In Search of Soil #1 - Dr. Elaine Ingham

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In this episode of In Search of Soil, we’ll be talking about the truths behind soil, break the myths behind it, and illuminate some interesting and intriguing ways to go about how to build soil. Our guest is one of the world’s leading soil biologists, Dr. Elaine Ingham, who will help us see the soil in a new light. Follow Dr. Elaine - www.soilfoodweb.com/
Enjoy the show?
Drop me a line @diegofooter - / diegofooter

[@johnhargreavesii8181]

As a home gardener and farmer I’ve done hrs of research and had even watched and participated in a few zoom presentations with Dr. Elaine Ingham and let me tell you, you are doing it right my friend. You are bringing “gold” to your viewers so so many never learn this depth of Ag and it’s a great feeling seeing her as your first guess I can not wait to see who you have on next. People laugh when I say I can talk about soil for a solid half hour and many don’t let me lol this is the fix my hungry mind and soul needs thank you man.

[@HyaenaHierarchy]

You can stop at just a half hour? Lol

[@jacklegminercanada3866]

@@HyaenaHierarchy agreed, a half hour isn't that solid.

[@joe8133]

I’m literally spending like half my life at this Point thinking about soil biology 😂 it’s so addicting to look into

[@stratify9704]

Spent thousands of dollars and many hours of time in classes, yet learned all of it and more in just a couple of these videos. I am so grateful for this effective growing awareness! Wish I could have been involved in this years ago.

[@neuroudec]

in 30 minutes I learned more than watching 60 youtube videos of other gardeners this is pure gold. Thanks Diego!

[@alphaomega8373]

Glad you found someone that teaches the way you need to be taught.

[@joshuamcdonald2057]

It’s SO damn hard to try and teach people this type info! Especially gardeners who are stuck in the agricultural world. You have to till. No matter how much I try and explain. I’ve been studying Soil for almost 15 years. History, biology, biblical, chemistry, u name it. It is a perfect system! Back to Eden garden.. Paul Stamets.. Lady in this video and John Kohler. All anyone needs!

[@kacsaf]

I would like to congratulate the interviewer for the very good questions he had for Elaine, really really sharp and meaningful. Thanks Diego a lot

[@maglitube]

Dr. Elaine Ingham. What an amazing first guest!!! Thank you!!!

[@stevenprice4810]

This lady is a wealth of a quality information,thank you.

[@basically_living]

Sensational conversation for your audience which now includes me!

[@shazzbotz]

Thanks to both Diego + Elaine for taking the time to share this precious knowledge.

[@HyaenaHierarchy]

Hear hear!

[@skunkebud8]

Wonderful first guest choice. I love Elaine!

[@Alex_Plante]

Remember the idea of biochar comes out of the Amazon, where soils are heavily leached by heavy rains. It was probably just one component of an equatorial forest farming system.

[@brucehitchcock3869]

Thanks Diego. For the perfect questions . Elaine is awesome human being . As r u .

[@toxicrune]

Thank you for posting. You asked Dr. Ingham all the right questions.

[@HyaenaHierarchy]

This is exactly the kind of conversation that I am craving as a beginner soil farmer. Thank you Diego and Dr. Ingham. This is incredibly valuable and useful.

[@colbykinney5633]

Well its gonna be hard to top this one.

[@brentdutcher2875]

Diego, thanks for the reminder about adding sugars to my soil. I am the woodchip tree leaf guy mulched on top of my garden soil like every two years I would do this. I have never had a problem growing anything it's always come out perfect. picking up a bag of drying molasses on the way home today and spread it over the garden and let it sit through the winter. Thanks for the great podcasts.

[@terrygabriel5945]

A lot of really good questions 🙂👍

[@southernvtgrown]

Great guest, vast knowledge and great gental teacher.

[@freeloader6317]

Dr Elaine spittin knowledge. This needs more views. Awesome content my guy. 👍from me

[@jinaoneill328]

Great podcast, the only thing I would change is the hosts sound, I could barely hear you . Dr. Elaine's sound was awesome , thank you so much I am a fan of hers . Thanks so much for posting this

[@projectoldman3383]

Diego is a quality interviewer, really good questions with an obvious deep knowledge of the subject. Excellent pace and tenor, good work.

