transfer DNA to plant and create root hairs, used in study and in instances as managing for drought resistence.)
  • Age‐dependent process.
  • Auxin cross talks with other hormones to control adventitious rooting.
  • Adventitious rooting is a complex quantitative genetic trait.

 

Unstressed and stressed roots via flooding illustrations

• Adventitious root development in response to flooding.
• Under aerated conditions, gaseous ethylene escapes from plant tissues, but during flooding, water acts as a physical barrier, trapping ethylene in the plant.
• Gibberellic Acid or GA enhances the ethylene-promoted adventitious root growth,
  • Abscisic acid reduces the effect.
• Ethylene triggers reactive oxygen species production, and together they trigger epidermal programmed cell death for root emergence and cortical programmed cell death lysigenous aerenchyma formation.
• The main difference in some eudicots (e.g. tomato) is the requirement for de novo adventitious root initiation via auxin and ethylene signaling.
  • In the cross section, epidermis and exodermis are combined, but the exodermis can be several cell layers adjacent to the epidermis.
    • Yellow roots are adventitious roots, (diagram above)
    • blue and pink roots are lateral roots, (diagram above)
    • and white roots are primary roots. (diagram above)
    • Pointed arrows represent positive interactions, and flat-ended arrows represent negative interactions. (diagram above)

 

Adventitious root emergence

• Physical Biology - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjFaU87t6M2d3xPH8m30goQ

 

Sections:

• Section 1 - Roots
• Section 2 - Cloning
• Section 3 - Shoots (leaf and above ground structure)
• Section 4 - Plant Nutrition Transport and Cellular Respiration

Former US House speaker to promote legalizing marijuana

https://www.yahoo.com/news/former-us-house-speaker-promote-legalizing-marijuana-164553769.html

 DAN SEWELL,Associated Press - Follow Dan Sewell at http://www.twitter.com/dansewell

 

CINCINNATI (AP) — Former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said Wednesday he has had a change of heart on marijuana and will promote its nationwide legalization as a way to help veterans and the nation's deadly opioid crisis.

The Ohio Republican, an avid cigarette smoker, has joined the advisory board of Acreage Holdings , a multistate cannabis company. The company also announced that former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld has joined its advisory board.

Weld, a Republican as governor, ran in the 2016 presidential election on the Libertarian Party ticket that was headed by legal-pot advocate Gary Johnson.

Boehner said in a statement his position "has evolved" from opposing to supporting legalization of marijuana.

"I decided to get involved because of the struggles of our country's veterans and the opioid epidemic, after learning how descheduling the drug can potentially help with both crises," said Boehner, now 68.

He said he wants to see federally funded research done and to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer marijuana as a possible treatment option for such conditions as chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Boehner also said the move would curtail federal-state conflict on marijuana policies. While marijuana is illegal at the federal level, most states have legalized pot in some form. President Donald Trump's administration in January lifted a Barack Obama-era policy that discouraged federal authorities from cracking down on the pot trade in states where the drug is legal.

New York-based Acreage, which has cannabis operations in 11 states, said Boehner and Weld will serve on its board of directors when that is formed. Boehner had an earlier stint on a tobacco's company's board.

Paul Ryan, Boehner's successor when he resigned as speaker in 2015, had talked about the work of getting the smell of cigarette smoke out of the speaker's office after Boehner's departure.

They also take homes from regular citizens too!

Though this appears to be an organized bust regarding Chinese/oriental grow ops.  They likely followed the money and seen the real estate purchases and just investigated.  The organization who did this was not as smart as they thought or a little to bold.

This may play a role in helping law enforcement become better skilled at locating well hidden grow operations.

Justice Department seizes over 100 homes in crackdown on marijuana operation

By Sarah N. Lynch

 

Reuters•April 4, 2018

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. law enforcement agencies seized over 100 homes in the Sacramento, California-area this week in what the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday said was part of a sweeping crackdown on a criminal marijuana growing operation funded by China-based criminal groups.

In a two-day sweep that started on Tuesday, the Justice Department said hundreds of federal agents and local police executed search warrants at about 74 homes and two business offices believed to be used for marijuana-growing operations.

At the same time, the Justice Department filed civil forfeiture actions against 100 homes, a legal action allowing the government to confiscate assets if there is probable cause to believe a crime was committed.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made cracking down on illegal drugs one of his priorities since taking over the helm of the Justice Department last year.

Sessions, who has made no secret of his disdain for marijuana, in January ended an Obama-era policy that called on prosecutors not to prioritize bringing federal marijuana cases in states where it is legal.

The policy change came shortly after California formally launched the world's largest regulated market for recreational pot.

The operation announced on Wednesday, however, relates to underground illegal marijuana-growing operations, and not those following California's stringent regulatory and licensing regime.

Federal law enforcement officials said in a statement that the criminal organization targeted through the home seizures used foreign funds to purchase the homes in order to use them for growing marijuana.

Down payments on the properties were financed by wire transfers from the province of Fujian, China, and the pot that was grown in the homes was later distributed outside California to other parts of the United States, the statement said.

The Justice Department said the operation represented one of the largest-ever residential forfeiture efforts in U.S. criminal history.

In addition to seizing the homes, the government also seized 61,050 marijuana plants, more than 440 pounds (200 kg) of processed marijuana and 15 firearms.

 

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, editing by G Crosse)

As California legalizes pot, laws collide at US checkpoints

•  Elliot Spagat, Associated Press,Associated Press
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/california-legalizes-pot-laws-collide-us-checkpoints-163506609.html

 

PINE VALLEY, Calif. (AP) -- California legalizes marijuana for recreational use Monday, but that won't stop federal agents from seizing the drug — even in tiny amounts — on busy freeways and backcountry highways.

Marijuana possession still will be prohibited at eight Border Patrol checkpoints in California, a reminder that state and federal laws collide when it comes to pot. The U.S. government classifies marijuana as a controlled substance, like heroin and LSD.

"Prior to Jan. 1, it's going to be the same after Jan. 1, because nothing changed on our end," said Ryan Yamasaki, an assistant chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego sector. "If you're a federal law enforcement agency, you uphold federal laws."

The checkpoints, located up to 100 miles (161 kilometers) from Mexico, are considered a final line of defense against immigrants who elude agents at the border. They also have been a trap for U.S. citizens carrying drugs, even tiny bags of marijuana.

About 40 percent of pot seizures at Border Patrol checkpoints from fiscal years 2013 to 2016 were an ounce (28 grams) or less from U.S. citizens, according to a Government Accountability Office report last month. California's new law allows anyone 21 and over to carry up to an ounce.

The Border Patrol operates 34 permanent checkpoints along the Mexican border and an additional 103 "tactical" stops, typically cones and signs that appear for brief periods.

Ronald Vitiello, acting deputy commissioner of parent agency Customs and Border Protection, called drug seizures an "ancillary effect" of enforcing immigration laws. Motorists typically are released after being photographed and fingerprinted. They generally aren't charged with a crime because prosecutors consider them low priority.

The clash between state and federal marijuana laws played out on a smaller scale near the Canadian border in Washington after that state legalized marijuana in 2014. California is a far busier route for illegal crossings with many more agents.

State and federal marijuana laws have conflicted since California became the first to legalize marijuana for medical use in 1996. Next week, California will be among seven states and Washington, D.C., with legal recreational pot.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a staunch opponent of legalization, said last month that he was taking a close look at federal enforcement, suggesting a tougher stance than President Barack Obama's administration.

At highway checkpoints, Border Patrol agents look for signs of nervous drivers, like clutching steering wheels and avoiding eye contact and interrupting when passengers are asked to state citizenship. Some panicked drivers make a U-turn when they spot the checkpoint, a dead giveaway.

One recent morning on westbound Interstate 8 about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of San Diego, an agent standing outside a booth under a large white canopy stopped drivers for a few seconds to ask their citizenship or waved them through after peering inside.

In about an hour, three raised enough suspicion to be ordered aside for a thorough vehicle search.

A dog discovered a marijuana stash about the size of a thumbprint inside the pickup truck of a man with Arizona license plates who was taking his elderly uncle to a hospital appointment. It would have taken up to an hour to process the arrest, so agents released him after seizing the pot and warning it was illegal.

"I didn't know that, sorry," the driver said, walking to his truck after waiting on a bench a few minutes while the dog searched.

The animal sniffed something in another car but found nothing in the seats or trunk. The apologetic driver said she smoked marijuana a week earlier, implying the odor lingered.

The Pine Valley checkpoint, amid oak- and chaparral-covered mountains on the main route from Arizona to San Diego, gets busy with drivers returning from weekend getaways but is less traveled than others.

Agents say a checkpoint on Interstate 5 between San Diego and Los Angeles can cause a 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) backup in 90 seconds during peak hours.

The government faces pushback over checkpoints. Some residents complain about delays and trespassers trying to circumvent checkpoints — some even dying from heat and exhaustion. Motorists who consider them a privacy invasion steadfastly refuse to answer questions and post their test encounters on YouTube.

Border Patrol officials insist they are effective. Without them, Vitiello said, smugglers would have open passage to cities like Phoenix and Albuquerque, New Mexico, once past the border.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that agents can question people at checkpoints even without reason to believe anyone in the vehicle is in the country illegally and don't need a search warrant.

Michael Chernis, an attorney who represents people charged with marijuana crimes, believes checkpoint seizures are a waste of resources but acknowledged the government is empowered.

"The bottom line is, there's absolutely no protection against federal interaction when it comes to adult use," he said.

Sessions rescinds letter warning local courts about fees and fines

imposed on poor people

 

• http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/sessions_rescinds_letter_warning_local_courts_about_fees_and_fines_imposed
• BY DEBRA CASSENS WEISS  POSTED DECEMBER 22, 2017, 9:26 AM CST  Updated at ABA at 1:05 p.m. with statement from ABA President Hilarie Bass.

Updated: Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rescinded a “Dear Colleague” letter that warned state and local courts about constitutional concerns regarding fees and fines imposed on poor defendants.

Sessions rescinded the letter along with 24 other documents he found “unnecessary, inconsistent with existing law, or otherwise improper,” according to a statement. The Washington Post and BuzzFeed News have stories.

The letter, issued in March 2016 by the U.S. Justice Department, had urged courts to review procedures regarding fines to make sure they comply with “due process, equal protection and sound public policy.”

The letter said courts shouldn’t incarcerate a person for nonpayment without first determining whether the person is indigent and whether the failure to pay is willful.

Sessions’ statement said he has “ended the longstanding abuse of issuing rules by simply publishing a letter or posting a web page.” Congress has provided for a regulatory process “and we are going to follow it,” Sessions said.

“Therefore, any guidance that is outdated, used to circumvent the regulatory process, or that improperly goes beyond what is provided for in statutes or regulation should not be given effect,” he said.

ABA President Hilarie Bass released a statement on Friday expressing disappointment in the decision to rescind the fees and fines, and asks the Justice Department to reconsider.

“These monetary punishments do nothing to protect the community while placing an unfair and unjust burden on people of lesser means,” the statement said. “Fees and fines that do not take into account a defendant’s ability to pay lead to the criminalization of poverty.”

Fees assessed for minor infractions, such as traffic tickets, can “spiral into thousands of dollars” and lead to unnecessary jailing of those unable to pay, the statement also said.

“Bail set without consideration of financial circumstances can lead to detention of the poorest rather than those who are the most dangerous or those posing the highest flight risks as intended. … If we, as a country, are to live up to the ideal of equality under the law, then there cannot be a price on justice,” the statement noted.

Updated at 1:05 p.m. with statement from ABA President Hilarie Bass.

Top Florida court to decide whether ticket-fighting startup

engages in unauthorized law practice

• BY and from ABA DEBRA CASSENS WEISS  POSTED DECEMBER 20, 2017, 7:45 AM CST
• http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/top_florida_court_to_decide_whether_ticket_fighting_startup_engages_in_unau

 

The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether a ticket-fighting startup is engaged in unauthorized law practice and is misleading consumers.
 

The Florida Bar voted earlier this month ask the court to decide the issues and issue an injunction against the startup, TIKD Services, report the Daily Business Review (sub. req.) and the Miami Herald.

TIKD Services developed an app called TIKD in which drivers who receive tickets upload their tickets, pay TIKD a fixed price, receive a lawyer’s services through the app to defend the tickets, and get a guarantee from TIKD that the tickets will not cost any more money, no matter the outcome.

TIKD Services filed a federal lawsuit in November that claims the Florida Bar and a competitor launched a coordinated attack to drive it out of business. TIKD is represented in the suit by Ramon Abadin, a former Florida Bar president.

The bar has filed a motion arguing that Abadin should be disqualified from representing TIKD Services because he received privileged communications as a bar official that is relevant to the suit.

