Healing Our Soils, Compost & Compost Tea with Troy Hinke

Soils are the basis of all terrestrial life. A teaspoon of healthy soil contains close to a billion bacteria, many yards of fungi, and thousands of protozoa and nematodes. Through decades of poor management techniques such as ongoing tillage, chemical inputs, and compaction, soil has become degraded the world over. This results in a massive decline in fertility and structure, changes in salinity, loss of organic matter, erosion, and contamination. Composts and compost teas can bring life back to the soil through living organisms that help plants thrive.Learn to steward and regenerate the soil-food-web through the use of soil amendments, compost, and compost tea (for plants not humans) with Troy Hinke, former Rodale farmer and apprentice to Dr. Elaine Ingham. In this all-day workshop covering both knowledge and applied techniques, Troy will cover: an overview of soil microorganisms and their relationship to plants, roles of the main beneficial microorganisms in the soil food web, essence of compost and compost tea are microorganisms, cycling of nutrients and the interplay between soil microorganisms and plant nutrient availability, protective barrier on plant foliage and roots to shield against disease and pathogens, review of large and small scale composting and compost tea setup, pros and cons of thermal composting systems such as the Johnson-Su compost bioreactor, tips on successful vermicomposting, explore the difference between compost tea and compost extract, tour of a commercial tea brewer using Living Web Farms’ equipment, tips for brewing superior compost tea, design and structure of tea spraying programs for farms and gardens, tips for brewing teas to favor different microbes, making infusions, and using organic additives with teas and compost extracts, learn how to navigate the confusing world of shelf-stable microbe products. The aim of all of these topics is to get life in the soil and keep it there. Microbe-activated natural fertility is the safest and most natural way to rebuild life in our soils. Explore this fascinating world of soil microbiology and building life.

[@halbertking2683]

I met someone who grew up on a farm in the midwest . He said "We were good dirt farmers." My grand father bought a 50 acre farm in Pittsburgh , Pa. Him and my father grew tomatoes for HJ Heinz during WWII . The soil was depleted when he bought it. He got bones from the local slaughter house and manure from the stockyard. Two good books to have "Myclelium Running" by Paul Stamets and of course "Permaculture" by the late Bill Mollison.

[@gaylerobison9518]

I knew Elaine Ingham decades ago when I worked in the soil microbiology lab at Colorado State where she did her post doc. Elaine is the bee's knees and I am SO PROUD of her and her life's work.

[@loneforest6541]

Thanks to Living Web Farms for sharing these valuable lectures....❤️❤️❤️

[@williamwallace1745]

My neighbor always uses mushroom soil that's already been used to grow mushrooms (so 2nd hand M.S) and lays roofing rubber down on the ground with holes cut in it to grow his plants through.. Best producing garden I've ever seen, never needs extra water and really produces. Prob has good microrizzal fungi in that mix.. I started using that method last year and it has doubled the size of my harvest

[@spavle]

Very nice lecture, I learned a lot of new and useful information

[@theallotmentdiaries3868]

Well that was interesting, looking forward to part two.

[@danman4300]

Loving your channel ❤

[@tcotroneo]

Thanks for the insight.. This makes me wonder when everyone is touting all the mycorrhiza bacteria in their woodchip mulch next to their plants, but now I question if that is just saprophytic fungi eating the woodchips…

[@john-smith.]

Yes, but what's left behind is probably good stuff. I add wine cap fungi to mine wood chips, and also get mushrooms to eat.

[@tcotroneo]

@@john-smith. yes.. both beneficial, but for different reasons..

[@stevehaas9515]

Great lecture.

[@kitmburau]

It's nice to see that Dave Grohl shaved and took up farming. Awesome lecture!

[@john-smith.]

Dave Grohl is a superstar, and a very talented one.

[@MrGorgolo]

I was going to say Marilyn Manson!

[@richy7tube]

Does anyone else watching this feel like they are taking a lesson at Hogwarts by Severus Snape? This composting presentation is brilliant & magical!

[@jimbledsoe9083]

@ 6:10 or so he uses the word decomposes to speak of what the micro-organisms are doing and i tend to see this as recomposing. Nothing decomposes while everything is recomposing. I feel this is important because from the point of view of the microbe ,it is eating the grasses or carrots or whatever it is finding in what we are calling compost, the tiny critters are having lunch. I know this could be seen as semantic. On the other hand seeing our selves from within the food soil web, as participants, and our bodies as somewhat sophisticated mobile composing units the idea of that carrot you just ate recomposing in our system and becoming part of us makes me feel better.

