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trace nutrients in natural soil
Do plants growing under natural get most of their micro nutrients from
the organic and humic complexes in top soil? (as opposed to the subsoil)
If we wanted to collect natural soil to be used as a source of trace
minerals in an aquarium substrate, perhaps top soil if much better to
use than subsoil. Some zones of subsoil will be well leached of trace
minerals.
Could other subsoil zones which are accumulating minerals leaching from
the overlying topsoil contain too much of some minerals? or is this very
rare?
The various zones of subsoil (called horizons) are studied by soil
scientists who can make educated guesses about the minerals by looking
at the color, texture and location of the soil horizons. See links on my
web page.
Steve
PS Thanks to Mark Fischer for that reference on aquatic soils. Maybe we
can get a copy of this from the UBC library. (Bottom Soils, Sediments,
and Pond Aquaculture. 1995. by Claude E. Boyd)