 

Another lawsuit makes racketeering claims against

state-legal marijuana business

 

                     

• Another lawsuit has been filed alleging Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act claims against a marijuana business, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.
• http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/another_lawsuit_makes_racketeering_claims_against_state_legal_marijuana_bus
• BY LORELEI LAIRD article from ABA Journal POSTED DECEMBER 15, 2017, 8:00 AM CST

 

In Crimson Galeria Limited Partnership v. Healthy Pharms (PDF), the owners of four buildings in Cambridge, Massachusetts alleges that a nearby marijuana business, Healthy Pharms, is a “conspiracy to sell marijuana” that damages the value of the plaintiffs’ property. The plaintiffs also argue that related businesses, the marijuana business’s bank and various government agencies are part of the conspiracy under RICO because they enable and encourage marijuana businesses in violation of federal law.

“Extensive evidence shows that marijuana retail sale is an odorous and stigmatized activity and that foul smelling, stigmatized activities reduce nearby property values,” the complaint says. “In light of this evidence, it is clear that defendants’ operation of a marijuana dispensary … diminishes the market value of plaintiffs’ abutting and nearby properties.”

It’s at least the fourth RICO lawsuit from a neighbor of a marijuana business, and the third from the same law firm. As the ABA Journal reported in November, one of those cases went to the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in June that those plaintiffs could go forward with property damage claims based on the strong smell of a marijuana farm.

Strong smells are part of the complaints in Crimson Galeria, which also alleges that having Healthy Pharms for a neighbor could attract theft because of the large quantities of drugs. Because the plaintiffs are commercial property owners in Cambridge’s busy Harvard Square, they also argue that having a marijuana business for a neighbor creates a stigma that will reduce property values. To document this, plaintiffs hired an appraiser.

“People buy property and rent in plaintiffs’ buildings because they want to operate their businesses in a pleasant and historic area, and the Plaintiffs’ land is less suitable for those uses due to the … dispensary,” it says.

Like the other cases, this one hinges on the fact that most violations of the Controlled Substances Act automatically violate RICO. This permits the plaintiffs to include as defendant co-conspirators a variety of businesses and people associated with Healthy Pharms, including its landlords and its bank. The complaint also includes several government agencies, saying they are part of the conspiracy because they regulate, tax and tolerate Healthy Pharms.

“The people of Massachusetts are free to advocate for a repeal of this federal criminal prohibition, but they must do so through their elected representatives in Congress,” the complaint says.

The plaintiff landlords are represented by Cooper & Kirk, a Washington, D.C. law firm a law firm aligned with conservative causes that also brought two of the three other lawsuits. One of those settled; the other, which went to the 10th Circuit, is scheduled for trial in July of 2018. The third, unrelated case has motions to dismiss pending in Oregon federal court.

Healthy Pharms co-owner Nathaniel Averill told Bloomberg that the lawsuit has already made it harder to find investors. University of Denver law professor Sam Kamin told the Journal in November that this could be the real purpose of the lawsuit.

“The [lawsuits] may or may not succeed, but they have the opportunity to inflict great costs along the way,” he said.

China's CCTV surveillance network took just 7 minutes to capture BBC reporter

• Jon Russell,TechCrunch

It took Chinese authorities just seven minutes to locate and apprehend BBC reporter John Sudworth using its powerful network of CCTV camera and facial recognition technology.

This wasn't a case of a member of the media being forcibly removed from the country. The chase was a stunt set up to illustrate just how powerful and effective the Chinese government's surveillance system can be. It's a stark example of the type of monitoring that China has invested heavily in over recent years with the aim of helping police do their job more efficiently.

Such systems are also used in private organizations, for example to monitor workers and processes in factories, but government critics have warned of the potential for abuse in the hands of the state.

China has the largest monitoring system in the world. There are some 170 million CCTV cameras across the country, and that's tipped to grow more than three-fold with 400 million more set to be installed by 2020.

Beyond the sheer numbers of lookout points, China is harvesting information with a new-found focus on intelligence. The government also works with facial recognition and AI companies, such as unicorn Face++, which can pour through data to extract meaningful information such as faces, ages, registration plates and more.

The full video of Sudworth's 'capture' is on the BBC website, with a snippet is below -- hat-tip The Next Web.

pic.twitter.com/vLGQYN7ZB9

 

In China's surveillance state, a reporter's game of hide and seek had a sinister edge

• http://www.newsweek.com/tasked-trying-remain-undetected-long-possible-sudworth-filmed-himself-selfie-747843
• BY CHRISTINA ZHAO ON 12/14/17 AT 6:54 AM

China currently boasts the largest monitoring system in the world, with approximately 176 million CCTV cameras in public and private hands. According to The Wall Street Journal, China will add another 450 million cameras by 2020. The U.S., by comparison, has around 50 million.

CCTV is also used in China by private organizations to monitor workers and mine human data, a practice that has attracted criticism from activists as an abuse of human rights.

China has no enforceable protections for privacy rights against state surveillance, reported Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“Until China has meaningful privacy rights and an accountable police force, the government should immediately cease these efforts,” said Sophie Richardson, China director at HRW.

Officials told Sudworth that only criminals need to fear the technology, but recent reports suggest that the software has been used to monitor and intimidate ethnic minorities like the Uighurs in western China.

Beyond the cameras, China has also been gathering information by using new facial recognition intelligence and working with artificial intelligence companies, which can quickly shift through data to extract information on people’s faces, ages, registration plates and more.

Facial recognition cameras and software are also being used in China for routine activities, such as gaining entrance to a workplace, withdrawing cash from an ATM and unlocking a smartphone, reported WSJ.

A KFC restaurant in China’s capital is now scanning customers’ faces and then making menu suggestions based on gender and age. And a popular park in Beijing has deployed smart intelligence to fight toilet paper theft in public restrooms by using face-scanning dispensers that limit each person to a limited amount of paper every nine minutes, the newspaper claimed.

 

U.S. regulators ditch net neutrality rules as legal battles loom

                            and               

Posted From:

• https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/federal-communications-commission-set-reverse-111440509.html
• By David Shepardson

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines on Thursday to repeal landmark 2015 rules aimed at ensuring a free and open internet, setting up a court fight over a move that could recast the digital landscape.

The approval of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's proposal marked a victory for internet service providers like AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc and hands them power over what content consumers can access.

Democrats, Hollywood and companies like Google parent Alphabet Inc and Facebook Inc had urged Pai, a Republican appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump, to keep the Obama-era rules barring service providers from blocking, slowing access to or charging more for certain content.

Consumer advocates and trade groups representing content providers have planned a legal challenge aimed at preserving those rules.

The meeting was evacuated before the vote for about 10 minutes due to an unspecified security threat, and resumed after law enforcement with sniffer dogs checked the room.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat, said in a statement he will lead a multi-state lawsuit to challenge the reversal. He called the vote "a blow to New York consumers, and to everyone who cares about a free and open internet."

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, a Democrat, said in the run-up to the vote that Republicans were “handing the keys to the Internet” to a “handful of multi-billion dollar corporations.”

Shares of Alphabet, Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp moved lower after the vote.

Pai has argued that the 2015 rules were heavy handed and stifled competition and innovation among service providers.

"The internet wasn’t broken in 2015. We weren’t living in a digital dystopia. To the contrary, the internet is perhaps the one thing in American society we can all agree has been a stunning success," he said on Thursday.

The FCC voted 3-2 to repeal the rules.

 

NEXT STEPS

Consumers are unlikely to see immediate changes resulting from the rule change, but smaller startups worry the lack of restrictions could drive up costs or lead to their content being blocked.

Internet service providers say they will not block or throttle legal content but that they may engage in paid prioritization. They say consumers will see no change and argue that the largely unregulated internet functioned well in the two decades before the 2015 order.

Democrats have pointed to polls showing a repeal is deeply unpopular and say they will prevail in protecting the rules, either in the courts or in U.S. Congress.

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, said in a written dissent released on Thursday that the decision grants internet providers "extraordinary new power" from the FCC.

"They have the technical ability and business incentive to discriminate and manipulate your internet traffic. And now this agency gives them the legal green light to go ahead," she said.

Several state attorneys general said before the vote they would work to oppose the ruling, citing problems with comments made to the FCC during the public comment period. Other critics have said they will consider challenging what they consider to be weaker enforcement.

Net neutrality supporters had rallied in front of the FCC building in Washington before the vote.

The 2015 rules were intended to give consumers equal access to web content and prevent broadband providers from favoring their own content. Pai proposes allowing those practices as long as they are disclosed.

Michael Powell, a former FCC chairman who heads a trade group representing major cable companies and broadcasters, told reporters earlier this week that internet providers would not block content because it would not make economic sense.

"They make a lot of money on an open internet," Powell said, adding it is "much more profitable" than a closed system. "This is not a pledge of good-heartedness, it's a pledge in the shareholders' interest."

The chief executive of USTelecom, a lobbying group that represents internet providers and the broadband industry, said in a statement the industry has "renewed confidence to make the investments required to strengthen the nation's networks and close the digital divide, especially in rural communities."

A University of Maryland poll released this week found that more than 80 percent of respondents opposed a repeal. The survey of 1,077 registered voters was conducted online by the Program for Public Consultation at the University of Maryland from Dec. 6-8.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Writing by Chris Sanders; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Meredith Mazzilli)

• Nitrogen
• Potassium
• Phosphorus

 

Phosphorus

 

Phosphorus is one of the main 17 nutrients essential for plant growth.   Phosphorus is the P in NPK.

Phosphorus is a component of the complex nucleic acid structure of plants, which regulates protein synthesis. Phosphorus is, therefore, important in cell division and development of new tissue. Phosphorus is also associated with complex energy transformations in the plant.

Its functions cannot be performed by any other nutrient, and an adequate supply of P is required for optimum growth and reproduction. Phosphorus is classified as a major nutrient, meaning that it is frequently deficient for crop production and is required by crops in relatively large amounts. The total P concentration in agricultural crops generally varies from 0.1 to 0.5 percent.

(P) is vital to plant growth and is found in every living plant cell. It is involved in several key plant functions, including energy transfer, photosynthesis, transformation of sugars and starches, nutrient movement within the plant and transfer of genetic characteristics from one generation to the next. Chlorophyll Photosynthesis = Carbon Dioxide + Water Sunlight Oxygen + Carbohydrates Phosphate Energy another as new cells are formed

 

Soil Phosphorus Management

 Univ of Wisconsin Integrated Pest and Crop Management

 

Plant Energy Reactions

Phosphorus plays a vital role in virtually every plant process that involves energy transfer. High-energy phosphate, held as a part of the chemical structures of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and ATP, is the source of energy that drives the multitude of chemical reactions within the plant.

When ADP and ATP transfer the high-energy phosphate to other molecules (termed phosphorylation), the stage is set for many essential processes to occur.

• In every day  terms, phosphorus is very important to many aspects of plant growth.

 

Photosynthesis

The most important chemical reaction in nature is photosynthesis. It utilizes light energy in the presence of chlorophyll to combine carbon dioxide and water into simple sugars, with the energy being captured in ATP.

The ATP is then available as an energy source for the many other reactions that occur within the plant, and the sugars are used as building blocks to produce other cell structural and storage components.

 

Genetic Transfer & Seeds

Phosphorus is a vital component of the substances that are building blocks of genes and chromosomes.

• Very necessary when making seeds.
• It is an essential part of the process of carrying the genetic code from one generation to the next, providing the “blueprint” for all aspects of plant growth and development.
• An adequate supply of P is essential to the development of new cells and to the transfer of the genetic code 

Large quantities of P are found in seeds and fruit where it is believed essential for seed formation and development.

• Phosphorus is also a component of phytin, a major storage form of P in seeds.
• About 50 percent of the total P in legume seeds and 60 to 70 percent in cereal grains is stored as phytin or closely related compounds.
• An inadequate supply of P can reduce seed size, seed number, and viability.

Adding phosphorus to soil low in available phosphorus promotes root growth and winter hardiness, stimulates tillering, and often hastens maturity.

 

Nutrient Transport

Plant cells can accumulate nutrients at much higher concentrations than are present in the soil solution that surrounds them. This allows roots to extract nutrients from the soil solution where they are present in very low concentrations.

Movement of nutrients within the plant depends largely upon transport through cell membranes, which requires energy to oppose the forces of osmosis. Here again, ATP and other high energy P compounds provide the needed energy.

Uptake and Transport of Phosphorus Phosphorus enters the plant through root hairs, root tips, and the outermost layers of root cells.  Uptake is also facilitated by mycorrhizal fungi that grow in association with the roots of many crops. 

• Phosphorus is taken up mostly as the primary orthophosphate ion (H2PO4 - ),
• Can also be absorbed as secondary orthophosphate (HPO4 =),
  • this latter form increasing as the soil pH increases.

Once inside the plant root, P may be stored in the root or transported to the upper portions of the plant. Through various chemical reactions, it is incorporated into organic compounds, including nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), phosphoproteins, phospholipids, sugar phosphates, enzymes, and energy-rich phosphate compounds.

