Skip to main content

An upcoming episode of Serving Up Science is all about how soil sustains life & is critical in conversations about #ClimateChange & #food security.

Here you can see two glasses where I poured water over tilled (left) & untilled (right) soil.

The details will be in the full episode, but the take home is that soil structure matters. Healthy soil prevents erosion & flooding, stores carbon, supports biodiversity & keeps our crops growing. 🌱

#climatechange #food
This entry was edited (10 months ago)
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

toxtethogrady
toxtethogrady
• •
You sure what's depicted on the left isn't a glass of ka'chava?
in reply to toxtethogrady

Sheril Kirshenbaum
Sheril Kirshenbaum
• •

@toxtethogrady I had to google ka’chava ☺️

These two soil samples were dug from two areas across the road from each other on the same farm

@toxtethogrady
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

toxtethogrady
toxtethogrady
• •

I've been bombarded with all kinds of ads for it, and all of them depict a brown liquid mud that has 85 ingredients that are beneficial to the body.

As for soil, there are attributes that favor tilled and untilled soils for different gardening applications. These days, the trendy plant shops are selling potting soil that's essentially loose amalgams of twigs, bark and other things and looks like the soil on the left. But the soil on the right is useful as long as it allows the roots of plants to grow.

And I hear there are great benefits to a soil made of used coffee grounds, which are dense...

in reply to toxtethogrady

Sheril Kirshenbaum
Sheril Kirshenbaum
• •

@toxtethogrady the sample on the right supports roots, maintains microbes and holds water far better than the soil on the left.

Tillage can be used to add fertilizer, make planting quicker, etc, but over time, it degrades soil structure.

@toxtethogrady
Unknown parent

Sheril Kirshenbaum
Sheril Kirshenbaum
• •

@StephanieJane I’m glad it works across the pond ☺️

After this week, it’s up to our post-production team, but I’m guessing they’ll be out in the Fall.

in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

BoneHouseWasps 🔶
BoneHouseWasps 🔶
• •
Interesting. I wonder if that's why my lawn basically doesn't grow anything. Maybe I should have tilled it before planting....
in reply to BoneHouseWasps 🔶

Sheril Kirshenbaum
Sheril Kirshenbaum
• •
@BonehouseWasps Tilling destroys soil structure. It can be used to add fertilizer, etc, but it’s not improving its ability to hold water & support roots & microorganisms.
@BoneHouseWasps 🔶
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

BoneHouseWasps 🔶
BoneHouseWasps 🔶
• •

So I took the opposite lesson from your post? Guess I'll need to listen to the episode, huh? 😊

And it's back to the drawing board with the lawn... 🤣

EDIT - Not sure if I can get PBS in the UK, unfortunately.

This entry was edited (10 months ago)
Unknown parent

Sheril Kirshenbaum
Sheril Kirshenbaum
• •
@CStamp done
@Carolyn
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

JeSuisUnHombre
JeSuisUnHombre
• •
I hope you're talking about the destructive practices of factory farming?
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Sujit Bidve
Sujit Bidve
• •
Soil is stardust which supports life on this planet. It can act as flood mitigation material, germinates seed to grow as plant and sustain life. Soil is essential component in life system on earth.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Nazani
Nazani
• •
California's plans to promote large-scale composting sound intriguing. Few detail online yet.

Lo, thar be cookies on this site to keep track of your login. By clicking 'okay', you are CONSENTING to this.

⇧