[@rrrlimones]

Just found your channel. Thanks for sharing all this knowledge. Saludos desde México 🇲🇽

[@seebaastian]

Dear, Diego. You are doing an amazing job. You guest knows her thing. I would love to hear more about her. Thank you so much!

[@rochrich1223]

I like Elaine's story about the clover overwhelming the beets. If it gets more extreme, she might need to switch from beets to rabbits!

[@justayoutuba5380]

The world needs to hear this lady..

[@abrahama25]

Diego, you must have taken lot of time and efforts to prepare these FANTASTIC questions! This vide gave a wealth of information. Excellent job Dr. Elaine and Diego. keep such videos coming. So grateful for these

[@erbauungstutztaufgnade1875]

Thank you guys for your help/effort.

[@K3Flyguy]

Wood chip question was exactly the question I as wondering about! Thank you!

[@garthwunsch]

Diego, you asked so many of my questions. Dr. Elaine, you gave really understandable answers. Thank you both. My primary healthcare giver is a homeopath... she asks me questions to discover the source of my health challenge, then determines the appropriate remedy... following this same protocol makes equal sense for the health of my soil, and me. I need a microscope, and knowledge, to become a homeopathic soil doctor!!!

[@jacobclark89]

I think she could make a cartoon series to explain all this stuff that would be over the top !

[@5ivearrows]

I am really glad you started this series, Diego- I am a huge fan of your practical, direct approach to everything, so I could hardly ask for a better host. There are some questions I would love to ask Dr. Ingham. Really curious to hear her perspective on facultative aenerobes (microbes that can exist in both aenerobic and aerobic conditions, and their role in reducing the oxidation state of minerals into plant available forms. There are some other folks with a lot of expertise and research that show excellent field results that don't entirely agree with Dr. Ingham on some things, and I'd be interested to hear some of these people put together to discuss these things.

[@garthwunsch]

So now I understand why, after eight years of No-Dig with heavy straw/leaf mulching, I can weed my 1200 sq. ft garden in five minutes a week.

[@Green.Country.Agroforestry]

I had a strange childhood .. we had an antique Zeiss binocular microscope on the farm (not THAT antique, it wasn't made of brass!) and one sure way to get me to do my chores quick was to tell me that I would get a turn with the scope as soon as they were done. At that time, I had no clue at all what microbes were doing for soil health, but I logged many hours 'hunting' microbes, just like some people go bird watching. At school, while other students were trying to read 'see spot. see spot run', paramecium and dinoflagellate were part of my conversational vocabulary. Bottom line: I agree with Dr. Ingham, there is no need to fear the instrument .. about the worst accident we ever had was occasionally breaking a slide. Oo! Note on feeding bacteria: it doesn't HAVE to be molasses .. molasses from the coop has been a common source of cheap sugar for farmers, but if you're a small suburban gardener, getting molasses from the grocery store is expensive - you can use sugar that is affordable to feed your soil bacteria.

[@williambryan2804]

Very interesting. In Texas we have a serious problem with mesquite. I've read places that are now overgrown with mesquite used to not have any. For example south of San Antonio down towards Laredo used to all be grassland. Now it is a mesquite jungle. I wonder if soil balance can be used to control and eliminate these pests.

[@DaveTpletsch]

Interesting question. I'd like to know as well. My first guess would be probably not or that it would be very hard or impractical since Mesquite are trees and therefore build for themselves the climate and soil they want/need to survive, and their root systems are incredibly deep and extensive, meaning a mesquite forest would probably be a very robust ecosystem (one of the reasons they're used so often in desert reclamation efforts). But I don't know for sure. It's also interesting that you'd classify mesquite as a pest since it's native and an important part of native ecology, desert food webs, and natural desert succession. I'm also very curious as to why there is an abundance of mesquite? mesquite evolved along side horses and their seeds are most likely to germinate after they pass through the gut of a ruminate like horses, cattle, or goats. It's possible that the over abundance of mesquite is caused by running so many cattle across the state, in which case reducing cattle grazing for 20 years is the best solution, but it's a solution no one wants to hear. Also it is my understanding that in the 70's there were plenty of mesquite all over your state, but a combination of drought and depleted soil from overuse of synthetic fertilizers drove cattle to eat the bark off all the mesquite trees in search of the minerals they needed, killing the trees and leaving your state even more ecologically devastated than it already was. It's possible the mesquite that you claim are problematic are just those mesquite groves finally coming back. Also mesquite as leguminous tree species are precursor to other tree species for native forests all over the southern and western US. I wonder if the mesquites are simply part of the natural succession slowly rebuilding the cottonwood forests that once covered much of Texas before trappers hunted the giant beaver to extinction and loggers turned your state into the desolate wasteland everyone falsely believes it to have always been? In any case, the mesquite could probably best be controlled by planting taller, longer living native tree species like cottonwoods that would shade out the mesquite gradually, as will naturally happen if nature is left to her own devices.