• Example, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It is in these organic forms as well as the inorganic phosphate ion that P is moved throughout the plant, where it is available for further reactions.  (For more information on ATP consult the plant physiology posting)

 

Phosphorus Deficiency

Adequate P allows the processes described above to operate at optimum rates and growth and development of the plant to proceed at a normal pace. When P is limiting,

• Effects are a reduction in leaf expansion
• leaf surface area,
• as well as the number of leaves.
• Shoot growth is more affected than root growth,
  • which leads to a decrease in the shootroot dry weight ratio.
• Nonetheless, root growth is also reduced by P deficiency,
  • leading to less root mass to reach water and nutrients.
• Generally, inadequate P slows the processes of carbohydrate utilization, while carbohydrate production through photosynthesis continues.
  • This results in a buildup of carbohydrates and the development of a dark green leaf color.
  • In some plants, P-deficient leaves develop a purple color, tomatoes and corn being two examples.

  • Sugars can accumulate and cause anthocyanin pigments to develop, producing a reddish-purple color.

  • The reddish-purple color does not always indicate phosphorus deficiency but may be a normal plant characteristic. Red coloring may be induced by other factors such as insect damage which causes interruption of sugar transport to the grain.

• Since P is readily mobilized in the plant, when a deficiency occurs the P is translocated from older tissues to active meristematic tissues, resulting in foliar deficiency symptoms appearing on the older (lower) portion of the plant.
  • However, such symptoms of P deficiency are seldom observed in the field.
• Other effects of P deficiency on plant growth include
  • Delayed maturity,
  • reduced quality of forage, fruit, vegetable, and grain crops,
  • and decreased disease resistance.

Phosphorus deficiencies may even look somewhat similar to nitrogen deficiency when plants are small. Yellow, unthrifty plants may be phosphorus deficient due to cold temperatures which affect root extension and soil phosphorus uptake. When the soil warms, deficiencies may disappear.

These symptoms usually only persist on extremely low phosphorus soils. It should be noted that these are severe phosphorus deficiency symptoms and crops may respond well to phosphorus fertilization without showing characteristic deficiencies.

 

Home Study Lesson from Nebraska University

 

Phosphorus Cycle Explanation- A biogeochemical cycle

 MooMoo Math and Science

Phosphorus in the soil

Phosphorus is absorbed by plants in the ionic forms H2PO4– and HPO4=. General knowledge of ion exchange in soils would predict that these anions are not retained by the negative charged soil colloids, but move in the soil similar to nitrogen.

• However, phosphorus does not leach. In fact, it moves very little, even with large amounts of precipitation or irrigation.

The reason for this apparent anomaly is that the soil solution contains only a very small amount of available phosphorus in these ionic forms at any one time. In fact, most soils contain less than 0.00005 grams phosphorus per liter or 0.0000068 ounces phosphorus per gallon of soil.

• It has been estimated that the phosphorus in the soil solution must be replenished on an average of about twice every day for normal crop growth.
• This is the basic phosphorus problem — to adequately re-supply the soil solution as the crop roots remove available phosphorus from the soil solution.
  • It is the soil’s ability to re-supply the soil solution that dictates whether the crop will need additions of fertilizer phosphorus and whether those additions will be effective in the forms applied.
• The ability of the soil to re-supply the soil solution with phosphorus is dependent on the complex chemistry of the soil system.
• However, the system can be viewed very simply with the following diagram:

Slowly Soluble or Insoluble P Form	Soluble or Plant Available P Forms
Relatively Unavailable ————>
P minerals and         <———— Soil Solution P Compounds of Ca, Fe, and Al Organic P

This is an equilibrium reaction.

• As soil solution phosphorus is removed by crop roots, more phosphorus becomes available from the slowly soluble sources.
• However, if soluble fertilizer phosphorus is placed in the soil,
  • it reverts into slowly soluble or insoluble forms, removing soluble phosphorus from the soil solution.
• This phenomenon is often called “fixation.” 
  • Fixation is the primary reason why placement of phosphorus fertilizer is important.

Placement of phosphorus is an attempt to limit fixation.

• This is done by banding the phosphorus fertilizer near the seed or by dual placement with anhydrous ammonia bands.
• The goal is to limit soil-fertilizer contact, while placing available sources of phosphorus from the fertilizer in a position of a high probability root contact.

The above relationship is sometimes shown in terms of labile and non-labile phosphorus forms according to the following relationship:

Non-labile P  <—>  Labile P  <—>  Soil solution P

In this relationship, non-labile phosphorus refers to slowly available forms, while labile phosphorus is an intermediate form that is rather weakly absorbed or bound to various compounds and clay in the soil (solid phase).

• This is the primary phosphorus source supplying the soil solution.

The equilibrium relationship shown above between non-labile or insoluble phosphorus forms and labile phosphorus is affected by many factors,

• such as size of the slowly available pool,
• soil temperatures,
• kind of compounds in the pool,
• kind and amount of clay in soil,
• and the pH of the soil solution. 

Figure 6.1 shows the general relationship between soil pH and phosphorus availability, which is based on the kinds of phosphorus compounds associated with the various pHs.

• At high soil pH, most phosphorus is in the form of calcium compounds.
• At low or acid pH, phosphorus is combined with iron and aluminum compounds.
• Maximum phosphorus availability occurs at a soil pH between 6.5 to 7.0.
  • This is why one of the most important benefits of liming acid soils is improving phosphorus availability.
  • Reducing the pH of calcareous soils would also increase the availability of phosphorus in the soil solution by changing some of the solid phase compounds into compounds of higher solubility.
  • Sulfur will reduce the soil pH; however, the cost is prohibitive for field crops because of the high sulfur rates required.

Figure 6.1.  Soil phosphorus compound in relation to soil pH.

 

Figure 6.2 characterizes phosphorus additions and removals from the soil system in addition to the inorganic minerals.

• Organic phosphorus in the form of residues, manures, or from the soil organic matter can contribute greatly to the phosphorus in the soil solution for crop growth.
• In some soils organic phosphorus can contribute 50 percent of the available phosphorus.
• Since availability of organic phosphorus is dependent on decomposition of the organic matter,
  • soil temperature and moisture are important factors regulating how fast organic phosphorus is made available.

Figure 6.2.   Relation of additions and losses of phosphorus in a soil system.

 

As previously indicated, available or soil solution phosphorus can revert to slowly soluble mineral forms. This fixation may also occur when available phosphorus is used by microorganisms in the decomposition of residues.

• This type of fixation is called immobilization and can be either long- or short-term.

 

Agricultural Management Practices for Phosphorus, (2/3)

 Univ of Wisconsin Integrated Pest and Crop Management

 

The Plant Problem

While the soil system limits the amount of phosphorus in the soil solution at any one time and limits its re-supply, the plant root also has its problems. The concentration of roots in the soil volume is relatively small. It has been calculated that roots contact only about one percent of the soil volume.

Phosphorus enters the root primarily by diffusion (90-98 percent), which can occur only if the phosphorus is very close to the root.

• Very little phosphorus enters the root by mass flow in the water (one percent).
• Root growth is essential for adequate phosphorus uptake or the soil solution needs to be replenished frequently.
• Actually since roots contact such a small amount of the soil, the soil solution in the areas of root contact must be replenished more often than twice a day or phosphorus deficiencies will occur.
  • This makes the labile forms (those weakly bound to compounds or clay) very important in soil phosphorus supply.

Research has developed valuable models which predict phosphorus plant uptake and the factors that influence it. One of the most commonly known models has been developed by Dr. Barber at Purdue University.

• His model indicates phosphorus uptake is largely a function of
  • size and nature of the root system,
  • rate of water absorption,
  • amount of phosphorus in the soil,
  • and ability of the soil to supply phosphorus to the soil solution. .

 

Application Methods

There is little producers can do to change the basic soil and climatic characteristics that affect crop response to applied fertilizer. However, one can control phosphorus availability by managing the soil pH (acid soils), increasing organic matter, and by proper placement of phosphorus fertilizer.

• Research has shown that band application of phosphorus is much more efficient than broadcasting.
• Wheat studies in Nebraska have shown that profits from application with the seed are double those of broadcasting.
  • This is because each pound of applied phosphorus with the seed increased yield much more than a pound broadcast. 

Another banding method (dual placement) applies liquid phosphorus (10-34-0) at the same time as anhydrous ammonia with a separate tube delivery for each fertilizer.

• Dual placement has been found to be equal to seed application on wheat and equal to or better than row application for corn and soybeans.
  • While band applications of phosphorus require special application equipment and require extra time at planting, these methods are generally economically superior to broadcast phosphorus.
  • The primary exception being broadcast phosphorus applied to growing
    • alfalfa,
    • grass,
    • or in no-till farming systems.

When residues remain on the soil surface, research studies indicate broadcasting phosphorus can be nearly as effective as dual placement. This is attributed to increased root activity in the residue-soil interface where soil moisture and mineralizing nutrients from the residues stimulates root development.

• This is believed to give a broadcast application the advantages of a band application. This is sometimes referred to as a “horizontal band.” The horizontal band, which is unincorporated, has limited soil-fertilizer contact and is in a position of increased root activity.

Seed placement is another method of banding that can be very effective.

• The problem with seed application is that starter fertilizer contains salts from the nitrogen and potassium sources;
  • when applied in excessive amounts, reduces seed germination.
• Phosphorus fertilizer without nitrogen has little effect on germination,
  • but mixed fertilizers containing potassium, sulfur, and nitrogen are very damaging, unless water moves the fertilizer from the seed.
    • A major factor affecting salt concentration in the seed row is row spacing.
• Since wheat is planted in 7- to 12-inch rows, the concentration of 18-46-0 fertilizer is only one-third of the concentration in a 30- or 36-inch corn row.
  • Phosphorus fertilizers, even with nitrogen, can be safely used on wheat at normal phosphorus application rates.
  • For row crops, such as corn, sorghum and soybeans, rates must be limited, because germination will be decreased about one percent for each pound of salt applied (pounds of nitrogen + potassium + sulfur) for corn.
  • Soybeans are more susceptible to germination damage, and so any fertilizer should be kept from contacting the soybean seed.

Row application to the side and below the seed is favored over seed application for row crops,

• even though this method requires more expensive application equipment than seed applications.
• This method is also referred to as a “starter” method for row crops and is more effective than broadcast incorporation methods on soils low in available phosphorus.
• It is, however, important to remember that increased early growth from starter fertilizer application does not always indicate increased yields at harvest.

 

Sources of Phosphorous 

Understanding Garden Phosphorous: What it Does, Chemical vs. Organic, Availability & pH: TRG 2014

 Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden)

 

 

By - Grow It Organically, click to visit their site

Organic Phosphorus Fertilizers (P)—Links Go to Offsite Affiliates to 
Purchase Organic Soil Amendments

Soil Amendment	N-P-K	Description	Lasts	Application Rate
Soft Rock Phosphate	0-18-0	Colloidal Phosphate has a clay base that makes it easier for plants to assimilate than phosphate rock. Releases over months and years in acidic and neutral soils, but breaks down poorly in alkaline soils (pH higher than 7). Peak availability in 2nd year.	2-3 Years	Up to 6lbs/100 sq ft
Bat Guano (High-P)	3-10-1	High-Phosphate guano from fruit-eating bats. Excellent P source for container vegetables and gardens.	2-3 Years	2-3lbs/100 sq ft
Steamed Bone Meal	3-15-0	Made from ground cattle bones. P in bone meal is highly plant-available. Great mixed into the planting hole with bulbs. Good amendment for allium family plants (onions, garlic). May attract raccoons. P in bone meal not released in alkaline (pH greater than 7) soils.	1-4 Months	10lbs/100 sq ft
Fish Bone Meal	3-18-0	Phosphorus from fish bone meal is readily assimilated by microorganisms and plant roots in the soil.	1-2 Years	1-2lbs/100 sq ft
Rock Phosphate	0-33-0	Very slow release P source. Releases over several years in acidic and neutral soils, but won’t break down in alkaline soils (pH higher than 7).	3-5 Years	Up to 6lbs/100 sq ft.
Rock Dust (Crushed Granite)	0—3-5—0,  trace minerals	Granite fines, the dust from rock grinding and sorting operations. Veryslow releasing P source, good source of trace minerals for plant immunity and tolerance of temperature extremes.	5-10 Years	Up to 8.5lbs/100 sq ft
Chicken Manure	1.1-0.8-0.5	Good manure source for P and some K.	3-12 Months	1/2-1” layer  (5-10 5-gal buckets/100 sq ft)
Pig Manure	0.8-0.7-0.5	Good, balanced manure source of N, P, and K. Because some pig parasites and pathogens can infect humans, pig manure is not allowed in many organic protocols. If it is used, it must be hot-composted prior to use.	3-12 Months	1” layer  (10 5-gal buckets/100 sq ft)

Understanding the different sources of P and how they break down and are absorbed by the plants will give you the wisdom to know how much to add for each source of P to ensure proper P levels in an absorption state that is available for the plant throughout its life span.

