In my country (Czechia), we have a saying: 'The worse the gardener, the better the harvest.' Now I'm thinking it's probably because of this: a lazy or bad gardener doesn't remove all the weeds or clean up the fallen leaves. So, while they may be seen as a bad gardener, it actually ends up being the best for the garden. I find that very funny. :D
As a farmer....I agreed with 98% of this information. The only thing missing from the gardening/ farming community.....we love our compost....and we are learning to add or learn about cover crops.Thats all great keep doing it. The only thing missing is remineralization. Just because you add the bacteria and the biomass that it eats( compost)....if there are very little minerals ( at least the 8-20 we know are needed for plant growth) your plants will be lacking in health....and so will you. If the bacteria is there but the mineral isn't there for it to chelate and turn into a bioavaiable form...then it's just not there. So when you are building your compost piles try and use things that don't just add the NPK back but the other crucial minerals that are taken up by the plant....and usually not returned back at the rate they are taken out. Things like leaves, spent alfalfa hay, egg shell dust, peels and rinds, wood ash, manure, rock dust, Quarry dust, Seaweed. Comfrey, Clippings from Prarie land with a mix of weeds and grasses that accumulate minerals all will make great compost but also have the minerals needed to give you nutrient dense crop...making nutrient dense humans. Then you didn't have to buy fertilizer.....you have the microbes in the compost....but you amended with certain items in your pile that add back the minerals. That leaves and grass clippings and a few buckets of food scraps just don't provide. The minerals should be in the sand, silt, clay but maybe some are not in your soil in your area....and if you've been farming the same plot of land for 10-20+ years.....you better be concerned about remineralization. You can actually have healthy looking plants, eat fresh from your garden and still have nutrient deficiencies. Mineral rich Compost Cover crops Mulches Worm castings Is all you really need to build a mineral rich food forrest.
I also follow Steve Solomon. The main minerals that determine soil tilth are calcium and magnesium. Steve tells the story of how he was unhealthy despite the soil being rich in hummus. His health improved when he moved to a place with volcanic soil. That's how he discovered the importance of minerals.
@Gardenfundamentals1 would molasses increase necromancer? So the sudden burst of micros gives a short term boost, followed by a longer term necromass boost afterward?
I agree. Im new to this channel and to gary. And watching this channel im finding things easier- not mote complicated. I came away from this clear-minded and not confused. Bea. Im going to do this. And see what gappy, And if i can leave the weeds, all the better.
I grew winter rye in a 4’x4’ raised bed I use for potatoes. Last spring I just cut it down to the ground. I did not till it in, I just laid the seed potatoes in it and covered with a bit of soil and leaf mulch. I had the best potato harvest ever from that bed.
I've heard the butter/margarine argument for and against tilling soil. The For being that you want to get the good plant matter into the lower layers of dirt. The Against argument being that it destroys mycelial nutrient highways.
@@TheQwuilleran mycelium is an incredibly robust organism. When you break it up it just grows back stronger from all the broken pieces. It's not destroyed by physical disturbance (tilling), just temporarily slowed while it rebuilds. How well it bounces back depends on the nutrition available in the growing medium.
@@TheQwuilleran I prefer to do less heavy work, so no-dig is great in my opinion! 😅 My soil seems to do better with no dig than when I mix the compost and manure into the soil too. But if you like tilling I don't see the issue.
where i live the soil is dead - clay and rock. lots of rock. i tried for years to dig out the rocks and improve the soil. Finally I got sick of the work and started just building the soil up with animal by products and compost. instead of digging down, I just build up. I dont use raised beds in the traditional sense, but concrete blocks to make it movable and durable. I plant, harvest, then cut off at the base and leave the root system untouched and untilled. great advice here.
Once you build up the organic matter the worms arrive and they keep mixing up the soil and digging tunnels down. Many people assume they need to keep digging and mixing the organic matter but nature does it through the worms as long as they have decaying matter to feed on.
perfect candidate for Back To Eden gardening action....your conditions sound like the same as Paul Gautschi's was (founder of BTE method). Arborist woodchips all day long will fix any problems you may still have.
I compost near a citrus tree and it bears plentiful of fruits and the ground in my garden is fertile. I mulch my garden with harvested leaves, twigs and all sorts of green waste too. There are endless ways to feed microbes.
