"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann
writes

What is the definition of "Active Organic Matter"?
It all sounds remarkably like a rip off. Is it?


I'm not falling for that much overplayed troll Franz, even for your
80th. birthday, but I can tell you that I looked at the item
advertised.
It works a bit like a soil ph test and it is priced at £10/11.95.

I don't doubt that it does what it claims, i.e. it measures the
amount
of roughage in the soil,

What is "roughage" in the context of soil?
How does the apparatus measure it?
And I am still in the dark about what "Active Organic Matter" might
be. In what way would it be contrasted from "Inactive Organic
Matter", or "Active Inorganic Matter" or indeed "Inactive Inorganic
Matter". To be blunt, the term used by the OP consisted of a string
of weasel words.

but that does not have a lot of meaning in the
context of organic gardening as a style of soil and plant
management.

In other words, you agree that it is a rip off.

I'm left wondering what the gadget would make of testing a piece of
coconut matting - packed full of fibrous matter, but useless to
plants?

Quite.

I have just had a look at the link. Now I am absolutely certain that
it is a rip-off. It is a clear case of a snake-oil seller doing his
patter.

Franz