[@williambryan2804]

@@DaveTpletsch I've heard, if you go back several hundred years ago, before the overgrazing, the region south of San Antonio was grassland. The mesquite are a more recent trend there.

[@DaveTpletsch]

@@williambryan2804 in which case, It makes sense that it's a natural succession even just happening in a place where it shouldn't, probably driven by cattle since they love to eat the sweet seed pods of the mesquite, and the seeds passing through the animal helps with germination. As to your original question about using soil ecology to control the mesquite population: because the mesquite are native and naturally occur in and succeed grasslands, getting rid of them using control of soil biology could be an uphill battle. Short of wiping out the soil ecology to kill the mesquite and starting over again I would suspect that it probably won't work because nature won't consider them a weed, and they can survive and even thrive in the worst soil conditions on the planet. I could easily be wrong though, it could be worth researching.

[@williambryan2804]

@@DaveTpletsch I’ve been told by several speakers including Allen Williams regenerative grazing will get rid of mesquite.

[@DaveTpletsch]

@@williambryan2804 Allen Williams would definitely know better than me. Since regenerative grazing patterns are one way of restoring savanna soil ecology, if it controls the mesquite, then the answer to your question of using soil ecology to control the mesquite becomes a definite maybe, worth setting up an experiment.

[@busker153]

I love to discover the "nature" of the things God created. And, He got it perfect the first time!

[@papapetad]

"it depends". The wisest answer ever invented by humans. Thankfully, this point was particularly emphasized during my PDC. It warmed my heart hearing Elaine bringing attention to that phrase and the theme underlied the entire interview. The sound of wisdom in a world full of ego and misplaced certainties. Thank you for sharing.

[@jacklegminercanada3866]

Elaine, You're one cool cat!

[@rajdevarapalli4346]

Great questions and great answers

[@TheAdhdGardener]

Glad I found this channel too💯 super helpful to level up our garden game

[@alisonburgess345]

I had to till my yard ONCE to be able to shape beds, remove perennial weeds and set up the woodchip paths, but never again. I hope the structure will be able to restore itself again. I just put home made and bought in compost once a year on top of the bed. The beds drain really well and the soil is especially fertile (a relatively young volcanic krasnozem). Now I'm thinking about getting a microscope lol!

[@RubberDuckStyle]

Love this so much info

[@leopoldotovar876]

Wonderfull

[@evegrowing7749]

Great interview!

[@JRileyStewart]

I'd love to see pictures of Dr. Elaine's home garden.....

[@hudson8865]

Thank you very much.

[@joseluiszoppi7231]

great information!!! thank you!

[@pyramidion5911]

Great questions great answers 👍👍 thanks for sharing

[@IvanPavlov007]

Thank you so much for doing this interview. I learnt so much.

[@bethsusaynedelim4691]

I had learned so much, it's amazing!

[@ranchoraccolto]

Nice first interview!

[@martylawrence9089]

Thanks

[@drummerboy737]

48:10 yes

[@ben-fe3zy]

£100 for my microscope (brunel sp22) which is really effective. Good microscopes are no longer prohibitively expensive. And it is so much fun. Totally changes how you look at spoil and pond life.

[@ben-fe3zy]

*spoil - soil

[@montrealsqueezebox15]

Wow! I’m a suburban backyard food gardener, and I have been connected to many youtubers that talk about gardening and farming and soil for a few years now. And this interview was just awesome. So awesome that I’mma buy me a microscope soon! Lol! Real soil and microbiology science with an incredibly smart woman. How will you go up from here Diego?