I work as a gardener. The worms are always heaviest around the roots of a weed like dandelion. Some soils are chock full, but oftentimes they stay around the weeds.
A new way to look at weeds. They're actually helping. Until I find something native to put in their place, I'm going to leave them alone, and thank them for building my soil. I feel better for having watched this video. Besides I'm lazy. :-) EDIT: Buckthorn you are going to want to remove as soon as it shows up from my experience, probably a few others in your area. Learning to identify these plants in their early stages can be a bit of a challenge but it's all part of the fun. Enjoy folks. Nice to hear your success stories.
I read a book about doing exactly this. I've been embracing weeds ever since and it really has improved my soil. I've even purchased clover and dandelion seeds and planted them in my yard. I prefer them to some of the other weeds that were growing. I'm hoping to replace the spikey weeds so I can enjoy walking barefoot in my yard. That's my rule about weeds, if it hurts my feet, I pull it out.
That's what I did for my first garden. Not much grows in the desert, but I have noticed that there are spots in my backyard where the weeds grow vigorously. I chopped and dropped the weeds and planted a few crops in their place and have beautiful plants that have not needed any additional fertilizer or soil remediation.
This is why comfrey is so beneficial in the garden imo. Makes tons of free leaf mulch, doesn't bother other plants, and provides a ton of shade if you don't cut the leaves. Bees love them too!
@@paulhaynie7258It’s so high in protein and nutrients it used to a fodder plant for cattle; deer & elk love to make use of those fields too. Good thing the root pieces make it easy to plant more, a 2” pice here, and there- give it some of those deer droppings when planting and soon you’ll have more than they can feast on!.
The findings here seem to be fully compatible with the concept of food forests where plants are observed to grow faster despite planted much more densely
Starts to get to the point around 8:48 and succeeds in getting to the point at 11:40. (For my time-constrained Brothers and Sisters😮). All-in-all, great video. Liked and Subbed!
Thanks for thinking about others Jesus said by doing two things you for fill ALL of Gods law Loving the lord god with all your heart soul mind and treating/loving others as your self anything more goes off the deep end into religion of man Theses nut jobs is who Jesus called serpents and spoke out against Loving God comes over time as you truly get to know him First thing to doing this is getting past all them lies we all have been told all our lives about God and the bible Thanks again my brother!
What an absolute treasure! Thank you so much for teaching so well. I love how you debunk so many common gardening myths. Where I really started trusting your knowledge was when you talked about the myth of powdery mildew being caused by damp leaves. After watching your video on that, I did my own research and confirmed that you are right. Since then, I go to you for the scoop. God bless you Robert.
Jeez that's such a confusing topic. I read that dryness actually causes it but 99% of gardening websites still operate under the assumption of it being too moist. I'll have to watch that video and hopefully find some actual science before trying to educate people 😅
As someone who did brewing, follow me on this a moment. Brewing is about making the best environment for yeast. If the yeast starts with everything it needs and the colony is coaxed to be strong, one set if flavors us created. If it is left to fend for itself, another set is created. So the talk of microbe tending us fascinating. I was wondering if something like nutritional yeast has been used? Its just dead yeast that is ysed to feed a new or existing colony. Sounds like it could be used to bump some microbe food dource
Go check out Andrew Millison's channel. He has a bunch of inspiring videos about large-scale regenerative projects happening in India. I read The Vision of Natural Farming about Bhaskar Save some years ago and was deeply saddened by the huge negative impact the "Green Revolution" of mechanized chemfarming had on India's soil. India used to have a super advanced sustainable farming system and in a few short decades lost trillions of dollars worth of top soil to erosion. Hitting such a low has created a massive grassroots response, so many villages are digging earthworks and installing underground tanks and slowing\sinking the water and all sorts of other stuff. Had me in tears of hope pretty often.
Microbes are important, but don’t forget fungi. Fungi are really good at breaking down lignin. That’s why i’m also a big fan of wood chip mulch on the soil. Don’t dig them in; then you do run into the problem you mentioned with microbes working hard to break it down and using nitrogen to do do. It’s kind of a cliche that “wood chips evaporate”. That’s because those fungi are breaking them down, and a good layer of chips helps maintain the moisture that supports that action. And you can have wood chip mulch and low growing plants that grow over it.