 

Summary

Soil phosphorus is relatively stable in soil. It moves very little when compared to nitrogen. In fact, this lack of mobility is due to the rather limited solubility of soil phosphorus compounds. Because of the limited solubility of these compounds, fertilizer phosphorus will become much less available as it reverts back to soil phosphorus compounds.

Fertilizer phosphorus that reverts back to soil phosphorus compounds is not lost completely, but becomes slowly available to crops over several years. The rate depends greatly on soil type. For most applying more fertilizer phosphorus than needed for optimum yields is probably not economically justified.

Phosphorus availability is controlled by three factors:

• soil pH,
• amount of organic matter,
• and proper placement of fertilizer phosphorus.
• Acid soils should be limed to bring soil pH up to nearly 6.5.
• The pH of alkaline soils (over 7.0) probably cannot be practically lowered for better phosphorus availability.

Organic matter maintenance is an important factor in controlling phosphorus availability. Mineralization of organic matter provides a steady supply of available phosphorus.

• Organic soil phosphorus may represent 30-40 percent of the phosphorus available and may be a major factor affecting phosphorus availability during wet, cold springs.

Placement of phosphorus is the best practical control of phosphorus availability.

• Placing phosphorus with seed wheat has given much better results than broadcast applications.
• Banding phosphorus two inches to the side and two inches below the seed of row crops provides a ready source of phosphorus for the young seedling;
  • however, soil phosphorus must be deficient before yields can be expected to be increased.

Understanding the different sources of P and how they break down and are absorbed by the plants will give you the wisdom to know how much to add for each source of P to ensure proper P levels in an absorption state that is available for the plant throughout its life span.  This understanding is the tool of knowledge that can make the difference from a poor to good crop and from a good to spectacular crop!

 

 

 

Credits

Plant & Soil Sciences eLibraryPRO

Functions of Phosphorus in Plants

 Univ of Wisconsin Integrated Pest and Crop Management

 MooMoo Math and Science

 Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden)

Grow It Organically, click to visit their site

 

Links

• Nitrogen
• Potassium
• Phosphorus

 

A proud cultural healing and life compilation.

 

                                                          

SCOTUS considers limits to the government's surveillance powers over personal technology

• http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/carpenter_v_united_states/P1
• This article was published in the December 2017 issue of the ABA Journal with the title "Cell Block: The high court considers limits to the government’s surveillance powers over personal technology."
• SCOTUS = Supreme Court of the united States.
• ABA = American Bar Association

 

In 2011, the police and the FBI used data from cellular telephone towers to help connect a suspect to a string of armed robberies of Radio Shack and T-Mobile stores in the Detroit area.

The authorities didn’t rely on a warrant based on probable cause but on a broad court order under a 1986 federal law, the Stored Communications Act. They collected more than 120 days’ worth of records from two wireless carriers for the cell-site data of the suspect’s mobile phone. The records helped show that the suspect, Timothy I. Carpenter, was in close proximity to the stores at the time of the crimes. Combined with other evidence that Carpenter was the leader of the robbery ring, the records led to his conviction on federal robbery- and weapons-related charges.

Carpenter challenged the warrantless collection of cell-site data as an unconstitutional search under the Fourth Amendment. He lost in the lower courts. But the U.S. Supreme Court granted review of a case that several legal observers predict will have enormous implications for privacy in the digital age for generations to come.

“It’s hugely important,” says Orin S. Kerr, a professor at the George Washington University Law School and an expert on the Fourth Amendment. “This is the case that is going to determine the limits on the government’s surveillance power at the state and federal level in new technologies for years to come. I think the justices know that.”

Andrew G. Ferguson, a professor at the University of the District of Columbia law school and a privacy expert, says the case affects cell towers and individuals’ data from email, smart watches, activity-tracker bands and so-called smart appliances—devices as conventional as refrigerators, which now have some models that connect to the internet.

“This is not about just one technology and one criminal defendant,” says Ferguson, author of The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the Future of Law Enforcement. “It is really about how the Fourth Amendment will or will not protect all Americans in the digital age.”

The closely watched case was scheduled to be heard Nov. 29, which falls under the court’s December argument calendar.

 

TRACKING STORED COMMUNICATION

Authorities initially arrested four suspects in spring 2011 in the string of robberies at Radio Shack and T-Mobile stores. One suspect identified an ensemble of 15 others who had participated in some or all the crimes, which involved small groups of robbers entering a store, herding employees into the back at gunpoint, and ordering them to fill bags with new smartphones.

Court testimony later suggested that Carpenter organized a string of such robberies in Michigan and Ohio during a four-month period. He supplied the guns and typically waited in the getaway car, testimony showed.

The police received Carpenter’s cellphone number from the informing suspect. The FBI sought orders from federal magistrate judges to require the release of cell-tower information for Carpenter’s phone. The magistrates granted the orders under the Stored Communications Act, which requires the government to show “reasonable grounds” for believing that the records were “relevant and material to an ongoing investigation.”

Carpenter’s cellphone provider, MetroPCS, provided 186 pages of the suspect’s “call detail records” that covered 127 days, while Sprint provided records for Carpenter’s phone for two days in Warren, Ohio, where one robbery took place. (Sprint was the roaming provider in that area because MetroPCS did not have its own towers there.)

At trial, FBI Special Agent Christopher Hess, a cellular analysis specialist, testified for the prosecution. “If you dial a number and you hit send, that tower information is populated in the call detail record,” he said.

Hess identified eight calls to or from Carpenter’s phone that happened around the time of four of the robberies. He presented maps of the cell towers that connected those calls to demonstrate that Carpenter’s phone was within a half-mile to 2 miles of the crime scenes. On cross-examination, the agent acknowledged that he could not say that Carpenter’s phone was located within a particular spot or intersection, and he agreed that the cellular analysis was “not an exact science.”

At closing argument, a prosecutor argued to the jury that the cellular data provided another overlay of corroboration, showing that Carpenter was “right where the first robbery was at the exact time of the robbery, the exact sector.”

The cell-tower evidence may well have been, in this case, another layer of corroboration. There also was incriminating testimony from seven of Carpenter’s accomplices. Carpenter was convicted of all six robbery charges he faced under the federal Hobbs Act and five of six firearms charges. He was sentenced to 116 years in prison.

 

THIRD-PARTY BUSINESS RECORDS

But on appeal, Carpenter pressed his motion to suppress the cell-tower evidence, which the district court had rejected. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati also turned away his arguments, holding that Carpenter lacked any property interest or reasonable expectation of privacy in the cell-tower records acquired by the government under the Stored Communications Act.

The 6th Circuit panel acknowledged that in United States v. Jones, a 2012 Supreme Court case about long-term GPS monitoring of a suspected drug dealer, five justices had agreed that people have a reasonable expectation of privacy in information very similar to cell-site data. But the appeals court said Carpenter’s case was different because it “involves business records obtained from a third party.” Those records are closer to the landline call records that the high court had held were not entitled to Fourth Amendment protection in Smith v. Maryland in 1979.

“Cell-site data—like mailing addresses, phone numbers and IP addresses—are information that facilitate personal communications, rather than part of the content of those communications themselves,” the 6th Circuit said. “The government’s collection of business records containing these data therefore is not a search.”

Nathan Wessler, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer representing Carpenter, says the Smith decision and the Stored Communications Act were products of an era when few Americans were carrying phones in their pockets.

“In this case, law enforcement went to Mr. Carpenter’s cellphone providers and got more than four months of cellphone records that created a granular map of everywhere he went,” Wessler says. “That is a chilling power.”

 

DIGITAL CRIME AND PRIVACY

U.S. Solicitor General Noel J. Francisco argued in the federal government’s brief that the “third-party doctrine” long recognized by the high court applies here.

“Cellphone users voluntarily reveal to their providers information about their proximity to cell towers, so the providers can connect their calls,” Francisco said in the brief. “Users cannot reasonably expect that the providers will not reveal that business information to the government.”

John M. Castellano wrote an amicus brief on the federal government’s side for the Arlington, Virginia-based National District Attorneys Association. He says prosecutors use cell-site location data as an important investigative tool. They also use grand jury subpoenas and court orders short of a warrant to investigate identity theft, fraud, public corruption and other offenses. Those investigations would be seriously hampered by any restriction on the third-party doctrine, he says.

“You don’t always have probable cause at the time you are issuing a subpoena,” says Castellano, the deputy executive assistant district attorney for the Queens County DA’s office in Kew Gardens, New York. “The nature of crime has changed. It has taken full advantage of the digital era.”

But Wessler of the ACLU says the government “misreads Americans’ expectations of privacy in the digital age and sets the bar way too low.”

Ferguson of the University of the District of Columbia wrote an amicus brief on Carpenter’s side for a group of scholars of criminal procedure and privacy. The basic thrust is that the third-party doctrine is ill-suited for an age in which smart devices that transmit all manner of personal information to third parties are pervasive.

These include cellphones, smart cars, smart homes and smart medical devices within the body.

“It used to be that police officers had to sit in hot cars drinking cold coffee to conduct surveillance,” Ferguson says. “The idea of a 1970s-era law about old telephone technology governing this area just doesn’t make a lot of sense now.”

Court rules Stingray use without a warrant violates Fourth Amendment

Originally posted:  Mallory Locklear,Engadget Thu, Sep 21 7:54 PM EDT 

• https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/court-rules-stingray-without-warrant-235400204.html

 

 

PDF of Court Ruling

 

Court rules Stingray use without a warrant violates Fourth Amendment

Today, the Washington DC Court of Appeals overturned a Superior Court conviction of a man who was located by police using a cell-site simulator, or Stingray, CBS News reports. The court ruled that the defendant's Fourth Amendment rights were violated when law enforcement tracked down the suspect using his own cell phone without a warrant.

Stingrays work by pretending to be a cell tower and once they're brought close enough to a particular phone, that phone pings a signal off of them. The Stingray then grabs onto that signal and allows whoever's using it to locate the phone in question. These sorts of devices are used by a number of different agencies including the FBI, ICE, the IRS as well as police officers.

The use of cell-site simulators, especially without a warrant, has come under question a few times in recent years. In 2016, a federal judge suppressed DEA evidence obtained via such a device, the first time a federal judge had done so. Last year, members of Congress called for legislation that would protect citizens' privacy and require a warrant before Stingrays could be used by law enforcement. Two such bills were introduced in the House of Representatives earlier this year.

In the ruling, the judges said, "We thus conclude that under ordinary circumstances, the use of a cell-site simulator to locate a person through his or her cellphone invades the person's actual, legitimate, and reasonable expectation of privacy in his or her location information and is a search." They also said, "We agree with [the defendant] that the government violated the Fourth Amendment when it deployed the cell-site simulator against him without first obtaining a warrant based on probable cause."

The ruling could affect ongoing and future cases as well as law enforcement's use of the technology.

• Nitrogen
• Potassium
• Phosphorus

 

Potassium in Plants and Soils.

The Importance of Potassium

 CropNutrition - The Importance of Potassium

 

Home Study Lesson from Nebraska University

 

Potassium (K) is an essential nutrient for plant growth and is classified as a macro-nutrient due to significant amounts of K being taken up by plants during their life cycle.  This compilation is designed to instill the basic understanding of potassium (K) nutrition of plants, how it reacts in soils, and what it dows for the plants, and how it effects efficient crop production and quality.

• Not all plants uptake the same amount of potassium such as corn silage and alfalfa will uptake and remove from the soil far greater amounts of potassium than say grain crops.  Understanding this aspect is vital as to better design a nutrient plan for crops but this is largely true of all macro-nutrients and crop types.
• Depending on the amount of available K and exchangeable K and your plants needs you may need to add K to your fertilizer nutrient plant.

The total amount of K in soils often exceeds 20,000 ppm (parts per million).  Almost all of this K is held in the structural components of soil minerals and is not available for plant uptake.  Due to the differences in plant/crop type and the effect of weathering of these materials the amount of K supplied by soils varies. Therefore, the need and amounts for K in a fertilizer program varies.

 

The Potassium Cycle

 

 Univ of Wisconsin Integrated Pest and Crop Management

 

Soil Moisture factors on available K

• Dry soil or low soil moisture.
  • Approximately 78% of the plants K needs are taken up by the roots.
  • Higher soil K levels relieves some of the nutrient stress associated with drought.
    • K alleviates the effects of both moisture deficit and excess on the crop and counteracts the yield reductions due to either.
  • Low K in the soil can reduce plant uptake of potassium during dry/drought conditions.
• Soil moisture increased from 10% to 28% can increase potassium uptake by 175%.
  • Too high soil moisture and cold soils will reduce oxygen availability and restrict the uptake of K.  (wet roots)
  • Too high soil moisture can also work to leach away available potassium to the plant.
    • Irrigation can play a role in leaching K in sandy and mucky type of soils.