[@MichaelIreland]

I have a question for anyone who might know. I've watched quite a few of these, and I'm hooked, but I haven't come across my particular situation. The region where I live has exceptionally sandy soil. In fact, less than 12 inches below the surface topsoil (added when the neighbourhood was built) the sand layer starts and continues to over a dozen feet - we're talking pure almost playground quality sand. How do I use the information in these videos to amend my soil for trees, or gardens? So far, I've had success simply building raised garden beds for my vegetables (and I'll apply the principles in these videos to improve them), but short of completely replacing all the sand, I don't see how to amend the deeper substrate.

[@jacobclark89]

I will never forget the look my mother gave me about 40 years ago when I was just a boy and I susjested to her that maybe we should try chemical fertilizer ! Nope were going to make a worm pile and organic compost . Those were the days , when farmers were organic would pick and sell the produce when it was ripe , No monsanto pertection act , no roundup on the food ! Those were the days.

[@torheggelund1608]

Thanks diego love it and thanks for such an indepth interview with a brilliant person. Still am skeptical of there being enough diversity of nutrients in my clay soil to feed vegetables that are picked every season even with an abundance of microbes to attain the nutrients. Also she said not to rotate brassicas. Isn't that leaving dramatically increasing the likelihood of club root

[@lindamorrison450]

Thank you so much for this great podcast! How can I get information about the demonstration site in Portugal that Elaine spoke about? I live in Spain and want to visit that place...

[@dglsdgls3663]

Where is the list of perennial ground cover species on Elaine's web site?

[@ekcoylejr]

Charcoal itself breaks down complex compounds. Maybe there is a learning curve or different organizams are in play where benefits are seen..

[@jeffreydustin5303]

I'm interesting in building a square foot garden, strictly Mel Bartholomew style. What does the bacteria/fungal connection say about these kind of engineered mixes like Mel's Mix?

[@ishennymnoor-sampangan2118]

The best methode of farming of the plants with lower cost and higher quality and quality is using biochar to retaine of water for long time and increase of growth of microbe to produce nutrient for the plants.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

I put heavy Corn Gluten Meal and the grass was very green - but then started turning brown in patches. From her talk - it must have been from heavy rains water logging the soil - because when I dug up the dead turf root rot - sulfur - there was also dark black in the top layer of the soil. I was wondering what caused that dark black soil and now realize the nitrogen had turned to ammonium.

[@jaydavies9304]

Wonderful first episode to this series. Definitely shall be investing in a microscope!

[@martylawrence9089]

Alberta Canada

[@antoineratheau9897]

I like the perennial low ground cover idea. but still, i wonder of could we seed carrots in this ?

[@ZLcomedickings]

Can I use these methods for turf grasses? And complete replace the use of conventional herbicides and fertilizers?

[@ShinigamiOni]

So inoculating your biochar before application is paramount.

[@josht4741]

What type of microscope is best suited for monitoring soil

[@FasterAfterForty]

Among all content on talking about soil, this is the most comprehensive approach on bringing the info to the audience After seeing this i straight to her website and plan to taking the course on soil (unfortunately its too expensive for my budget 😂)

[@koreywalker6472]

I'm in an arid region and I feel like I get more biomass from cover crops in my irrigated areas..

[@dans3718]

Can see her thinking/knowledge has developed. Still wonder at the apparent disconnect in her thinking on anaerobic conditions versus what is happening in KNF/JADAM which seems to work a lot with anaerobic conditions to produce those innoculants. Great first interview indeed. You going to land an interview with the syntropic ag founder? JADAM? :)

[@torheggelund1608]

Also wonder about the same thing

[@hadarbensimon6558]

been thinking about this a lot, I have studied more of her soil food web approach than JADAM but I know people who swear by those anaerobic fermented amendments.. I'd love for someone to break that down on here at some point!

[@Fazendinha_TAS]

Hi Diego, great idea for a podcast. Thank you for putting this together. I was wondering if it will be possible to sign up for the podcast with Google Podcast app later on? I saw on Spotify and Apple Podcast app already so I'd imagine it will pop into Google Podcast app soon.

[@Damenf1]

Any idea of what farms she talks about at 51:15-51:30? Specifically the farm in Massachusetts?

[@aresrin]

Where is the list of perennial cover plants? I don't see it on the Soil Food Web site.

[@OffGridHawaii]

What is a good microscope to get to start out?

[@jekesainjikizana9734]

Any idea of examples of the short growing deep rooted cover plants Elaine speaks of?