Where am I with my single flowerbed? :) I didn't expect it's so complicated! It's like a healthy body, you don't wanna know where your heart, lever, or kidneys are. But when there are problems, you learn! Great presentation and great comments here! Thank you!
Best gardening tutorial I have watched. Thank you so much Robert. You’ve saved me so much work, time and money. Can’t wait for rain to stop and put your advice into practice 🇦🇺
I am doing a good job of having plants always growing everywhere in my garden. I do this because I am so lazy. Quack grass and tangle weed is always growing everywhere in my garden and they sure have a lot of roots.
I discovered Garden Fundamentals this year, and instantly knew that this series was the best tutor available to me. Many thanks. Please post lots advice on cover crops? I'm you will, I am merely anxious to learn.
As someone who lives in Australia, I find cover crop extremely important for soil temperature. I find air temp can be insanely high and no problems as long as the ground is cool
I am so glad I went the regenerative route when creating my food forest. My mistake was not planting more support plant species and with these new soil science, I am trying to accelerate planting those support plants. Thanks for the video.
Yep I'm definitely a little bit of crazy,you have to be in this world these days..It's good to be able to laugh at our selves aswell.. Great video,i don't believe in using all this specialised soil.. I am learning how to make my own compost,we done some,took about 2 years & it is brilliant.. Also i took all the soil out my pots & added veg ,tea bags & oak tree leaves & that is brilliant,my courgette plant has gone mad i wish i could show you a picture..i put it in a big raised bed,its flowing over the side onto the ground & growing aling the ground now,its going mental.. They say your soil is the most important thing.. Thankyou for the great video,appreciate it ✌🏼☮✌🏼☮
My garden would look like chaos to most people, but I actually spent a lot of time and effort planning it to be how it is. I am actually crazy, but that's an unrelated matter.
I moved to a piece of land that's now used as a semipermanent campground, where the landowner scoffed at me for not building raised beds and instead just doing a few no-till beds where I just mixed a bunch of compost and biochar with the soil (actually closer to dirt at that point) I dug out of my pathways, and have not taken a shovel to since and only layered amendments on top. What was once rocky red clay with zero vegetation is, after three years, a thriving, loamy garden with, yes, several weeds, but also many native wildflowers and grasses, all of which return to the soil as mulch at some point, their roots intact and pushing into the layer below where I started. The only roots that get removed are the ones I eat 😊
Thank you for the fantastic explanation on exudates. And the rhizosphere....the hidden world we have had no idea about.....such an AHA moment....and it makes so much sense...natures intelligence...cycling and recycling....just beautiful....
I love how you over-complicate the problem then simplify the solution. Complex problem, just makes sure plants are growing all the time in all the soil.
For those wondering why not just dump milk and molasses on the soil to produce the necromass, I’m pretty sure the answer is that plants produce way more sugar via root exudates than you would ever want to buy yourself (especially C4 plants like corn, which can process more sunlight than other plants). In general, the amount of carbon the plant sends into the soil will vary drastically based on the health of that plant. Very healthy plants basically develop a surplus of sugar from photosynthesis and they send a larger portion of it to the roots. And very healthy plants require balanced micronutrients, which is a whole other rabbit hole.
Man it just seems so obvious given that rainforests have such a plethora of fauna that grows and dies and how healthy it all is. This is awesome since I just love growing and admiring plants.
Grow plants that are dynamic accumulators and compost activators, spread them over your soil. I use dandelion greens, comfrey, bull thistle greens, sawtooth sunflower stalks, and elder berry stalks. These will all feed the microscopic life.
Thank you so much 🙏 this information is gold. I have a balcony garden and issues with soil are much more obvious when you have containers. I tested everything you said and I agree 100%. All the compost tea and stuff like that only works for a moment but then it's all about the food that microbes get. I always add fermented foods and alfalfa pellets to my soil, and also use those pellets as a mulch. and my plants feel amazing, soil is fluffy and rich. Thank you for information about healthy soil
Regarding living mulch, loss of water from the soil is due to transpiration by leaves of the weeds. Keep the weeds mowed and leave the roots alone. I've seen planted seeds germinate next to a weed seedling, but not in bare soil.
