[Totty]

Has anybody ever heard of a nutrient crash after several years of no dig?

[sunshineband]

Has anybody ever heard of a nutrient crash after several years of no dig?

At the risk of unpsetting the followers of no-dig, nutrient crash can occur if the soil is not well fed over several years.

Manure and compost does not contain everything needed for healthy growth, and unless other nutrients are also used (BFB etc) poor grwoth can follow.Some growers add rock dust for remineralisation from time to time as well.

I am quite prepared for others to disagree -- I can only speak from my own experience on this one.

[Trillium]

That, as you say Sunny, is the point of no-dig - one must regularly add missing nutrients to the beds in the form of rock dust, kelp meal, BFB, gypsum, lime, manure, compost, etc. Simply adding mulch is not a form of soil food.

It's no different than adding nutrients in the dig method other than the nutrients in no dig aren't turned over but are left to soak down into the lower layers. Regardless of your chosen method, if you don't feed the soil, you don't get the results because the soil is starved.

[stompy]

I do dig but read something recently about the alledged nutrient crash with no dig beds.
It was only speculated that there would be a nutrient crash but as yet it hasn't happened.

[sunshineband]

I do dig but read something recently about the alledged nutrient crash with no dig beds.
It was only speculated that there would be a nutrient crash but as yet it hasn't happened.

Like Trillium said, feed the soil with the same things regardless of whenther you dig them in, scatter them on the surface under a layer of manure/compost or water them in (in some cases)

No soil food = no decent veg 

[azubah]

I just like digging.
I start at one end when the spuds start coming out and get to the other end by the time the next lot have to go in. The spuds will go where the sprouts are due to finish.

[Salmo]

Apparent nutrient crash could occur if the soil became too acid. When the soil gets very acid some nutrients, especially phosphate, are locked up and are not available to the plants. With the copious amounts of mulch and manure that most no dig systems use it would not be any surprise.

[Totty]

I was under the impression that initially, nutrients are being washed in and dragged down by worms, clearly not all of the goodness will end up in the sub soil as there is so much being added, over a number of years of intensive growing unless the plants are putting roots into fresh compost they will have less nutrients available down deep than if the manure/compost was being dug in. This coupled with the idea of the soil turning very acid as already mentioned and the lack of air being added is enough to convince me that digging goodness in where needed is the way for ME to go.

Totty

[stompy]

I don't agree with the build up of acidity causing neutrient lock up causing a nutrient crash.
Im not saying that doesnt chemicaly happen but that could happen in a dug bed if you don't keep an eye on the PH of the soil.

We all do or should do a PH test from time to time to chech the condition of our soil, just because you don't dig it doesnt mean you don't add feed and soil conditioners Lime, BFB and the likes, so i can't see how you would get a nutrient crash in a no dig bed anymore than you would get it in a dug bed!  

[Salmo]

A nutrient crash  could easily occur due to acidity in a dig situation but, as with no dig, it is unlikely to happen to those who feed their soil and pay attention to detail.