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Central NE | HayWilson, I'm sure I can't add much that you don't allready know but I would like to add my perspective.
"A very important source for plant nutrients are the clay particles and organic matter in the soil mixture. They are constantly binding and releasing the nutrient ions"
It seems clearer to me to think in terms of Carbon, and Silicon. I never hear much mention about silicon by name which I think is too bad. You can have Carbon without OM, but there is no organic matter without carbon. Same with Silicon and Sand,Silt,Clay.
When I was a kid I played with legos. They usually came between 1 and 8 units long and the 4 long were the easiest to build with. Because you could use them in combination with about any other legos.
It is more than coinsidence that these two elements are abundant and have the same outer electron shell making them the "easy to build with lego" the +4,-4 charge thereby forming millions of molecular combinations with other elements AND themselves.
This is beneath the soil guys that know this, but I just thought I would say It here because It just makes it a lot easier for me to understand soil chemistry when thinking that soil type should be viewed by which one of these two elements (legos) is the predominant backdrop.
Carbon (organic matter) = 4 long black lego
Silicon (sand silt clay) = 4 long yellow lego
I have always wanted to know "why" more than "what". So in response to the quote above- Why are clay particles and OM a very important source for plant nutrients in the soil mixture? The same reason a 4'x8' sheet of plywood is the easiest size to build with. All the other elements (nutrients) can join on. Because you can use them in combination with about any other nutrient.
So isn't EC just a measure of how much these two legos are stacked to themselves (large particle, small surface bonding area) vs. stacked with "other legos" called nutrients? example: A diamond would be the ultimate low CEC?
Hayinhere
Edited by Hayinhere 12/20/2009 04:00
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