And believe it or not...we've lost nearly a full foot - 12 inches - of topsoil in the past 200 years.
Much of that topsoil is now located as silt in the river deltas along the coastlines.
@OldGoat43 Not? or Now?
@Robecology. Sorry. Badfinger.
@OldGoat43 I did more research...and you have a point...some of that was natural erosion...
But I found this, when I googled "loss of Topsoil in America"
On average, farmed fields were 1.2 feet below the prairie, per Science News. After measuring soil height in each area, the team found that, on average, topsoil is eroding at a rate of 1.9 millimeters per year, Harvest Public Media reports.Apr 19, 2022.
So my estimates were modest/low.
Centuries to create, 10 minutes to destroy, our topsoil. It used to be 11 inches of soil. Rain? Hail the monsoon.
Most farmland in our country was grassland which only had a few inches of topsoil. Modern farming relies mostly on chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.
@OldGoat43 The prairie was centuries in the making of fertile soil thru fire & renewal. The 1st Euros thought it was unfertile as there were few trees. Discovering just how deep the earth was resulted in the destruction of our prairie & the Dust Bowl. Modern farming is depleting & toxic. Few minerals remain. My virgin soil on 4 acres is 10 inches deep with black rich soil on a layer of clay. I have a mix of prairie & oak savannah never plowed & full of native plants.
@Mooolah . Bison droppings on the plains and leaves from the forests made many areas fertile but not all of it was gifted the nutrients. It took me ten years to enrich the rocky clay on my farm in upstate New York with my composting work. Here's a photo of one of my crops with my girlfriend.
Where are you living now?
@Mooolah. Mostly indica, White Widow strain. Grown in 50-gallon pots of my mix of soil and earthworm castings, under six banks of 1000 watt LED fullspectrum lights hung from the basement ceiling. The whole setup only draws about 600-700 watts of power. All on one timer set at 16 hours of light & 8 hours of darkness.
Posted by FrostyJimToo cold to plant outside for another month here in Wasilla Alaska.
Posted by FrostyJimToo cold to plant outside for another month here in Wasilla Alaska.
Posted by JolantaUnusual fungi.
Posted by FernappleI am trying to grow some extra salad crops this year in the new greenhouse.
Posted by JolantaBugg life.
Posted by glennlab My first flowers of this spring. Lotus and blue bells
Posted by glennlab My first flowers of this spring. Lotus and blue bells
Posted by FrostyJimSeedlings ..
Posted by FernappleIts Hellebore season now.
Posted by FernappleIts Hellebore season now.
Posted by FernappleIts Hellebore season now.
Posted by FrostyJim...don't be silly!
Posted by KateOahuI saw some pretty flowers on a walk today. I’d never seen a white Hibiscus before. And I do not know what the pink flowers are.
Posted by KateOahuI saw some pretty flowers on a walk today. I’d never seen a white Hibiscus before. And I do not know what the pink flowers are.
Posted by KateOahuI saw some pretty flowers on a walk today. I’d never seen a white Hibiscus before. And I do not know what the pink flowers are.
Posted by FrostyJimI usually drink coffee while planting seeds?