‘Soil your undies’ shows healthy soil
Last week Delphy dig up some undies they buried two months earlier in the soil at het Research Nursery in Boskoop (the Netherlands). The cotton underwear was completely eaten through the healthy soil life. Only the waistband was left.
‘Soil your undies’ is a challenge farmers started in North America. Why? To make soil testing simpler, looking for a simple confirmation of healthy or unhealthy, farmers have turned to burying their underwear. Healthy soil contains organic matter, and as a result, it also houses organisms that eat organic matter — bacteria, earthworms, fungi, etc. In just two months, cotton underwear buried in healthy soil will be completely eaten through, leaving behind little but an elastic waistband.
In april, Delphy started a demo trial at her Research Nursery using different composts and other organic materials. The demo is part of the European Interreg-project Soilcom. In the trial various composts were applied on top of the soil. During cultivation, growth is monitored and various analyzes are taken to monitor effects on nutrient content of the soil and soil life.