Great informative and very educational discussion. I live in northern Arizona. I have a 10 acre propeery. Its a high desert climate with a lot of pinion and Juniper trees. My goal for the property is to build up the sandy soil, use swales to help capture more water to build the water rable and introduce a lot more variety of trees, grasses and also do home gardening. I have access to a lot of cow and horse Manure as well as woodchips from local Landscapers. The problem is we have very little moisture. We only get around 14" of rain per year. The piles of woodchips and manure sit dry for long periods. Would the microbes all die in this case. To help speed up the composting process, would it be helpful to take some of the soil from around the pinion trees that have the exudates and add it to the manure and woodchip piles and of course supplement water? Thank you. ❤
Thanks so much for sharing this knowledge. Learning about exudates has answered life-long puzzlements for me and now I understand why the long-rooted Buffalo grass that I seeded in 2021 does better and better with each year, and why the soil beneath it continues to improve without amendments. I'm now so excited that the lawn I planted to save water means so much more: Richer soil, Carbon sequestering, Keystone plant for some native moths, food for rabbits and more birds, the return of worms to my desert soil, my dogs love it and it is pretty whether green or dormant.
My compost bays are packed solid with bacteria & fungi. Every year, I give my soil a 2.5-3cm surface dressing of that compost. My soil supports exactly the amount of bacteria & fungi which can be supported by the food available (decomposed organic matter). In seven years of working this plot, the first three needed additional fertiliser & the next three saw me reduce this but the harvest increased. This year, I added no fertiliser, yet still have an abundance of vegetables, so I guess I've reached the point where sufficient nutrients are now becoming accessible from all this compost. I also do all I can to _always_ have something growing in my beds by successional planting - even my asparagus bed hosts lettuce & spinach over winter (I'm zone 8/9 so mild winters).
@@sistergoldenhair2231 Just don't dig deep for planting the seedlings. I had asparagus spears coming through in between Grenoble Red lettuce & Medania spinach last spring, with no apparent detriment to either.
What form of fertilizer did you apply? Do you think there aren now sufficint nutrients in the compost you have applied or is it that perhaps there are now sufficient fungi and bacteria to mine the nutrients from the insoluble particles in the soil.
@@markharris5544 I was using Growmore, a 10:10:10 artificial fertiliser but switched to blood, fish & bonemeal in 2020. I think there's now sufficient organic material for the soil organisms to break down allowing plant roots to access what they need, plus the soil structure is _much_ better. I'm sure 'no dig/no till' has played a part on the latter.
Dr. Ingham 1st introduced me to the importance of living roots in the soil 12 months out of the year. Several years ago started thyme and oregano in my garden beds now have added things like yarrow, sage and bee balm. Trying to figure out a living mulch for onion, carrots, garlic and potatoes in my zone 5a garden, right now just cover cropping.
I planted potatoes where i put rye down as cover crop. I took shovel and tilled where i planted the potatoes. I kept the rye mowed/cut around the potatoes. And started them under a row cover in April. I harvested potatoes directly under the roots of the rye. The soil was poor too. As was a new garden.
@@mddoit interesting! Planted a mix cover crop of hairy vetch, daikon radish and buckwheat where I harvested my potatoes. Have an additional problem here with Asian jumping worms, the JW's remove all the soil aggregates creating a soil that can not hold onto moisture. Think I will give the rye a shot in the spring. Stay Well!!!
@@jennobrien3590 I had planted red clover the pervious fall, but I terminated it before planting the tomatoes. I have some beans and cucumbers going in my onion bed, think I will throw some clover seeds in there today. Thanks for the advice. Stay Well!!!
Im using tons of woodchips, mesquute, palo verde, moringa, castor bean, cucumbers, pumpkins, watetmelon, sunflowers, rye/wheat. And of course i chop and drop EVERYTHING plus compost.
I like letting a few vegetables go to seed from every planting. They feed the pollinators when in flower, and keep the microbes going too which help when i plant the next plants around them. Once the seeding vegetables are done, the tops are chopped up and used as mulch and the roots are left in to keep the microbes going. Plus i love using annual and perennial flowers and herbs among the vegetables. They act as a living mulch, feed the pollinators and microbes, and attract beneficial insects. Plus perennials like salvias provide a lot of growth to harvest for mulch in our hot dry summers.
