Is your soil healthy? Here's a BRIEF test you can do!
Did you know that there are billions of microbes – bacteria, fungi, protozoa – in a teaspoon of soil? These soil microbes need to eat and breath just as humans do. But what do they eat? Carbon.
Carbon is a common element in all organic compounds – including cotton. So when 100% cotton underwear is buried in the soil, the worms and other critters see it as food.
You can take care of these hungry microbial friends in your soil by following the four core principles of soil health:
Keep it Covered
Minimize Disturbance
Maximize Living Roots
Energize with Diversity
Test out the health of your soil by doing the Soil Your Undies Challenge. Find out more
about the challenge from our friends at the Pennsylvania Soil Health Coalition and USDA-NRCS in Oregon.
Did you do the challenge? We want to hear from you! Send us your pictures and results at msketch2@vt.edu. You may be featured on our social media and on our website!
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