 

Soil Temperature & PH for Potassium

• Optimum soil temperature for uptake is 60-80°F.
  • Low temperature will restrict plant growth and the uptake rate of available K.
  • Early planting can reduce the uptake of K.
    • Increasing K may be a viable option.
• High available K levels will increase K plant uptake at low temperatures.
  • Phosphorous and Potassium are typically high in rooting/starting fertilizers for this reason as together they greatly assist root growth. 
• Low PH conditions and acidic soils
  • Higher competition for CEC sites at a lower PH.
    • Low ph can be a cause for potassium deficiency in crops while having sufficient K quantities of K in the soil.
• Correct PH conditions or limed soils.
  • Enables more K to be held in CEC and also reduces leaching.

 

Illustration of K in soil (organic particles are negatively charged.)

https://extension.psu.edu/programs/nutrient-management/educational/soil-fertility/managing-potassium-for-crop-production

 

Potassium is held in soils in 3 states; soil solution, exchangeable/fixed, and mineral.

Soil solution - Usable to plants.

• Potassium (K) is taken up by plant roots only from the soil solution.
• K in solution is a small fraction of the total K in soil.
• The soil solution is replenished with K from other sources in the soil to be usable by plants.
• That replenishment comes primarily from readily available, “exchangeable” K.

 

Exchangeable or Fixed K

• Exchangeable K, like other positive charged ions such as magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), and aluminum (Al), is loosely held in soil by an attraction to the negative charged surfaces of soil particles, this is similar to magnets on a refrigerator.
  • This is not held strongly and can be leached.
• The amount of exchangeable K in the soil is dependent on the soil's cation exchange capacity or (CEC).
• When K is added to soil it occupies negative charged sites on soil particles by “kicking off,” or exchanging with, other positive charged ions.
  • The creates a reserve of K in the soil waiting for a place in the soil solution to become available.
  • As plant uptake occurs, K is released from these sites to the soil solution.
  • The amount held in reserve and how much is released in soil solution is directly dependent the proportion of the CEC sites it occupies.
• The amount of exchangeable K is related to the amount of K available to the crop and the crops uptake.
• Clay type and Iron levels in the soil affects K availability.
  • As Fe3+ is reduced K can be trapped between clay layers for smectite
  • With illite K will be released.

 

Soil testing for potassium.

• Soil test measures K in soil solution and exchangeable K.
  • Take soil test at same time each year.
  • Is very important to test annually and regularly for sandy and organic soils due to leaching.
• When dried the type of clay particles/minerals can affect the amount of K available.
  • Soil heavy in micas release K during freeze and dry cycles at higher rates.
  • Soils with low mica and high quantities of exchangeable K are less affected by freeze thaw. 
• Time of soil sampling in regards to wet and dry cycles can affect the soil test.
  • Spring, summer, fall and winter will show different levels.
• The factors of weathering, plant uptake and soil clay and mineral make up are all factors that can alter exchangeable K.
  • It is not advised to input high K on sandy and mucky soils in the fall due to leaching aspects.
    • By spring most will be leached away.

 

Mineral - Not usable and very slowly released

• The majority of K in soil is held more tightly, trapped, or as part of the structure of soil minerals.
  • approximately 90-98% of total soil K is found in this form.
  • Feldspars and micas are minerals that contain most of the K and plants cannot use the K in this form.
• These forms, called nonexchangeable K, are generally either unavailable or only slowly available.
  • Not viable to depend on this for plant use.
• Mineral K is not, typically measured as part of the soil test procedure.
• Decomposing organic matter in soil contributes little K.
  • K is a soluble nutrient that leaches quickly from fresh crop residue, manure and sandy soils.
  • However organic matter is important to K fertility because it provides many negative charged sites for holding exchangeable soil K.
  • Finding this balance or fertilizing management with the your nutrient plan is vital for healthy plants.

 

Union Break!

 Alex Clare - Alex Clare - Open My Eyes

 

End of Union Break!

 

• CANNA Official

Potassium in Plant Growth

Potassium directly assist the plant to with stand stressful conditions and builds a stronger resistance to disease and plays a role in nearly every facet of crop production.  Photosynthesis, control of plant N, formation of new proteins and tissues, and strength of cell walls and stalk tissues are all influenced directly by K nutrition. 

• K is associated with movement of water, nutrients, and carbohydrates in plant tissue.  K is involved with enzyme activation within the plant which affects protein, starch and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production.
  • The production of (ATP) regulates the rate of photosynthesis.

The main value of K to crop plants is in times of stress.  Full and balanced nutrition in all essential nutrients maintains a plant’s vigor and reduces its vulnerability to stress.

• Potassium, role in a plant’s defense, which is primarily preventative.
• Resistance of some varieties to stresses of disease, temperature, or moisture is related to a greater ability to take up soil K.

Plant disease requires at least two conditions

• An infection point or entrance and a favorable environment for development.
• Resistance to both the incidence and the severity of disease is conferred by K through alleviating these two conditions.
  • In some plant species, wounds, which are potential entrance sites for infection, heal more rapidly when the plant is supplied with adequate K.
  • Even if higher numbers of disease organisms are present, plants nourished with sufficient K are less affected because of greater plant integrity.
• Even if disease is able to enter the plant the development of disease in a plant is affected by its K levels.
  • When K is deficient, production of proteins and tissues stops and production materials accumulate, thus providing an ideal environment and food source within the plant for disease to develop.

Potassium also helps to regulate the opening and closing of the stomata which regulates transpiration which is the exchange of water vapor, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.

• If K is deficient or not supplied in adequate amounts, growth is stunted and yield is reduced.
• For perennial crops such as alfalfa, potassium has been shown to play a role in stand persistence through the winter.

Other roles of K include:

• Increased root growth and improves drought resistance
• Maintains turgor;
  • reduces water loss and wilting
• Aids in photosynthesis and food formation
• Reduces respiration, preventing energy losses
• Enhances translocation of sugars and starch
• Produces grain rich in starch
• Increases protein content of plants
• Builds cellulose and reduces lodging
• Helps retard crop diseases

 

Potassium Management

In evaluating a fertility program analyzing the K soil test trend over time gives a perspective that is more important than the level at any one given time.  Maintaining the level within the optimum range over time is the goal.

• The response to added K can also be predicted somewhat by anticipating stresses to the crop.  If the crop is planted in a poorly drained field, or conversely, a drought field, moisture stress is likely, and so is a response to added K if soil levels are even borderline low.

Managing K fertility for a corn grain/alfalfa hay rotation is a matter of extending your perspective from the K requirement of the present crop to the requirement of the next crop as well.

A profitable response to added K is most likely when soil test levels of K are low.  Within the optimum range, nutrient availability will not limit growth.

Soil test levels are thus put into the context of the rotation.  Potassium can be stockpiled during the corn years of a rotation in anticipation of the large requirement by alfalfa later in the rotation.

• Applying manure to supply nitrogen to corn will likely supply K in excess of what the corn crop generally removes. But because the concentration of K in the soil solution is low, and because it is held by the CEC, there is little potential for this nutrient to be lost through leaching, particularly in heavier soils of high CEC.
• The little leaching that does occur provides K for subsoil uptake by the deep-rooted alfalfa crop. In this case, soil test K levels may exceed the optimum during the corn years of the rotation, but for the rotation overall they should be around optimum on the average.

 

Potassium soil test levels for corn-alfalfa rotation during which manure was applied in corn years to build up K for hay crop requirements.

 

The need for increasing or reducing potassium in a fertilizer program can be determined by conducting and analyzing plant analysis data and soil testing.

• Soil testing is the most reliable predictor of this need.

 

Calculations of K2O recommendations for a soil of CEC=10 at three initial soil potash levels and for three crops.

Penn State Extension

 

For most soils, this adequately predicts K availability however in some soils, the mineral K (which is not usually measured) supplies a significant amount of K to the crop, and thus the test based on the exchangeable and solution K does not fit the situation. 

• This is most likely to occur with soils containing high amounts of the illite and vermiculite types of clays.
  • The clue may be that there is little change in soil test K when K removal is expected to be large, or conversely (because the reaction is reversible), little change in soil test K level when K is added.
  • Once this is a known factor this aspect can be accounted for in your nutrient management plans.
    • This is not a common scenario.

Reduced potassium in soils reasoning over time.

• Not sufficiently replacing potassium after crop harvest and rotations.
  • Cost of potassium fertilizer.
• Minerals in soils.
  • Soil minerals in K cannot replenish K to account for plant uptake.
    • Is true for deep rooted plants to bring up K but the amount is not sufficient.

Adjusting K in the soils

• Soil buffering capacity 
  • Less K is needed to adjust PPM levels.
    • 6 to 7 pounds per acre will adjust 1 PPM.
  • Less time is needed for a change to occur to raise or lower soil k levels.

Crop removal of potassium

• Alfalfa by the ton K removal 180 lbs
• Corn silage by the ton K removal 160 lbs 
• corn grain by the bushel K removal 46
• soybean by the bushel K removal 63
• wheat by the bushel K removal 23

Suggested management practices for K vary with each crop.

• Top dress applications are appropriate for perennial crops such as alfalfa and grasses.
• For soybeans, broadcast applications incorporated before planting are most effective.
• For corn and wheat either banded or broadcast applications can be used
  • Broadcast rates can be reduced by one half if banded applications are used for these crops.
  • This management practice does not reduce yields but results in a savings of fertilizer dollars.

For crops (alfalfa and corn silage examples) that use lots of potassium and for soils with low potassium amounts.

• Soil test and monitor these soils often to ensure proper levels and availability.
• Top dress potassium.

No till or reduced tillage crop systems - These crop systems can cause compaction and reduced soil temperature which leads to less K availability.

• Soil test and monitor these soils often to ensure proper levels and availability.
• Top dress potassium.

Too high Potassium

• High potassium in forage crops can be problematic to farm animals.
  • Dairy cows can get milk fever for example.
• Consider the potassium levels in the soils and how it relates to your plants and farm animal dietary needs.
• Decrease in uptake of other nutrients can result with too high K in the soils.
• Potential nutrient pollution of surface water through erosion of the nutrient-rich soil.
  • Potassium is not a problem pollutant, but when soil K levels are built up by applying manure, soil phosphorous levels are also likely to be high.
• Reducing soil K in soils is to keep removing it, typically by utilizing crops with a high K requirement, without continued application.
• Can cause a depression of magnesium (Mg) uptake by cool season grasses.
  • This can lead to grass tetany, a potentially fatal condition for ruminant animals.
  • Its effects are related to nitrogen fertilization, low soil temperatures, and animal physiology.
  • Grass, especially in fertilized pasture, accumulates K during the period of lush growth in May and early June, but Mg (magnesium) uptake is hindered by soil temperatures below 60 degrees F.
  • Grazing cattle get a high K diet that increases their need for Mg,
    • This results in a nutrient imbalance in the animals.
• Guarding against grass tetany involves pasture and animal feed management.
  • The potential for this condition is greatest in pastures composed totally of cool season grasses.
    • Legumes accumulate Mg, even at soil temperatures below 60 degrees F.
  • High K forages can also result in increased incidence of milk fever if these forages are fed to dry cows.

 

Union Break!

 Overheard - Flow

End of Union Break!

 

 

Potassium Deficiency

360 Yield Minute - Potassium Deficiency - Jim Schwartz

360 Yield Center

 

Potassium Deficiency In Aquaponics Plants - Potassium In Aquaponics Managing Potassium

True Aquaponics

 

TGIF! How To Spot A Potassium Deficiency

MyLittlePeaceOfHeaven

 

With a K deficiency the seasonal duration of leaf photosynthesis is shortened, transport of nutrients and sugars within the stem is hamstrung, plant integrity is compromised, starch formation is hindered, and use of nitrogen is limited. 

• K is mobile and shows on older leaf growth.
  • At the bottom leafs of the plant.
  • The plant will take K from the lower leaves and transport them to the top leaf growth.
• Classic signs are a yellowing or chloro-sis from the leaf tip then around the leaf edges 
  • Can be spots to streaks of yellow or white depending on plant type.
  • Research and understand the K deficiency for your crops and plants as various difference can be illustrated.

Leaves already showing deficiency symptoms cannot be restored by adding K.

• Yield potential yield has already been reduced by the time the deficiency symptoms appear, and the plant has become more susceptible to the effects of other stresses.
  • Yield and quality of the crop is directly affected.

If insufficient K is available, characteristic symptoms of deficiency are likely to be evident during rapid crop growth.

