Whatever your soil story is, we are here to help in the transition to a more holistic approach in restoring your soil. We work with mother nature to increase soil fertility, nutrient up-take, pest and disease control, carbon sequester and water holding capacity. These are some of the benefits you can expect when you increase soil biology.
Microscope analysis is the first step in determining whats going on in the Soil, who's home? and in what numbers?
Why is this important?
Having a balanced soil food web in place, (bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa,) means that plants can control the nutrient cycling that's happening in the root zone by investing some of their sugar and carbohydrates they produce captured from the sun and air in order to feed bacteria and fungi, which causes these organisms to multiply around the root zone, then they get busy harvesting nutrients from organic matter and parent material in the sands, silts and clays which they absorb into their bodies. This attracts predatory microbes, protozoa and nematodes which consume bacteria and fungi. The wastes left behind from these predators contain an abundance of nutrients in plant available form that the plant can take up. This results in well nourished, resilient plants that produce nourishing food for us.
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Consultancy
We offer a practical, scientifically proven approach to restore your soil to a healthy balanced living eco system. Whether you want to start to reduce chemical input or just want to boost your soil fertility,
We are here to help,
We offer a hands on approach or can simply answer your questions relating to the regeneration of your soil, field, lawn, small holding, farm, allotment e.t.c
So what does this involve?
You would send in a sample of you soil (full guidelines at bottom of page)
Full biology analysis, which includes Nematode, Protozoa, fungal and bacterial biomass per gram of soil. The F:B ratio and comparison with recommended ranges for desired plant requirements.We also add a couple of paragraphs in the comments section where we go into a bit more detail.
Quick soil biology test, this uses the same method as the full biology analysis but without quantification. This will tell you "who's home" a pared down 'on a budget' assessment of how your soil food web looks.
Depending on what you want to grow,
The report you receive via email will let you know who's home and who's missing. There will be a fungal to bacteria ratio, based on the successional stage of growth as well as the biomass of fungi, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes. We can also see if you have pathogenic bacteria in your soil as well as Oomycetes, which are disease causing fungi.
Still unsure this is for you? drop me a message in the contact at the bottom for a quick free call back chat on the phone.
Full soil biology analysis £50
Quick soil biology test £30
If you have any questions please use the form below for a free call back
We charge £15 per half hour for a video call. £200 Site visit plus 45p per mile travel. That can be anything from compost making workshop, training, liquid amendments or a full site assessment, you name it and we'll work with you. We always adapt to your needs.
Booking Form
Soil sampling instructions
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You will need:
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An apple corer or teaspoon,
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Sealable bag for each sample,
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Permanent marker.
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Identify your sampling areas. There may be multiple samples to take if there are several different conditions of interest on your land. For example, if some of your crop is healthy and some diseased, those would be two separate sampling areas. Another example is if you have two or more compost piles, each one would be its own individual sample. And if conditions within a pile are not homogenous, you can separate these different areas of one pile into two different samples.
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Complete the following steps 2-5 for each separate soil sampling area, or compost pile.
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Brush aside any loose, un-decomposed organic matter from the surface of the area you will be sampling. Soil...
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Use the apple corer or teaspoon to sample the top 3 inches (~ 7.6 cm) of the soil, halfway between the drip line and stem/trunk. The drip line is the edge of the canopy of the plant. Take at least 3 randomly chosen soil cores in each area and place all three cores into the same bag without mixing. Do this for each area you want to sample.Compost…..
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For Windrow compost take 5 tablespoons for small, and 20 tablespoons for Take from different areas of the compost.
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Add to plastic bag.
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Label with date and , sample type and name
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Teas or Extracts (Liquids)
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Fill a 500ml clean plastic water bottle ¼ of the way with sample. Seal just before mailing with tape around the lid. (Run a test sample a few days prior to know that the liquid doesn’t leek or expand with gases.)
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Make sure to clearly label the bag on the outside, including date, location, type of sample (soil, kind of plant sampled), the person who sampled, and any other information relevant to the sample. Use the permanent marker to prevent the label from being washed or rubbed off.
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Do not fill the bag more than ⅓ full, and make sure to leave air inside the bag before sealing it, so the microorganisms have oxygen.
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Email ahead to book slot using form and message above