"Billy" wrote in message
...
While kicking around the idea of quarks and their odd flavors may be
interesting, it seems a bit (a whole freakin' lot actually) tangential
to the discussion of plant nutrients and healthy garden soils.

Oh really? maybe we can kick this around. First my concern for the health
of soils is the supply of cellulose. Cellulose provides glucose for many
organisms especially in the soil or more correctly, of the soil. One
problem with most definitions of soil is they forget the enormous amount of
living organisms that make up "HEALTHY" soil.

e.g., just one def. off the internet.

"Soil is the unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immediate
surface of the earth and serves as a natural medium for the growth of land
plants."

Here is another def.

"Dirt, or soil, is made from rocks that break apart or wear away over many
years. This is referred to as weathering. It may take 100 to 1000 years
for 1 cm of soil to form through weathering. Soil also contains air, water,
and humus, the decayed remains of dead animals and plants. Soil can
actually be separated into 5 main parts: humus, clay, silt, sand, and
gravel." hmmmm!


I prefer this def. Soil is a substance made up of sands, silts, clays,
decaying organic matter, air, water and an "enormous number of living
organisms". Is it alive or dead? Yes, is the answer. We have no word for
a substance that is both living and dead - wood, soil.

Now healthy soil concerns must address an enormous number of living
organisms. Cellulose provides food for many.

OK, back to quarks. Cellulose is atoms of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen.
Atoms are protons and electrons. Protons and electrons are quarks and
leptons. Not that I completely understand it but quarks do play a role in
soil health.

Something interesting I was studying when I found this out.

Did you know in a sense trees are music? Music is highly ordered waves and
vibrations. Trees are wood, mostly. Wood is cellulose, mostly. Cellulose
is atoms of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Atoms are protons and electrons.
Protons and electrons are quarks and leptons. Quarks and leptons are highly
ordered waves and vibrations. Wait a minute!! Music is also highly ordered
waves and vibrations!! Think about it.


--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.