 

Photo Examples

Romaine Lettuce

 

Lettuce

 

 

 

Rice

 

Corn on the Cob

 

Corn Leaf

 

 

Potassium Application

 Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden) - Understanding Garden Potassium: What it Does, Greensand, Banana Peels & Other Forms

 

Organic options for Potassium

• Compost - Especially with adding banana peels. 
  • Usable to the plant immediately.
  • Easily leached. 
• Wood Ash - Hard wood ash
  • 5 gallon bucket will treat about 1000 square feet.
  • Can be added to compost to boost potassium levels of the compost.
  • Caution - will raise PH levels.
• Kelp Meal and seaweed - Dry or Liquid form
  • Easily available to the plants.
• Greensand - Mined from ancient sea beds.
  • Can be used as a fertilizer or used in compost.
• Muriate of Potash (potassium chloride)
  • Contains chlorine which is harmful to soil microbes.
•  Sulfate of Potash
  • Similar to muriate of potash but generally more expensive
  • Does not contain chlorine and is safe to soil microbes.
  • Not all sources of sulfate of potash is truly organic.
• Sul-Po-Mag - A variation of potash, sulfate of potash-magnesia
  • A natural version is langbeinite 
  • Is water soluble and immediately available to the plant
  • Can leach
  • Generally is not used unless you need sulfur and magnesium.
• Granite Dust
  • Is very slow potassium and tract mineral release.
    • Not a sufficient source of potassium on its own.
  • Can be added to compost piles.

 

Manure Potassium

Manure is a K resource present on most farms.  However, K concentration varies by water and bedding content.

• Manure nutrient analysis is the only sure way to manage amounts of applied manure nutrients.
• Potassium in animal manure is almost totally dissolved in the liquid fraction, so it is important to conserve this portion of the manure. As long as liquid is not lost, handling and surface or incorporated application do not affect K content or availability.
• If a soil sample is taken after manure application, then the available manure K will be reflected in the soil test level and recommendations.
• If, however, manure is applied after soil sampling, then manure K should be subtracted from the recommendations on the soil test report.
• Manure K is immediately available and may be considered a 1:1 substitute for K fertilizer.

 

Manure	Moisture (%)	K2O (lbs/ton)	Variation (%)
Cattle	85	10	36
Pigs	91	11	53
Poultry	30	30	39

The average K content of various animal manures.

 

Fertilizer Potassium

Potassium chloride (KCl), called muriate of potash is the most common fertilizer form.

• It is a highly water soluble salt with a K2O analysis of 60 to 62 percent.
• Processing differences result in two common chemical qualities, identifiable as red and white muriate of potash.
• Because the difference is of no consequence to the plant, deciding which to use should depend on the basis of cost per unit of K.
• The K analysis of a fertilizer material is given as the percentage of K2O (potash) for the material.
• There is no actual K2O in fertilizer, but this is the accepted and legal reporting form. Potassium recommendations are reported as lbs of K2O per acre on a soil test report.
• The units of potash (K2O) can be converted to potassium (K) by multiplying lbs of K2O by 0.83. For the opposite conversion, multiply lbs of K by 1.2 to get lbs of K2O.
• Is incompatible with tobacco.

 

Potassium sulfate, with a K2O analysis of 50 percent, also supplies sulfur, but this is generally inconsequential since sulfur is rarely limiting for agronomic crops.

• Solution fertilizers may use KOH as the K source.
• KOH has a high K2O analysis, 70 percent,
  • the K is no more available to the crop than if KCl were applied.
  • Fertilizer solutions made with KCl may not be clear, but that is not a disadvantage from the plant’s perspective.

 

As a salt, K has the potential to injure plant roots.

• Whether this becomes a problem depends on the rate of fertilizer or manure, especially poultry manure applied and its placement relative to plant roots.
• Rainfall dilutes and leaches the salts in soil, reducing the risk of injury.
• Because starter fertilizer is placed, by design, near seedling roots, this practice has the greatest potential for root injury.
• You can avoid injury by reducing the rate or by placing the fertilizer farther from the seed.
• Recommendation by Penn State is that total nitrogen plus K2O should not exceed 70 lbs per acre when the fertilizer is placed 2 inches over and 2 inches down from the seed row, and less if placed closer.
  • Except in low K soils, there has been little consistent benefit from banding K as a part of the starter application and, therefore, it may be best not to include K in starter fertilizer.

 

Summary

In soil fertility we are concerned with crop response.  We want to apply nutrients, K in this case, where we are most likely to get a profitable return. We have seen that crop response to K may be more indirect than direct.  Effects will be an increased response to nitrogen and improved resistance to disease, drought, and cold temperatures, and may, therefore, depend on growing season conditions.

In soil testing, we have a good, though not perfect, indicator of probable response to K. Soil testing partnered by good crop records enables management to make it effective. Then, by knowing the yield per field, growing conditions, problems, soil K level, and other factors, you can make decisions, based on realistic information for your crops and fields that will project into the coming years.

This is important when you rotate crops in a field, especially when those crops, like corn and alfalfa, have very different K requirements.  Managing nutrients makes better use of limited finances.  Manure needs to become a primary concern in nutrient management, because it is a readily available nutrient carrier on most farms.  Potassium needs to be used wisely to ensure an adequate supply for your crops, but not oversupplied in “insurance applications.”

 

Recommendations:

• Test soil regularly, at least every three years or when changing crop.
  • The soil test reports the amount of available K and the K2O required, if any, to bring soil level up to optimum and offset crop K removal.
• Evaluate the fertility program for each field by looking at the trend, over time, of the soil test levels in relation to the optimum range.
• Plan ahead within a rotation to supply K for the crop with the larger requirement.
• Reduce soil erosion with soil and water conservation practices,
  • Do not stockpile nutrients in fields prone to erosion.
• Conserve the liquid portion of the manure with bedding or leak proof storage to conserve the manure K.
• Have farm manure analyzed for its nutrient content.
  • Apply manure uniformly and at a known rate as part of a planned nutrient management program.
  • Remember, quality in gets quality out.
• Evaluate the need for K in a starter fertilizer relative to soil test levels.
  • At optimum or higher K levels, a response to starter K is unlikely.
  • Keep rate of K used in starter low, or keep K away from the seed to avoid salt injury to seedlings.
• Keep good crop records and include input amounts, measured yields, and production costs.

 

Managing Potassium for Crop Production (PDF) - Penn State Extension

 

 

Credits:

• CropNutrition
• http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/nutrient-management/potassium/potassium-for-crop-production/
• https://extension.psu.edu/programs/nutrient-management/educational/soil-fertility/managing-potassium-for-crop-production
• Univ of Wisconsin Integrated Pest and Crop Management
• Alex Clare
• Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden)
• Overheard
• LDSPrepper
• https://www.todayshomeowner.com/organic-sources-of-potassium-for-your-lawn-or-garden/
• NRateliffVEVO
• School of Life

 

congratulations for learning about Potassium in soils and plants

 

Links

• Nitrogen
• Potassium
• Phosphorus

 

A proud cultural healing and life compilation.

UPDATE TO VERSALAND Farm

 

Johnson County denies Versaland farm rezoning application that sparked online controversy

• Written by and copied from Stephen Gruber-Miller, sgrubermil@press-citizen.com   
• Original post:   http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2017/09/14/johnson-county-supervisors-versaland-grant-schultz-zoning-application/668317001/

 

Johnson County supervisors on Thursday night unanimously voted to deny a rezoning application from a farmer who claimed local foods were under assault by regulations in the county.

After an hours-long meeting that drew an overflow crowd, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors denied the application from farmer Grant Schultz of Iowa City, who was seeking to rezone 62.5 acres at 5133 Strawbridge Road, near the village of Morse in rural Johnson County, from agricultural to agricultural residential so he could build housing for agritourism and hired help, as well as operate a retail orchard and fish farm.

Interest in the zoning application spiked after Schultz posted a 25-minute Facebook video on Sept. 8 complaining of his treatment by the Johnson County Planning, Development and Sustainability staff. Schultz farms Versaland — a 143-acre farm where he said he raises a mix of organic crops and livestock.

Schultz's video has more than 88,000 views and has been shared over 1,400 times.

The application had raised concerns from community members that a rezoning could lead to more extensive housing development than Schultz currently had planned for the farm. Once the land is rezoned, there would be nothing stopping a future owner from developing it to the full extent allowed.

Supervisors received over 150 emails and phone calls — including some that were rude or disparaging — ahead of the meeting as a result of the attention garnered by Schultz's video, and several people spoke for and against the application at the meeting.

In denying Schultz's zoning application, supervisors emphasized their support for local foods, pushing back against some of the emails they received. But they said the vote was a simple zoning decision and was not related to whether they approve of Versaland or local foods.

"I want to see farm incubators in Johnson County and all over Iowa. I think it’s very important work, but I can’t find a way to make it work here in this scenario at least," said Supervisor Kurt Friese. "I wish I was wrong."

County staff had recommended denying Schultz's application based on several factors, including the concern that his proposed development of up to 36 cabins for farmer housing and agritourism would be out of character in Morse, a community of fewer than 100 people whose population has remained static for over a century.

Staff also recommended Schultz share the cost of infrastructure improvements, including a bridge upgrade and widening Strawbridge Road due to the increased traffic that would result from additional housing units.

To mitigate those concerns, Schultz at the meeting offered to assist with the cost of bridge upgrades and some road improvements, and to cap the number of cabins at 14 — the number he said he needs to house farm workers in an incubator-style farm model.

One of the points of contention at the meeting was that while Schultz has a purchase agreement and has said he intends to buy the land, he does not hold the title. The landowners, Suzan Erem and Paul Durrenberger, oppose the rezoning application out of concern that his plan to use so much of the land for cabins, fishing docks and ponds is not in keeping with their purchase agreement, which specifies the land be used for crops and livestock.

"Crops do not grow under cabins. Cows cannot graze on front porches," Erem said.

The two parties have had legal disputes over the property, which were settled out of court earlier this year.

Several supervisors expressed willingness to hear more about Schultz's plans once he has the title to the land. Schultz declined to comment after the meeting about his plans for purchasing the land or submitting a new zoning application.

He had asked the board to essentially defer his application while he worked out a conditional zoning agreement with county staff that would address those issues, but the board instead denied the rezoning application. A deferral would have saved Schultz from spending over $1,500 on a new rezoning application, he said.

Erem said Schultz had not presented his plans for rezoning the property to her and Durrenberger and that the issue of rezoning did not come up during the mediation of their legal dispute. Although the board denied Schultz's application, Erem said she was sad to see the issue lead to community in-fighting.

"There’s nothing about this entire process that can make anybody happy," Erem said. "It’s polarized the entire community, it’s cast doubt on our commitment to local foods, it’s confused the issue completely."

The larger issue, Schultz said, is not about Versaland specifically, but land use planning that allows for more nontraditional farms.

"This is not about me and this farm," Schultz said. "This is about a big thing that affects everyone in the county, and (that's) antiquated land use planning that doesn’t properly accommodate people outside of nuclear families or the uber-wealthy."

The board of supervisors is in the process of working on a countywide comprehensive plan that will be voted on in 2018.

Reach Stephen Gruber-Miller at 319-887-5407 or sgrubermil@press-citizen.com. Follow him on Twitter: @sgrubermiller.

• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 1
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 2
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost &nbsp;& Worm Castings - Part 3
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 4

 

 

Vermiculture & Vermicompost

Part 3

 

Worm Bin Building Section

DIY Worm Composting Bin to Rehab Your Garden

 Lia Andrews - DIY Worm Composting Bin to Rehab Your Garden 

 

The COMPREHENSIVE Beginners' Guide to Vermicomposting (Set up a bin & more!)

 WormPost SE - The COMPREHENSIVE Beginners' Guide to Vermicomposting (Set up a bin & more!)

 

Building a home size DIY worm bin.

 I AM ORGANIC GARDENING - How to Build My ALL-in-ONE Worm Bin Composting & Worm Casting Harvester

 

Worm Bin DIY - All in One - Easy Composting & Harvesting Casting

 I AM ORGANIC GARDENING - Worm Bin DIY - All in One - Easy Composting & Harvesting Casting

 

Worm barrel for lawn clippings & garden scraps

 Rob Bob's Backyard Farm & Aquaponics - How to make a worm farm.. Easy as worm barrel for lawn clippings & garden scraps..

 

How to build a bathtub worm farm from recycled materials

 Rob Bob's Backyard Farm & Aquaponics - How to build a bathtub worm farm from recycled materials

 

Bathtub worm farm update.. Harvesting the castings & battling bugs

 Rob Bob's Backyard Farm & Aquaponics - Bathtub worm farm update.. Harvesting the castings & battling bugs

 

Harvesting worm castings from the Bathtub Worm farm

 Rob Bob's Backyard Farm & Aquaponics - Harvesting worm castings from the Bathtub Worm farm

 

Worm Tower System

In garden use, similar to a key garden compost systems

 The Abled Gardener - Worm Towers from 5 gallon buckets

Update from worm tower video above

 The Abled Gardener - Worm Tower Update/Harvesting Worm Castings

 

Another construction video of the in-ground worm tower using pvc pipe

 GreenShortz DIY - How To Make A DIY Worm Tower

 

How To Make A Worm Tower from wood (wont last as long but is nature friendly)

 GreenShortz DIY - How To Make A Worm Tower from wood

 

Larger DIY Worm Bin for small farm or large garden with extensive instruction.