[@MB-vw1qo]

When is part 2 coming out or is it already available? I searched youtube for part 2 and did not see it. Thanks.

[@suburbanwoman6280]

You didn’t look hard enough

[@adamfuller855]

it's out

[@didgeridooblue]

You might try adding some mineral oil to the microscope slide to slow down the movement of the organisms present.

[@MsCaterific]

💛

[@jonathanbock2116]

Is part 2 also available?

[@livingwebfarms]

Coming up next, very soon!

[@earacheselbowsenoch6251]

@@livingwebfarms Good... Elaine is awesome...

[@MB-vw1qo]

@@livingwebfarms I just asked the same question before I saw this thread. Thank you and if you want to disregard my question I posted, no worries.

[@willardb682]

Any update on when part two will be available? I'm ready to start composting 👍🏻

[@meshcreations8125]

Any links to the documentaries talked about

[@bbbmill2693]

Fantastic Fungus!!! I've watched it 5 times! Check it out!!

[@RubberDuckStyle]

👍👍👍👍

[@daviddalrymple6156]

why not do the imo1 for your fungi?

[@felicitasalibuyog9958]

How can we get rid of mold in my potting soil

[@doloresreynolds8145]

Check out other of these guys videos: I watched one recently where a watermelon grower was losing up to 40% of his plant starts to damping off. He inoculated his planting soil with the right mycelium, and his damping off problems disappeared. Sorry, I have watched so many these last few days I do not remember which episode it was. One of the beginning ones. They implied that having fungi in the potting soil controls the mold.

[@earacheselbowsenoch6251]

I'm on my 3rd batch... 35 gallons... I've got clay soil in N CA.. Any advice on clay soil and how to improve?

[@joeldesimone5904]

Keep it covered, preferably with compost or woodchips then come back in a year.

[@flatsville1]

Get a soil test from you Univ Extension service.. Be careful adding amendments other than organic matter if your pH is balanced & mineral content is adequate. Be cautious with gypsum. It may not be necessary. www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/using-gypsum-in-garden.htm

[@earacheselbowsenoch6251]

Thank you all. Please feel free for any other info.. My boy left the drip irrigation on last night and my planting holes were filled with water this morning... 3am🙄

[@flatsville1]

@@earacheselbowsenoch6251 Let it drain down. Chuck a big handful of finished compost in the bottom of the hole. Tamp in seedling & water in. Cover with finshed compost & or mulch. It will likely be fine.

[@MB-vw1qo]

I do want to add this... Some day I would like to see someone produce Soybean or corn or wheat or... at the scale of thousands of acres using this composting methods.

[@tcotroneo]

I hope not.. we’ve destroyed enough soil and forest and wildlife habitat planting those crops that are mainly used for processed foods…

[@williamwallace1745]

If everyone grew even 25% of their own food world hunger would end.

[@MB-vw1qo]

@@tcotroneo since Americans grow crops at a large scale already, it would seem like doing it in a possible more sustainable way could have benefits

[@john-smith.]

@@MB-vw1qo It's not profitable in today's standards, with Monsanto, and gmo crops....It would be nice though, but I agree with the above posters.

[@brunetyannick1174]

@@MB-vw1qo You should look at the Johnson-Sue results from USDA, as well as some of the regenerative agriculture pioneers, they use methods such as spraying aerated compost tea extract into dead soils to "kickstart" biology. They showed that, with the right methods, using as little as a 10 ml/m² (only 100 L/hectare !!!) of aerated compost tea (that is, microbial/fungal spores inoculum), you achieve results similar to applying 20 tonnes of compost/hectare. Really profitable contrary to what john smith is saying, but it does require a lot more knowledge than chemical monoculture model. Once the desired fungal/ratio balance is achieved, they then use the now proven method of no-till + cover crops/multiculture, getting quite impressive results, drastically lowering inputs (tiny amounts of herbicides to control cover crop and favor main crop sometimes used) + similar or even higher yields compared to chemical monoculture. Instead of buying the entire array of pesticides/herbicides/fertilizer, they buy seeds, really an elegant and effective solution.