Great advice! So many people bring home a new plant and immediately repot it. Much better to wait!! One thing to think about when repotting is for when the roots are circled at the bottom. Before putting in the new pot, doing a little gentle work to pull the roots out of circling can be helpful.
This makes sense. When I dig up soil that has been grown with plants or weeds, that soil is better, richer, more crumbly than that patch that has laid bare.
Thank you for your excellent video ! I have a theory that soil quality is only important for small plants and that trees and large bushes don't require it . If you study aerial pictures of land around my place you will notice that all the Oak trees line up with each other and form in a pattern of straight parallel lines or curved lines or concentric circles . Same thing with pine trees and large bushes like Manzanita . It's more important for big plants to take root on energy vortexes coming out of the ground than having good topsoil . Topsoil only goes down a few inches in most places and then it's just mineral soil lower than that .
This has been the most interesting video I have seen in a long time. I most of it is true. It makes sense by how you explain it. However I don’t understand putting or knowing weeds around your plants. Don’t they steal all the water that plants need. Most average gardeners don’t have irrigation in their gardens. Help me balance this factor of weeds stealing water because I have never noticed that plants surrounded by weeds are healthier and bigger.
Well this was great and i have recently acquired land that was allowed to grow ‘weeds’ all summer… my neighbor suggested I get goats to take care of it.. and that’s a good idea… but I knew to leave the roots in. And I’ve started to chop some and am utilizing the plant material.
If you can, avoid the goats for awhile. My understanding is that roots are largely associated with the above ground bits. When the above ground bits go, the plants tend to slough off the associated roots. The deeper the roots are allowed to grow, the better the more water infiltration, the more soil microbes, the faster the soil growth. We did massive earthworks and scraped away a lot of our top soil when we bought our property. 4 years (of largely leaving the land to heal itself) later and we've got at least 6 inches of top soil from the combination of our practices (leave it all alone except where we're specifically gardening) and our ideal climate.
Thanks, you make a lot of sense as usual, and clearly explained. Id just like to add that from a biodiversity perspective, we do need to leave some bare patches too, especially south facing banks. Many solitary (mining) bees need bare soil for nesting. Annual wild flowers need bare soil for their seeds to germinate. But yes, for growing crops it makes sense to have something growing all the time
@6:50 I'd argue there is no downside to having lignans and cellulose as a big part of your soil organic material. Lignan and cellulose are the target food for fungi in addition to root exudates. They give fungi a food source to thrive on as seasonal changes impact activity of living root exudates, a buffer. And the bacteria and other microfauna are as dependent on thriving fungi in the off season or between any new plant growth as they are on living plants. Soil that is low in fungi specific food creates a more challenging environment for fungi to thrive. This is why Hügelkultur has enjoyed a reputation as trouble free way of agriculture, long before there was a deep understanding of the power of mycorrhizae. Sure, too much reserve fungal food could in theory create a "fungal dominant" soil, but although all studies have determined that forests are fungal dominant and plains are bacteria dominant, there are no studies showing that plants under or over perform in various ratios, as long as both are in abundance. As with most of nature, the fungi and bacteria balance themselves especially if you stop never remove your soil nutrients offsite (ie green waste trash cans to the local bio-digester). The science of microbial/plant interdependence shows that a vast majority of plants DO partner directly with fungi. Don't fear too much use of compost and better yet, chop and drop green manure to help the rotifers live in-situ, instead of focusing on composting as a separate step.
I'd like to point out that there are some situations where both mulch and living mulch can be used simultaneously. There are trailing types of groundcover and other shade loving/tolerant low-growing plants that will sprawl on top of mulch as an understory plant to taller crops. I allowed the ground ivy to grow in between rows of corn years ago and I liked the way it worked so well I do it for as many kinds of plants as often as it will spread itself. And it will root down or shoot up through mulch if it isn't too deep. You only need 2 or 3 inches of mulch anyway so it can easily be done. I just used the ground ivy because it comes up everywhere and it's probably in most people's lawns as a ''weed'' so you don't have to bother planting it. I encourage everyone to observe what's growing already in the area where they live and study how the plants fit into their gardens, the weeds and things, some maybe native, some not. In the short term it doesn't matter that much as you can always replace it with something more native to your area when you find it.
