Part 4 (4) Potassium

The word Potassium is derived from the word 'Potash' which comes from English and means just what it says; ash of burnt wood, taken from a pot. Traces of Potassium occur naturally in the soil for example from naturally occurring veld fires and, as plant and animal cells contain an abundance of Potassium, it is also introduced via decomposing plant and animal matter. So the natural introduction of potassium in the farming environment is simple enough. Do not waste any plant/crop residues, use them as a mulch so they rot back into the soil. This practice also shades the soils, reduces evaporation and creates an ideal living environment for useful terrestrial life such as earth worms. Terrestrial life is another subject which we will eventually get to, but this shows how all the natural elements of a self sustaining ecosystem are linked. The word coined for this sort of thing is 'biodiversity' which means biologically diverse, and basically a healthy natural system IS diverse, containing a multitude of interlinked living and non living things all of which play an important role, and if one link is broken a chain reaction ensues. But I am digressing, one thing at a time hey??? Back soon..............