[@Doitallgp]

I painstakingly pulled this off of a screen shot of one of her blurry video recorded lectures. Cover crops Aretostaphyos Carmel sur manzanita Chrysanthemum paludosum Corethrogyne filaginifolia silver carpet Erigonum caespitosum Euphorbia maculate Fragaria virginiana var platypetala Festuca ovina L. Horkelia parryi Monardella macrantha Oenothera californica Salvia sonomensis “hobbit toes” Satureja douglasil Sedum glaucophyllum, oreganum, and silver moon Heuchera hirsutissima Juncus phaeocephalus Nemophilia maculata Penstemon heterodoxus

[@bobbiejofouts1708]

@@Doitallgp thanks for that information. I had done the same thing, but I couldn't see the first one.

[@tanchewleong2078]

Hi Elaine, pls suggest the cheapest (usb??) microscope model but still effective enough to see / count / gauge the fungi & bacteria level. Totally agree with you on if u cannot count how on earth can u know.., manage. Thanks in advance

[@pitbikehype5281]

Any professional microscope will work I bought one for 150$ that's great

[@adrihalut]

Thanks for the excellent stuff! Would you be able to give a manufacturer and model number of a suitable microscope? I've been searching all over the web for a DIC microscope and find nothing from sellers, nor manufacturers, except for the optics science... Dr. Ingham mentions somewhere that a perfectly good microscope for soil biology use could be found at the $800-1,000 range. Can you please point me to a microscope of the sort needed here? Thank you very much. Ilan.

[@bobbiejofouts1708]

Dr. Ingham's site is SoilFoodWeb.com. In another interview she said that somewhere on her site she has this information. She also said that the site she recommends is Microscope.com and to get the camera separately. That interview was, I think, in 2019, and at that time she said the microscope alone was about $300.

[@adrihalut]

@@bobbiejofouts1708 Well, I'm just looking for a Differential interference contrast (DIC) microscope online, and still can't find a single one... Thanks anyway.

[@jeffreydustin5303]

If you build a benficial ecosystem in your compost will they come (the bacteria & mycelia)?

[@TreverSantora]

Out of curiosity, what kind of microscope does Dr. Elaine recommend?

[@jacklegminercanada3866]

She does have a recommended type for soil viewing, not sure which one but I've heard her refer to one a few times.

[@JRileyStewart]

You don't need more than a basic $70 scope; something with decent optics and up to 400x magnification. I bought an AmSco basic student scope and it's fine for basic qualitative assessments. Can easily see bacteria, humic acid aggregates, nematodes (all sizes), protozoa, etc. More advanced scopes that have compound eyepieces, stage adjustments, sliding diaphragms, excellent optics, or digital cameras might be needed if you need to do objective assessments often. Example: www.amazon.com/AmScope-M150C-I-40X-1000X-Biological-Microscope/dp/B00AM5XB5O?ref_=ast_sto_dp

[@jacklegminercanada3866]

@@JRileyStewart how do you see bacteria? Do you have to stain?

[@JRileyStewart]

@@jacklegminercanada3866 No staining. Readily seen at 100-400x as tiny dots and rods within the wet prep. Can also see flagellated bacteria swimming by quickly, but they don’t stop even to say hello. Take a look at some of the videos coming out of Dr Elaines organization for how to’s.

[@ElizabethofTexas]

I looked for the chart of perennial cover crops on the website linked and couldn't find it.

[@tcotroneo]

I just looked now and couldn’t find it either..

[@wadepatton2433]

I've seen about everything Dr. Ingham has on the internet for free and am glad you went to all this trouble to make this video, but I do have a comment that some would take as a complaint. That is not what it is. I'm sharing it with you in order that you might realize some folks (I am one) have trouble with the audio portion of the show. The problem is I can hear Dr. Elaine perfectly, and her audio is as nice as I've ever heard it. Many thanks for that. But that your audio as host it far too "mellowed out" and bassy for me to hear without running the volume up. If I run the volume up to hear what you are saying, then when Dr. Elaine comes back on, she's far too loud. I realize part of this is my old ears (54) and my focus issues. My solution was eventually just to leave the volume down and skip over your words as host (which were just mumbles at low volume) and to simply listen to Dr. Elaine's responses, in case she'd come up with something new to share. If you were to "punch up" the mids a little bit or bring back some natural highs to your voice, then it would likely all be legible audible for me and others with similar hearing. Another note along those lines: This is a common situation where the host has some great audio gear and really --melodious tones- dialed in for his/her voice and then they put a guest on the show who has cheap tinny sounding gear (if anything beyond a cell-phone and a computer) and that huge mismatch of the "Barry White" sounding host the thin tinny sounding guest drives me nutz. Yours wasn't that bad here because Dr. Elaine was on the headset and not so bad as is regularly experienced in this medium. That's why I try to avoid all pod-casts type shows: disparities in audio. Hope you find this helpful and that you benefit from such improvements as can be made. ps: Yes sometimes I run an audio equalizer/effects app to "dial in" poor audio when find the need on a more consistent problem. Can't use that application where we have two different audio streams of considerably different qualities. cheers.