You have changed my mind after this video. I have been focusing on making compost for my small garden, now I should concentrate on planting. The only problem is now enough lights since my vines , like beans and squash completely covered the tops of my beds. I will try low lights required plants Thank you very much
I'm a believer! What might you recommend as a living ground cover for a home orchard area of 20+ trees. Chips and bark mulch works great for access, maintenence and weed control but alas, you've demonstrated the benefit of a living mulch. Suggestions?
Diversity is the key concept. Different plants have different root systems and will attract not only diverse microbes but diverse insects as well. The problem with monocropping is that if you have an orchard of just apple trees, for example, you're going to support primarily a disproportionate number of pests that feed on apple trees. And where are their natural predators? They can't survive in the environment created. With more diverse plantlife, the area supports more diverse insect life as well (and microbes 🙃). That being said, the books I've read still say to leave the fungal duff of the tree (below the canopy) relatively weed free. And to compost leaves, trimmings, etc. in place.
Creek Willow, has a growth hormone in it that expands root systems exponentially. I soak cuttings for a couple of days and spray it all over my plants and their roots. Makes the root system massive! Adding phosphorus from ash helps even more.
Hi, thanks for your videos, I was wondering if I can fill half whisky barrels with straight compost I made 2 years ago, I have more compost than I can use I thought I could fill some barrels with compost and plant some tulip bulbs , you were saying in one of your videos to only dress with 1-2 inches of compost. Thanks martin
So what are like the top 5 perennial plants to grow as a cover crop in your garden. bonus points for plants that need low amount of water as i use a targeted irrigation system to water my vegtables meaning i dont water the whole raised bed, just sections of it.
Wow this information is amazing and it makes so much sense. If we grow cover crops. The soil is always much better. We dont remove the entire plant. I cover the cover crops until it breaks down and then we just plant on top of that. The soil has turned into dark rich soil that stays moist for longer. Also adding grass on top of the soil makes a huge difference to my soil. So i totally agree with this and it logically makes so much sense
I took an old weed bed in the yard and started planting vegetables in it. I dont till, I dont weed, and I dont worry about the bugs. I almost never have to water it which makes it truly a lazy garden. My vegetable harvest is far better than the veggies I used to grow the "modern" way. The only thing I do is add my overwintered compost to the area and plant my seeds. Then I just let it go wild until harvest.
Thank you Robert. That video was so refreshing. I really liked your book but then I got put off by a couple of your recent videos. One was about inorganic salts not affecting microbe populations and one seemed to want to find fault with Dr Elaine’s methods. I’m not saying she preaches the “true” gospel by any means but she has started many, including myself to go down a path of gardening more compatible with Nature than our dominant conventional Ag with all its destructive practices and chemicals. Between her and Michael Philips book Mycorrhizal Planet I have evolved from Conventional Ag 12 years ago to a system very much in line with all that you described in this video including being somewhat at peach with so called “weeds” and their role in my 1 acre food forest or jungle as I like to call it. At this point I’m happy with how it is working but I’m totally open to new information as we start to learn more about the extremely complex interactions going on in our gardens that we are just starting to skim the surface of. Again, thank you for this very positive and instructive video. I actually had to force myself to watch it after my first cringe response based on the two videos I already mentioned. I’m glad I did and I’m looking forward to learning more from you in future videos. I am after all a skeptic but at least I’m an open minded skeptic. Keep up the good work. I just subscribed🤪
Smaller garden plots can use interplanting and companion planting instead of cover crops to increase necromass. I plant tomatoes, etc in between the early spring garlic, for example.
I have a fish pond and as the hyacinth dies off every winter I throw it up in the potato patch. As i change the water it runs off into a little patch of trees/strawberries.
This year my living soil is potting soil- compost- steer manure and worm castings- 444 organic fertilizer- extra perlite-kelp meal - neem meal and some langenite then i let it set for 2 months to cure so far its working like intended i cant add nutes or i get burn so its just a little hot plants seem to love it so far huge growth in 2 months. Im going to be checking my soil with a microscope soon I want to see how its doing thats unseen. Im using cover crop outside this year and will use it after i get my crop out of pots this winter for next winter grow, seasoning the soil .
For 5 years I've been planting sunflowers close to plants. Besides being a pollinator and food source for birds I cut them off at the base and leave the root mass. The trees or bushes branch line usually hit that the following year.