 The Growing Club - How to Build the Ultimate Plastic Free Worm Composting Bin

 

Farm Size Worm Bin and information with a different design

 The Farm at South Mountain - How to build a Vermiculture/Vermicomposting/Worm bin at The Farm at South Mountain

 

Harvesting castings and separating worm eggs cocoons.

 Matthew WormsEtc - Separating and harvesting worms and worm castings. Separating worm egg cocoons.

 

OYR Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening

 

 

• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 1
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 2
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost &nbsp;& Worm Castings - Part 3
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 4

Versaland Farm - A permaculture and local government story.

The story is ongoing.

The following story has two sides and both appear to have some merit and strong points.  I ask that all sides be weighed and that people work together to find real solutions if that is even possible after everything has happened.

We here are about cultural healing and life and in that we all must learn to walk together, especially when our views and wants go in separate directions if such a thing can be achieved.

 

The Versaland Call for Help

https://permies.com/t/70332/Call-Action-Versaland-Farm-threatened

When I learned of this yesterday my soul shed a tear and I felt a little less American than I ever did.  However, as I said my soul shed a tear and this is kinda foolish as what we did to the American Indians so I will use the words less humanity now.  So I will not pout and get in line behind them and put on my thinking hat!

With that said lets us remember, their are two sides of a story and many perspectives to consider and this is not a cut and dry issue.

• Well let me stop here for a bit and let Versaland Farm tell their own story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More information to consider

 

The Iowa Citizen Press Article

Stephen Gruber-Miller, sgrubermil@press-citizen.comPublished 7:06 p.m. CT Sept. 11, 2017 | Updated 9:55 p.m. CT Sept. 11, 2017

• http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2017/09/11/johnson-county-agricultural-zoning-versaland-grant-schultz-josh-busard/653692001/

 

 

Johnson County Re-Zoning Application Goes Viral

• https://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/planningBLUZ/2017/09/12/johnson-county-re-zoning-application-goes-viral/

 

 

As they say, always two sides of each story.  I post this ethically to the story.

The Other Side

Johnson County Memo to the video

https://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/planningBLUZ/files/2017/09/358643971-Johnson-County-responds-to-Grant-Schultz-s-video.pdf

Date: Sept 8, 2017

To: Board of Supervisors

From: Josh Busard, Director

Re: Video Made by Grant Schultz regarding Rezoning Application 27281

On Sept. 8, 2017, Mr. Schultz posted an approximately 25-minute video on Facebook about his rezoning application 27281. In the video, a number of claims are made. The Planning, Development and Sustainability Department would like to provide a response.

The application will be heard by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 14, 2017.

Part One of this memo will provide background and timeline for the application process to date.

Part Two addresses topics, primarily by the order in which they were raised in the video. This is not meant to be a comprehensive review of the entire application that will be considered by the Board on September 14.

PART ONE: TIMELINE AND BACKGROUND Grant Schultz submitted to Johnson County Planning, Development and Sustainability an application on July 11, 2017 to reclassify 62.54 acres from A-Agricultural to AR-Agricultural Residential for “diverse organic farm hosting education, fishing, camping, and cabins for agritourism.”

The property at 5133 Strawbridge Road NE is owned by Edward Paul Durrenburger and Suzan Erem. The County believes that Mr. Schultz leases the farm, and intends to purchase it at the end of 2017.

Mr. Schultz’s application was heard by the Johnson County Planning and Zoning Commission on August 14, 2017. Ms. Erem, as the property owner, stated at the meeting that she did not support Mr. Schultz’s rezoning application. In their report, staff recommended denial. The complete staff report is attached; however, here is an excerpt from the conclusion highlighting staff concerns:

While a smaller-scale rezoning request at this location may be appropriate, staff is not comfortable recommending approval of this request as presented given the scale of potential development that could result from rezoning 62 acres of land to ARAgricultural Residential. Staff has significant concerns with how out-of-character a large scale development would be with the historical development patterns of Morse, and also with the potential impacts development could have on Strawbridge Rd, Putnam St, and the Strawbridge Rd bridge over Rapid Creek. These concerns exist not only in regards to a large-scale residential development, but also for the 36-unit rental cabin development at the site proposed by the applicant – staff would prefer to see a more measured and incremental approach to development of this site.

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 to deny approval. This vote serves as a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, which, as noted, will hear the application at its 5:30 p.m. formal meeting on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017

PART TWO: ADDRESSING CLAIMS MADE BY MR. SCHULTZ The following responses are relative to the order in which they were raised in the video.

Retail Orchard / You-Pick Operations: The County has not banned retail orchards. However, on April 20, 2017, the County established a 12-month moratorium on the creation of new retail orchards (Res 04-20-17-01). “You-pick” farm operations are not part of the moratorium. Mr. Schultz at this time could invite the public to personally pick apples (or any other fruit, vegetables or nuts he grows on site) and buy them from him.

Aqua-Culture: (“Fish Farms”): Fish Farms are considered agriculture in Johnson County. Mr. Schultz could raise fish on his property right now if he wanted to. If he wants to have a “fish your own” operation along with selling bait for others to fish, he would need to follow the same regulations others have and rezone the property to Agricultural Residential and get a conditional use permit.

Morse Village Boundary and Plan: As Mr. Schultz’s states, the property is within the Morse village boundary. The County Land Use Plan (2008) directed the County to develop plans for each unincorporated village, including Morse. That directive include the following item:

“Encourage sustainability within villages by promoting mixed-use developments that foster live/work arrangements which are appropriate for the village-area being considered.”

Mr. Schultz claims he is supporting the Land Use Plan by fostering live/work arrangements. However, as seen above the goal statement goes on to mention that the live/work arrangements should be appropriate as determined by the Morse Village Plan. The Morse Village plan states: “Future housing stock should not conflict with historic village development.”

Historically, the village has not grown from a population of approximately 85 people in the past 100 years, and the traditional growth area of the village is small-lot development along Putnam Road to the north. Development in Morse traditionally has been a mix of low-intensity commercial and residential uses. The build-out for the 62 acres, if zoned Agricultural Residential is as many as 50 homes before density bonuses (see staff report).

Housing for Seasonal Agricultural Labor: Johnson County allows “seasonal agricultural camps” that must follow 14 requirements, including fire and other safety aspects. Strong regulation on temporary quarters for agricultural workers is necessary to ensure farm workers are not forced to live in sub-standard conditions just to work. It is true that the seasonal housing for agricultural workers is limited to June 1 and Sept. 15. There has been discussion about changing this time-period when the ordinance is reviewed.

Mr. Schultz’s referenced a lawsuit. Staff has no direct knowledge of a lawsuit, but is fairly certain that there was a migrant camp in the late 1980s south of Lone Tree, and this camp necessitated the seasonal agricultural labor ordinance to protect farm workers.

Responsiveness to Mr. Schultz: Staff have remained available by phone and email, as well as in person, to Mr. Schultz. The last in-person contact was August 31

Cost of Application and Project Scope: Prior to Mr. Schultz submitting the rezoning application dated July 11, Nate Mueller, Assistant PDS Director, emailed him on July 10, 2017, to caution him about requesting a rezoning while he was not the property owner, and moreover, the current owner had stated she was opposed to the rezoning. Specifically, Nate wrote:

“You are welcome to request the rezoning even though you are not currently the deed holder, but in our experience when that kind of request comes through and the deed holder is opposed to the change, the Supervisors take that very heavily into account. I just want to make sure you’re aware of this potential issue before you commit $1400+ to the application filing fee.”

In addition, Josh Busard, PDS director, had personal conversations with Mr. Schultz, where he recommended that the rezoning application be scaled down, and that it might be more appropriate to seek rezoning of eight (8) acres to better support his goal of obtaining a conditional use permit for his intended development (cabins, etc.). Mr. Schultz did not follow that advice, and he repeatedly stated that he needed to rezone the entire property because his timeline did not permit a subdivision application. Josh also told him that before any building permit, he would need a subdivision, but Mr. Schultz said he would address that later.

Mr. Schultz indicated in the video that he wishes to have 14 cabins for resident farm workers and 22 for rental. This statement in the video is the first time staff have heard these specific details.

Strawbridge Road and Infrastructure Costs: This road floods regularly as shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map. The County’s Land Use Plan (2008) contains the following two policies:

• “Ensure transportation demands can be accommodated when evaluating rezoning requests” (p. 22).
• “Ensure that new residential areas are responsible for a share of development costs” (p. 23).

The County has worked with property owners and developers to improve roads prior to development projects (e.g., Harry Ambrose on Curtis Bridge Road; Stringtown Grocery and Kalona Cheese Factory on 500th Street; S&G Materials on Isaak Walton; Celebration Farm (turn lanes) on Highway 1)

Additionally, the County’s Floodplain Development Regulations states that “Subdivision proposals intended for residential development shall provide lots with a vehicular access that will remain passible during occurrence of the 100-year flood” – because of this, staff historically does not recommend approval of rezoning applications that do not meet this standard. The property in question does not meet this standard and staff does not feel that transportation demands can be accommodated without future road upgrades.

County Historic Poor Farm: The property Mr. Schultz is requesting to rezone is in the unincorporated area of Johnson County, and thus subject to its regulations. The Johnson County Historic Poor Farm is located within the city limits of Iowa City, and is regulated under the City Zoning Ordinance. Contrary to Mr. Schultz’s claim, the County Farm is subject to zoning and other city regulations, and comparisons between the two is not a simple as presented in the video. County staff, the Board of Supervisors and consultants on the project have communicated with City staff about the many city regulations.

Respectfully,

Josh Busard Director

Planning and Development & Sustainability

 

 

As they say, always two sides of each story.  I post this ethically to the story.

Those who currently own the land are opposed, their view

Grant Schultz – Facts to Consider

http://dracohill.org/blog/grant-schultz-facts-to-consider/

We hope these documents that constitute every legal agreement and disagreement we’ve had with Grant Schultz over the last 4 years help clarify any misinformation floating around the internet. By the way, we own the property. So if you believe in property rights, you should allow us to do as we please with our own land, and we don’t want it rezoned as a resort. 

And for those who believe assertions that we are out to steal this farm from Grant and somehow get rich from it, rest assured – the annual payment is more than we make on our fixed income. We cannot afford this farm and never wanted to own it. We have given him every opportunity to purchase it from us and continue to do so.

We regret having to engage Mr. Schultz because he has treated us like trash for 2 years, and posting this will only motivate him to do it again. We are sorry for the ill-will and anger he is stirring up against good people, including those elected by the people of Johnson County and those they appoint to enforce county ordinances. We apologize to our neighbors in Morse who have had to suffer livestock visiting their homes, yards, sheds and garages, cars parked along a road making it nearly impassable, guns going off at all hours of the night, the years-long saga to get a proper septic installed on this land that Rapid Creek runs through, the unkempt farmstead, the overgrown fences and more.

But the time has come to stand up to this bully. We do so at great personal risk, including fear for our safety and fear that he will trash the farm we own out of spite and anger. But we have talked with more than a half dozen young farmers who’ve lived and worked at Schultz’s farm, and they all fear he will retaliate against them with his “worldwide network” on social media. Therefore, we must do the talking for them, and for all young farmers who have asked us not to let this man stand for them, because they are ashamed of what he is doing to us.

Please read the documents and see where:

• We bought this farm to sell to him at the same price 5 years later, knowing the value would likely go up. We didn’t care. We wanted to help him get started.
• We give him the Farm Credit Services patronage rebate every year instead of keeping it.
• We paid $24,000 of a $32,000 high-powered livestock well (the other $8K coming from the  government he so despises) that he now plans to use for his cabins instead for livestock, according to his testimony at the Planning and Zoning Commission.
• We gave him an additional $50,000 to purchase a building and install a septic system so he could live there legally.

• How we moved to terminate the lease when we learned the sheer number of violations he had committed of the document he wrote.
• How we moved to evict when he didn’t pay his rent – something every farmer in Iowa understands is the one thing you do no matter what – sticking us for the $52,000 payment to the lender last year.

What’s not in the documents, so you don’t have to believe us but consider it food for thought:

• his threats to drag our names through the mud if we didn’t agree to what he wanted,
• how he has repeatedly misrepresented his rent per acre to make us sound like we were gouging him,
• how he has claimed that HE has poured hundreds of thousands into this property when the government and Paul and I paid for almost everything,
• how he gave his best helper three days’ notice for his 40 head of cattle and all the other livestock the man was tending, because Grant decided to change their arrangement and the man refused.
• how he uses his nursery to be a middleman, purchasing wholesale and selling retail to unsuspecting customers who likely thought he was selling trees he had grown himself. (He tried to convince us at one time to create the nursery business so he could “buy” from us in some kind of shell game we couldn’t understand).
• how he poses in front of paw paw trees and apple trees that aren’t his to make people believe his plants are fruiting when in fact they were still sticks that are barely leafing out and that there hasn’t been any livestock on the farm all summer.
• how all of this “shit storm” he promised to rain down on the board of supervisors is smoke and mirrors for the fact that he could buy this land from us today and hasn’t. Why hasn’t he? And why is he trying to rezone it before he owns it?
• We hope people who care about the truth can learn a few more facts and decide for yourselves. 
• Thank you and we hope to see you at the Johnson County Board of Supervisors hearing Thursday, Sept. 14, 5:30 pm in the county administration building.

