Part II of the Agroinnovations interview with soil microbiologist Dr. Elaine Ingham. Dr. Ingham discusses the impact of natural disasters on soil microbiology, testing laboratories for soil microbes, aerobic composting techniques, and methods for managing soil microbiology using compost tea. Visit Dr. Ingham’s Soil Food Web Inc. website.
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2 responses to “Episode #133: Compost Microbiology”
Great interview. Many thanks for taking the time to get this out. Keep up the good work.
Dr. Ingham makes some pretty incredible claims here. Hadn’t realized that the purpose of compost tea was to provide impaired soil with new microbiotic community. She mentions working with “Hendrikus” at one point, and the use of compost in stabilizing hillsides — curious to know more about that. I didn’t hear her mention “air” as a source of nitrogen, but it’s good to point out, as she did, that almost all temperate soils contain all mineral feedstock that plants need — just a matter of getting it in “edible” form. She briefly discusses humanure — would point out here that there are perhaps no human pathogens in the temperate zone which can live in humanure outside the human body for three months, and certainly not for a year, regardless of how “hot” or “anaerobic” the manure may get. Classic “Humanure Handbook” treatment of the stuff would be to build a compost pile for six months, then leave that pile to sit for six more months before sending it into the garden.