Nanoclay for sandy soils

[Telemark]

How to Make Liquid Nanoclay?

Liquid nanoclay is developed in the hopes of desertification to have high-yield agricultural land,which is an ever increasing issue damaging the agricultural production

nanografi.com

Nanoclay: the liquid turning desert to farmland

www.bbc.com

Here is some info on the technology. Seems like a real solution to the problem. They don't give the exact recipe, but with some experimentation, those with sandy soils could probably figure out how to utilize nanoclay to improve their soils.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Thanks for sharing the link. I work in Ag research and hadn't heard of this yet. The part that gets me and makes me skeptical is this:

> meaning that liquid nanoclay requires around 40 liters of water and 1kg of clay per square meter of land.

That is just bananas and not very feasible. I'm going to dig into the peer-reviewed literature and see if I can't find more.

For people with sandy soil who are looking to increase organic matter, there is already a fairly clear path. I think there have been some minor short-cuts reported with carbon-based products like bio-char, but that has been a mixed bag so far.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Thanks for sharing the link. I work in Ag research and hadn't heard of this yet. The part that gets me and makes me skeptical is this:

> meaning that liquid nanoclay requires around 40 liters of water and 1kg of clay per square meter of land.

That is just bananas and not very feasible. I'm going to dig into the peer-reviewed literature and see if I can't find more.

For people with sandy soil who are looking to increase organic matter, there is already a fairly clear path. I think there have been some minor short-cuts reported with carbon-based products like bio-char, but that has been a mixed bag so far.

Rye is a many splendored thing

bill

 

[Telemark]

Thanks for sharing the link. I work in Ag research and hadn't heard of this yet. The part that gets me and makes me skeptical is this:

> meaning that liquid nanoclay requires around 40 liters of water and 1kg of clay per square meter of land.

That is just bananas and not very feasible. I'm going to dig into the peer-reviewed literature and see if I can't find more.

For people with sandy soil who are looking to increase organic matter, there is already a fairly clear path. I think there have been some minor short-cuts reported with carbon-based products like bio-char, but that has been a mixed bag so far.

That 40 liters is for desert sand. So far they are focusing on deserts in Egypt and UAE.

You'll definitely need water though. I'm not sure why that's bananas or unfeasible. It will take some effort and specialized equipment, but it's certainly feasible.

 

[Garrett S]

Rye is a many splendored thing

bill

Have you had luck with rye in straight sand?


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[TreeDaddy]

Have you had luck with rye in straight sand?


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....and everywhere else.......literally

bill

 

[bigboreblr]

I'd be skeptical too. However, it's about filling the voids. If you fill them tiny holes between your grains of sand with something chemially "sticky". Ion attraction, water miscability.

I could see a little of the right kind helping out with moisture retention and ion exchange capability.

Get the right dredging material from rivers in arid places, it could make economical sense. They spend tons of money making golf courses in deserts too.

What I am doing up at camp is new to me, but I bring a 5 gallon bucket of heavy clay / loam to my spot where I will be planting a tree. I rototill it in with the sandy soil and get a few bucket of highly OM soil, usually wash basin from hillside valleys. Time will tell if it pays off. I know fertilizer work great, but doesn't last long in that soil. Maybe the clay will keep nutrients around longer.