95% of the time archaeologists can tell when they are excavating in disturbed context. The 5% is generally when its homogenous soils. #Archaeology #soil

"Microplastics are now a ubiquitous part of our daily physical reality. They suffuse our #air, our #soil, the #food we eat and the #water we drink. They’re being detected everywhere, from Antarctic sea ice to human brains. A new #study published reveals how #microplastics hinder #photosynthesis across a wide range of plant species—including crucial food #crops." https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/microplastic-pollution-is-messing-with-photosynthesis-in-plants/

gardener survey: what is the soil profile at your place?

this is the soil profile at mine: https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/K/KEAUKAHA.html

TLDR: 0-4 inches of organic, on top of solid lava rock all the way down.

so my biggest challenge is building (and keeping) soil.

why "keeping"? because we get over 100 inches of rain per year, with year-round temperatures above freezing. so we lose a lot of soil in runoff and in organic processes (seriously, mulch just disappears...you're like "didn't i put mulch down?" but that was a whole 6 months ago, so it's probably gone now.)

the best way to retain soil here is to put plants on it, as soil will clump around the roots and the roots will hold the soil in place.

i'd love to learn about the soil profile at your all's places and what kinds of challenges you have in growing stuffs.

The container pond is now in place. I now know there’s about 30 cm/1’ of top soil before the clay layer. The soil texture is being assessed.

A pallet end put to use in making bricks from the excess excavated clay or providing mason bees with some handy nesting material before it dries.

Deer have been munching on the jostaberry so for now it’s covered in insect mesh until I can fashion something more permanent.

A key part of my soil improvement plan at the community garden is to always have a bag handy to put the pieces of plastic, glass, and metal that turn up when I'm digging. Zip-ties and small shreds of plastic mulch are the most common, courtesy past gardeners who just couldn't be bothered to clean up after themselves. #trash #garden #gardening #allotment #GrowYourOwn #plastic #soil

Rest of the day was mostly feeding branches to #HerrSchröder. The woodchips completed a little garden path but the larger share went into the mud pit in front of the garden, which is a right mess now after the concrete removal.

Some ancient hay from the barn floor on top of that and blended it all in with the rotavator. The idea is that this will improve the gloopy soil there and allow it to drain better. Tomorrow I want to compact it.

Garden tilled. The rotavator dug up a brick, a few more concrete chunks, some plastic, a pipe and a massive fucking steel beam. Luckily it seems I didn't break any of the tines. The guard door on the right was bent slightly, but it was easy to unbolt and bang straight again, didn't even chip the paint. Japanese steel won over Soviet steel

Figured out what the feedback lever does, too!

Some tricky driving to get in the corners.

Short work day because morning shenanigans in town, but then I retrieved the rotavator from the tractor barn. Fixed a few small problems and greased all the things, as it was nicely painted but not a drop of grease anywhere.

Some studying of Japanese manuals (translated) and wrestling the thing on and off the 3PH twice and then... magic!

Turning the concrete field into fluffy garden soil. At sunset, sadly, so just a quick test run.

Tonnes of microplastics infiltrate Australia’s agricultural soils each year
How microplastics affects soil and food health

"We found every kilogram of compost contains between 1,500 and 16,000 microplastic particles. In weight, this equates to between 7 and 760 milligrams of microplastics per kilogram of compost. "

"In Australia, about 26% of compost produced at organic waste processing facilities is used in agriculture. So, we estimate that between 2.7 and 206 tonnes of microplastics is being transported to Australian agricultural land from compost each year."

"The absence of clear guidelines leaves composting facilities, waste processors, and end users vulnerable to unintended plastic pollution."
>>
https://theconversation.com/tonnes-of-microplastics-infiltrate-australias-agricultural-soils-each-year-study-shows-250624
#plastic #pollution #microplastics #waste #agriculture #soil #food #compost #landfill #regulation

Hey Mastodon, we need some expertise on #soil #remediation for a story. Have you ever done any hand-on #fieldwork inoculating dirt with a new #microbiome? Do you know anyone who has?

Even the thought that
she might soil her delicate
hands was cringeworthy.

#DailyHaikuPrompt - 3/8/25 - #soil

When humans chose to
exhaust earth, paradise lost
high time to regain

#dailyhaikuprompt
#soil
#MastoPrompt
#jump

#haiku
#senryu
#poetry
#SmallPoems
#writing
#photography

@dailyhaikuprompt
@stevencudahy

Food Forest - (unknown photographer)

Via LA County CJIC: Voluntary Soil & Water Testing by Community Action Project LA

Disaster recovery experts from multiple universities have come together to expedite and empower household & business recovery decisions & have created CAP.LA to collect soil & water samples from yards, gardens, and pools to test for possible wildfire pollutants. There is no cost to the homeowner and results will be provided once testing is completed. #EatonFire #PalisadesFire #Soil #Water

https://academics.lmu.edu/studyla/studies/communityactionprojectla

Ok, I am in love with this!
Too many of you are in my heart for this song I can't even start to tag ya'll.
Let's be soil together!

I want to go downwards,
I want to be ground,
I want to be fed on,
I want to break down.

I want to be all gone,
I want to be food,
I want to be walked on,
I want to be soil.

I want to be soil,
I want to be sound,
I want hold secrets,
That’ll never be found.

#hopepunk #nature #soil

Cosmo Sheldrake - Soil ft. Nature
https://youtube.com/watch?v=G_TZ6k8ArwY

Does paper really break down in your home compost pile?

Specifically, I have on hand a LOT of unprinted newsprint, aka packing paper.
Also wondering about boxboard like paper towel tubes, and maybe the paper towels themselves.

Hi all. We're excited to share we've published a new, free, open source soil science application: #LandPKS Soil ID!

Soil ID makes it simple to identify the soil beneath your feet. Gather observations about the soil and compare your data to possible soils from local soil maps.

We're launching in the U.S. to start with, with soils outside the U.S. coming soon thereafter.

Learn more: https://landpks.terraso.org/take-to-the-field-with-landpks-soil-id/

Soil ecology walk #2 is online.

Join me on this short stroll through a snow-covered Berlin, when I explain the difference between necromass and biomass and why this is important.

#soil #soilecology #soilhealth

https://youtu.be/yeKYejtpcB8

a joy to watch dr. Jess Hutchings journey around Aotearoa in Hua Parakore - Rebuilding Our Broken Food System.

a beautiful series on Māori food & soil sovereignty & alternatives to ecological breakdown by Papawhakaritorito Trust, Storybox & Māoriland Productions streaming in NZ: https://www.maoriplus.co.nz/show/hua-parakore

#Papawhakaritorito #ecologies #Aotearoa @ecologies #Kai #Food #FoodSovereignty #soil #SoilSovereignty #KaupapaMaori #NZ

rewriting my #introduction !!

( hi ) things I care about are too numerous to list but my bio says I'm a:

#art worker &
#soil worker &
#flour worker &
#earth friend &
#bike friend

I do love sharing and I've got some cool friends in the metro-Bean area. My bookshelves are overfilled, the #recentbread tab changes, and I'm trying the Pixelfed thing (see notes ^ )

MSTDN.SOCIAL since early '24 (thanks Stux) - first go on M'don via the former twixter.eu