[@wadepatton2433]

Also, I've got a microscope on order and compost working. I've only been a soil-food nut for a few weeks. I hauled two loads of wood-chips yesterday. This has to happen. Gabe Brown is my newest hero farmer and I'm hoping to see all the lands around me change to regenerative ag practices. Hope to help make that happen.

[@arthurwellsjr.4082]

What kind of begginer microscope can the Dr.recommend?

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

Why she say that Blueberries can't grow on 4.5pH? Source Wikipedia: Wild blueberries prefer an acidic soil between 4.2 and 5.2 pH

[@JoelNisly]

I couldn't find the perennial groundcover list on her website currently. All I found was a broken link to where it used to be. What is the link to the current list? Thanks!

[@guyonneammerdorffer9230]

You can see the list on a slide at 1:12.35: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqvXmYSvgsaEl7M

[@Doitallgp]

Cover crops Aretostaphyos Carmel sur manzanita Chrysanthemum paludosum Corethrogyne filaginifolia silver carpet Erigonum caespitosum Euphorbia maculate Fragaria virginiana var platypetala Festuca ovina L. Horkelia parryi Monardella macrantha Oenothera californica Salvia sonomensis “hobbit toes” Satureja douglasil Sedum glaucophyllum, oreganum, and silver moon Heuchera hirsutissima Juncus phaeocephalus Nemophilia maculata Penstemon heterodoxus

[@bobbiejofouts1708]

Look about three replies up.

[@jamohney]

Fungi food...I know of only two; whole rice & gnarly barley, can you tell me some more.

[@danielpicassomunoz2752]

Anyone has the list of recommended perennial covercrops per state?

[@annestudley8235]

This was a great interview, and I really appreciated your questions. However, I didn't get how growing a perennial ground cover or annual cover crop at the same time as the target would be any more beneficial and less competitive of nutrients than simply letting weeds grow all around? Especially since the definition of weed can be pretty subjective. Any thoughts?

[@Camille_Boomer77000]

In a healthy soil roots grow down not outwards (compacted soil) so there is no competition between them for nutrients. Microorganisms are fed by plants exudates and in return release nutrients for it but if there is no plant (let's say after harvest) the organisms have no reason to stay in this location. Cover crop ensures that the microorganisms are fed all year round. On top of that they prevent soil compaction due to rainfall, whereas bare soil will be subject to compaction and make the soil less and less fertile as it compacts more and more over time. Regarding weeds, they don't put as much exudates as other plants to feed microorganisms but they sure are better than bare soil. Weeds also like more alkaline conditions (highly bacterial soil), lower oxygen levels whereas cover crops tend to prefer a neutral pH (higher presence of fungi) with higher oxygen levels. So when you have a cover crop feeding the microbiology, it will tell the biology what conditions it prefers and the organisms will adjust the soil for the plant to thrive. Weeds won't be able survive under these conditions. It's a simplified version of how complex the plant to microbiology relationship works but I hope it helps a bit.

[@annestudley8235]

@@Camille_Boomer77000 Thank you for the explanation. However, what exactly is a weed vs. a cover crop? For example, I don't view plantain as a weed because I harvest it for medicinal purposes, and I do the same with dandelions and yellow dock to an extent. Dandelion and yellow dock put down very deep roots and do survive our cold winters, as opposed to buckwheat or daikon, for example. So there's no way I can keep what I'm hearing are cover crops alive at all times in my soil, as they are killed by our winter cold. And what determines how many exudates a plant's root puts into the soil? And how about edible root crops, such as parsnip and sunchokes? I have 2 sunchoke beds and usually harvest both in fall, but this year I had enough to last me through the winder in one bed and so left the other for harvest in spring. They're alive down there, but I'll dig 3/4 of the rhizomes out and disrupt everything - there's no avoiding that. What's left will multiply and grow another stand. So is that patch of ground going to be worthless with the annual digging to get the food out? As opposed to carrots, which I have heavily mulched to no avail in the past, parsnips seem to last the winter here, and I can harvest them in spring before they bolt. I will plant something there right afterwards, but again, I have disturbed the soil to get those roots out. So is it pointless in terms of improving soil biology to leave them in the soil through the winter just to have something living in the soil at all times?