Versaland’s hoop house, from the day it was built until today, has not grown a single vegetable.

 

The building he bought with our money for himself and his interns – no insulation, thin walls. And piles of junk in overgrown weeds.

 

The bee enterprise one volunteer took on fell apart like every other enterprise, not because of the government or onerous ordinances, but because of Grant Schultz. Almost every volunteer who has ever lived at Versaland has moved to another state and won’t speak up for fear of retaliation by Mr. Schultz.

 

We set aside $50,000 so Grant could live on the farm legally, something we never anticipated because he said he would commute from his apartment in Coralville, but within months was living there illegally. He chose to buy this monstrosity and plant it directly in front of our neighbor’s picture window.

 

The hoop house at Versaland – fronted by Paul Durrenberger because Grant had already used up the one he had coming to him at another failed farm – paid for by NRCS and never used for vegetable production.

 

Bad fences make bad neighbors. Our neighbor, River Products, built this fence for us. Grant Schultz then trespassed on their property, added extensions, electrified them AND then let the fence get overgrown.

 

This photo taken in 2016. These are some of the “100,000 trees” Grant Schultz claims to have planted and desperately needs workers for to harvest.

 

Statements below are taken from the Press-Citizen Iowa newspaper

• http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2017/09/11/johnson-county-agricultural-zoning-versaland-grant-schultz-josh-busard/653692001/

Quote

 

Erem, who is the president and cofounder of the nonprofit Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, said the couple bought the farm to help Schultz get started in farming, but they no longer trust him to carry out his plan.

"He wants to turn 62 acres into a resort," Erem said. "That's not what we did this for."

Erem said the agreement reached by the parties in mediation over the property did not include the ability to rezone the land. The first time she and Durrenberger saw Schultz's plans for the zoning application was in a public meeting last month, she said.

"If he wanted that ability, he could have asked for it in mediation," she said.

 

 

 

My View & Opinion

Is the versaland farm video wholly factual?  Are the views of those involved directly factual?  From where I sit and likely for all others we cannot truly tell so I offer my best to illustrate both sides and encourage positive solutions to a fruitful end.

To me, my opinion is several aspects and I have seen similar behaviors by governments,  internationally from Europe to America take this kind of action though in different industries and it was what I call a money grab.  The current owners make a very strong case against this view and they appear to have much merit.  I speak further generically due to their rebuttal and will accept an outcome that weighs this aspect.

• Unethical and unreasonable justification for road improvements, as I see it.
  • However, the rebuttal in the memo has some legal merit.
• The town is attempting to make a similar type of farm and may appear to see this as competition.
  • This may be more speculation.
• The town may see this farms value and by working to ensure it fails will likely be able to obtain the property and the book numbers are likely to be far cheaper to secure this type of farm for the town utilizing that tactic rather than building their own for which they have plans to build.  
  • This is the aspect I have seen in other industries internationally.
  • The current owners speak on this but I still have seen similar situations so I cannot say with my opinion I wholly agree or disagree.

This issue has become more diverse than how I first came to understand it.  I hope all sides can sit down and work out solutions so that betterment can come.  In these things, their are at many times no real villains and no real victims but emotion can cause varied illustrations that perhaps can stretch the truth.

My interest is just a generic one.  cultural healing and life and we must all work together correctly and wisely to do this.  Sometimes things do not work out how we want and as fast as we may want but we must remain stern towards the direction in life we sail in.  Sometimes the seas are choppy and sometimes smooth and what defines the type of captain we are is how we act under pressures and storms.

I do not mean to throw gas on a fire and my blabbering will not help but I will say to look at the wily ape compilation we have made.  I feel it will help explain this a bit if is what I fear is true.

Specifically this section:  http://culturalhealingandlife.com.www413.your-server.de/index.php?/topic/32-the-story-of-the-wily-ape-section-5-society-market-and-governance/ - I recommend the whole story of the wily ape but that section applies foremost.

 

 

What to do?

View all available information before deciding or truly forming an opinion or we may end up being the fool in the room.

The following is from versaland.

https://www.versaland.com/

To donate to their legal fight:  https://secure.squarespace.com/commerce/donate?donatePageId=59b493056f4ca36cb5fc813d

1) Watch the ENTIRE Video.

2) SHARE the video on Facebook, Twitter, email, etc

3) WRITE AN EMAIL to the Supervisors. Contact list below.  Share why you support the rezoning to AR, and how affordable farmworker housing, agritourism, and ecological businesses matter to you. Explain your connection to Versaland - as customer, student, or admirer - perhaps you've purchased plants, pastured meat, or engaged in the social fabric with a workshop or field day. If you're presently an admirer - share why you'd visit and how you'd benefit Johnson County while here. Share your unique perspective and engage respectfully, we're all humans.

4) CALL IN PERSON Engage with a personal phone call and talk through why you value Versaland, how it adds to the quality of Johnson County, Iowa, and the social, economic, and ecological benefits it brings via land access, organic food, improved water quality, and climate and flood resilience.

5) ATTEND THE MEETING on Thursday, September 14th at 5:30PM, 913 S Dubuque Street, Iowa City, IA 52240 - Facebook event here

Office Phone: 319-356-6000

 

Janelle Rettig

319-356-6000
email: jrettig@co.johnson.ia.us

 

Kurt M. Friese

319-356-6000

kfriese@co.johnson.ia.us

 

Mike Carberry
Home: I do not feel correct about posting home numbers

mcarberry@co.johnson.ia.us

 

Rod Sullivan
Home: I do not feel correct about posting home numbers

e-mail:rsullivan@co.johnson.ia.us

 

Lisa Green-Douglass
(319) 936-0175

e-mail: lgreendouglass@co.johnson.ia.us

 

RESOURCE DOWNLOADS

Versaland Design (north half of farm)

Poor Farm Design/"New Century Farm"

ESTABLISHING A TEMPORARY 12 MONTH MORATORIUM ON THE ISSUANCE OF CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS FOR RETAIL ORCHARDS   (Page 4)

Retail Orchard Moratorium (Page 3)

Versaland Zoning Application

Johnson County Iowa Unified Development Ordinance

Morse Village Plan 2011

Food Policy Council Recommendations for the 2018 Comprehensive Plan 

Johnson County Greenwashing Report

Allowing Country Inns as a Conditional Use in the A, AR, & R Zoning Districts: 09-19-13-Z2 09/19/2013

Planning, Development, and Sustainability Staff Opinion (8/11/17 opinion)

Lawsuit Evincing Purchase Agreement in 2016

Johnson County Board of Supervisors

 

 

 

What I think to do.  As they are a small town.

• Lets gather the funds and legal representation and be willing to go to the supreme courts if necessary.
  • Perhaps find some help from the ACLU or other pro-bono legal representation.
• This not only brings the legal fight to the courts.
  • It can work to bleed them back financially as they hope to do them (my view on that) and this can have a big impact on the towns finances potentially causing their taxes and fees to increase upsetting their voting base.
  • Get politically involved placing candidates and work to actually get correct people to run against this type of town management direction.  
    • Speak at all public events possible and join the same political party as to gain voter information as then you can talk directly to their base.  
    • Informing them correctly can do much and also brings a certain pressure they like underestimate.
  • Contact the businesses that support those local politicians and ask them to explain why they support such efforts and make that public, they likely will not speak back if they do not support this can lead to public pressure.
    • I do not advocate boycotts or anything like that, just discussion in attempt to gain support.  
    • Enough pain.  Let the courts, education, ethics and morals win the day.

All that said, I hope they all sit down and genuinely work together to find realistic solutions but also this will likely be a give and take.  Lets not fight, lets work together and do something great!

One Drop Forward sings us out!

One Drop Forward - Knowledge - Message Video

 

Thank you for your time and energies,

JJ the Gardener.  ~Cultural Healing and Life.

 

 

• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 1
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 2
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost &nbsp;& Worm Castings - Part 3
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 4

 

Vermiculture & Vermicompost

Part 1

 

Vermicomposting is a quick, efficient way to convert kitchen scraps into a rich soil amendment using composting earthworms that break down organic matter into worm poop known as worm castings.  A very valuable commodity.  

The following information is compiled as to enable you to have the ability to successfully raise worms and harvest their castings.  It is extensive as to account for most situations and interest levels.  If this compilation is helpful to you, please support those in the credits directly.

Worm castings are a rich source of plant growth hormones, humic and fulvic acids along with nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium and magnesium (dependent on feed stock) with microbiology which enables ready to use nutrition for the plant and the soil web.

• Worm castings are rich in essential plant nutrients and many beneficial microorganisms in a fully stabilized organic soil amendment.
• Worm castings will not burn your plants and is excellent for starting seeds.
• PH is near neutral.
• Increases germination rates due to its growth hormones.
• Assist in reducing transplant shock.
• Plants grow strong roots and helps during periods of plant stress.
• Assist in raising the brix levels of the plants.
• Works to create healthy a soil web which can reduce plant pest.

 

General Worm information

 geobeats - 10 Little Known Facts About Earthworms

 

Worms bins and castings do not have a foul odor, smells like a forest soil.

• Worms can be kept indoors year round.
• Utilize kitchen scraps and garden waste.
• Feed regularly at around one half pound of food scraps per pound of worms per day.

 

Do earthworms have eyes? 

• No, instead they have receptor cells that are sensitive to light and touch. These cells allow earthworms to detect different intensities of light and to feel vibrations.
• They will move away from light, if they can. If earthworms are exposed to light for too long (about an hour), they will become paralyzed and die when their skin dries out.  This is often the reason after a rain you can find dead worms on the sidewalk, bad timing with the morning light.

 

Can earthworms smell? 

• They do not smell like we do but earthworms have chemo-receptors in the anterior region that react to chemicals.  This is how they can detect food and other environmental aspects.

 

How do earthworms breathe? 

• They do not have lungs; instead, they breathe through their skin.
• Their skin needs to stay moist to allow the passage of dissolved oxygen into their bloodstream. They coat their skin with mucus and need to live in a humid, moist environment.  If the environment is to wet the they cannot breath effectively or at all.  This is why in part in worm bins to ensure drainage.

 

If I cut an earthworm in half, will it regenerate into two earthworms? 

• No. The half with the earthworm’s head can grow a new tail if the cut is after the segments containing vital organs.
• The other half of the earthworm cannot grow a new head or the other organs needed to sustain the earthworm.

 

Which end is the head? 

• The head is at the end closest to a swollen band encircling the earthworm.

 

How do earthworms eat? 

• They have tiny mouths and no teeth..
• An earthworm will push its pharynx (throat) out, grab microorganisms and little bits of organic matter, and pull them into it’s mouth.
• The food is coated with saliva, pushed down the esophagus into the crop and on to the gizzard, where it is crushed and ground apart.
• Next, it moves into the intestine, where food is broken down more by digestive enzymes.
• Some of the food is passed into the bloodstream for use by the earthworm and the rest passes out the anus as castings (worm poop).
• This is why introduce "grit" to the worm bins as to help them eat and process the food internally.

 

What is the swollen band near the head called and what is it for?

• It is called a clitellum and it contains eggs and sperm for reproduction.

 

How do earthworms reproduce? 

• Earthworms are hermaphrodites, so individuals have both female and male reproductive organs.
• They mate by joining their clitella and exchanging sperm.
• Each earthworm will form an egg capsule in its clitellum and pass it into the vermicompost 7 to 10 days later.
• The egg capsule is golden-brown colored and looks like a tiny lemon the size of a match head.
• Two to seven Eisenia fetida babies will hatch from an egg capsule in 30 to 75 days.

 

Can you vermicompost in cold climates?

• Yes! However, to actively eat and reproduce, Eisenia fetida (red wigglers) needs their environment to be between 59 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Worms Hatching.

 Dave - Worms hatching from eggs.

 

20 Day Time Lapse of Vermicomposting

 Gregor Skoberne - Worms At Work - 20 Days Time Lapse Of Vermicomposting

 

• Vermiculture, Vermicompost  & Worm Castings - Part 1
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 2
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost &nbsp;& Worm Castings - Part 3
• Vermiculture, Vermicompost & Worm Castings - Part 4

This so makes my day and I thank you!  I look forward to your collections.

Nails or screws are fine.  I like screws for better stability over time.  The boxes get bumped and moved and with cheap nails can become flimsy but this is not an issue if box is not in danger of falling apart, I speak more out of caution than practical issue that I have seen.  

Remember to leave a bit of a gap on the bottom as to help facilitate easier microbe movement to the rice food source but they can travel through the wood no problem anyways.  

• I speak on that due to Chris Trumps advice.  I have no gaps in the ones I had and worked as it should!

Making the box is a neat thing as it makes it more personal and feels more you did this than if bought.  Bravo!!!!