[@paulbraga4460]

i do not know many people who can handle the cost of having a class with the soilfoodweb - the cost of a microscope alone sets you back some. the cost of the class, most of us do not want to hear it. it should cost some but really...blessings

[@devikrupafarmbhujkucth7787]

Elaine courses is very costly Can we have recorded cheap version

[@peaceofmindfarming]

I'm a quadriplegic lacking fine motor skills in my hands, unable to use a decent microscope. My financial resources are limited as Social Security allows. I'm capable of some manual labor tasks- prune and water- make naked-eyed observations and using my knowledge to the best of my ability, broadcasting cover crops, enhancing my trees, berries, garden beds, planters, raised beds, and fabric pots. Whatever I may lack in physical ability, I try to have a PMA and strive for daily improvement, 30-plus years after my accident. Looking for someone to lend a hand, scoping soil. Thank you from the mid-Willamette Valley.

[@harrymeyer888]

This is like finding a brand new religion. One that makes sense and put Mother Earth back in charge.

[@jacklegminercanada3866]

Well said

[@brucehitchcock3869]

Archaic revivalist church . @brucehitchcock3869 the end of the curse-" the ground will not yield its strength " Return to abundance consciousness from shortage consciousness. we lived in forests naked without fe a r shame or sin. That all came with tilling and killing the soil food web.and overgrazing.And the loss of our plant and fungal teachers . 😋 🤣❤️🖖👍✨️🙏 "Christian communism "....All voluntary giving and "taxation".

[@mikespangler111]

Two things: input beneficial microbes into our gut microbiomes (Prebiotics, Probiotics, Antioxidants) & input beneficial microbes into our soil (Regenerative "live soil" polyculture, intercropping "chemical-free" Natural Farming & "live liquid soil" polyculture "chemical-free" Natural Farming Aquaponics :-) Ethos commerce & Ethos investment :-)

[@woodcouleecattle]

I enjoy your podcast but please speak up. Very quiet audio

[@addammadd]

Do not lick your compost hands. 1:12:14

[@Nematodeparty]

The thumbs down on this video must be from some spiteful gardeners who just got outclassed and debunked with thier simplified techniques that she just crushed 😿😹

[@Doitallgp]

I am fairly new to gardening but have done an insane amount of homework into soil health since lockdowns began. My question is: does anyone else get the general sense that Dr. Ingham is often self-contradictory (recommended duration of composting, turning vs. non-turning etc.)? I recognize that she is regarded as the michael Jordan of soil biology, but I often get the sense that she is often making odd stretches about what microbes are doing in the soil and what we can count on them for. I also think she has discounted the benefit of biochar due to her stated one test on the subject. I know she’s super important to the science but her described scientific approach and delivery just kind of rub me the wrong way. I’m open to any commentary and/or criticism.

[@sethcooper1850]

Are there peer reviewed trials establishing that a certain ratio of fungi to bacteria produces greater yields in comparison to other configurations of fungi to bacteria? Also is there any actual research linking flavor and nutrient content to biological conditions in soil? I don't mean to be a naysayer: Ingham is certainly a wealth of knowledge. But it appears many of her claims stretch and extend beyond the available research on these topics. (I live in Southern NJ and I eat local conventional blueberries all the time and they taste great fwiw.)

[@danielpicassomunoz2752]

there's been some talk about direct microscopy results not being repeatable (same sample) :S

[@raurkegoose5233]

Look into David Johnson from New Mexico State. Not peer reviewed as far as I know, but he's put out info on this. Elaine isn't explaining very well. The "proper" ratio is more of a range of F/B ratios, not a specific ratio. All the crops we grow for food, veggies and pasture included, will benefit and thrive with a slightly fungal dominated soil, like up to 2:1 or so.