I am saving this because I have a feeling I need to watch this video time and time again to mulch (pun intended) all the information out. Thank you so much for sharing this sir!
I had great success using Biochar, mixing it with white flour, and adding mychorrizal fungi, covering it up for a few months.... The soil held moisture really well... I didn't have any predation....that was strange...But there were a lot of hornets and wasps this last year....
I just turned (plowed) a smaller hay field that I haven't used in 20 years, used to grow tobacco in it, and I'm getting ready to sow winter rye for a cover crop for next years garden to get more nutrients in the soil. One small plot in another field I just did the same to sow turnip greens for the same, plus deer eat them too. I live in rural Tennessee and I'm excited to see how it comes up next year
Awesome video and appreciate the science. Surface area + organic matter + water + air = soil building . 100% on the uselessness of purchased inoculants... HOWEVER work with native plants at joshua tree national park by scientists and students from UC Davis found that they could inoculate waste site souls by planting with area appropriate annuals allowed to progress through their life cycle, they then tracked success of native perennial planting in the inoculated and control and found that some annuals quite significantly increased survival and vigor success of natiive perennials propagated and planted in the annual innoculated soil. Tracks well if we look at how nature responds to disturbance. I love your videos! Thank you for consolidating and sharing this valuable knowledge!
I’m curious as to how this is best employed for those in colder climates- given that several months are in sub freezing temperatures when nothing can grow. Thoughts? Thanks for the informative video.
I second this question. As a WI gardener, what kind of cover crop can I grow in the winter months that is not so invasive that it will make planting in the spring difficult? 🤔
BRAVO ! i partially knew the knowledge of exudates from famous Dr Elaine Ingram but you Robert explain it thoroughly for everyone to realize don t kill the weeds;; perhaps keep them low height ; OMG ! this changes the entire agricultural preconceptions ; BRAVO again ! WOOHOO !!!
Compost everything. Nothing recently living leaves my yard. I also make 'biochar' from burn piles to add to compost piles. Some excellent info here, well done Sir, as usual. Exudates added to my vocabulary.
Plant material added regularly seems to help my garden immensely. I've also found small amounts of fresh cow manure helps put composting bacteria into the soil.
Thanks for answering my question below. I have another question. You say a downside of compost is the lignin and other hard to decompose material that breaks down slowly and takes a lot of microbial energy. My understanding is that these material are decomposed by fungi. As you know fungi are a very important soil component especially for perennials because they tie together soil particles creating soil aggregation and also mychorizzal fungi form symbiotic relationships with the plants greatly extending the reach of plant nutrient gathering, It appears from observation that even though it has yet to decompose composted lignin is more easily assimilated into the soil ecology than uncomposted carbon source such as wood chips.
Hi, nice info. I wouldn't put compost tea in the same bracket as molasses, if you are making good compost tea then you are adding a diverse array of beneficial microbes and not just microbe food. You also haven't talked about difference of fungi and bacteria foods. Also, you've talked about beneficial microbes but nothing about unbeneficial microbes, what promotes their condition etc.
In my country (Czechia), we have a saying: 'The worse the gardener, the better the harvest.' Now I'm thinking it's probably because of this: a lazy or bad gardener doesn't remove all the weeds or clean up the fallen leaves. So, while they may be seen as a bad gardener, it actually ends up being the best for the garden. I find that very funny. :D
That's a good saying.
This makes so much sense because my tomatoes loved when they were abandoned amongst weeds, as soon as I cleaning the area they started dying 😂
As a beginner this is good to know 😅
As a farmer....I agreed with 98% of this information. The only thing missing from the gardening/ farming community.....we love our compost....and we are learning to add or learn about cover crops.Thats all great keep doing it. The only thing missing is remineralization. Just because you add the bacteria and the biomass that it eats( compost)....if there are very little minerals ( at least the 8-20 we know are needed for plant growth) your plants will be lacking in health....and so will you. If the bacteria is there but the mineral isn't there for it to chelate and turn into a bioavaiable form...then it's just not there.
So when you are building your compost piles try and use things that don't just add the NPK back but the other crucial minerals that are taken up by the plant....and usually not returned back at the rate they are taken out.
Things like leaves, spent alfalfa hay, egg shell dust, peels and rinds, wood ash, manure, rock dust, Quarry dust, Seaweed. Comfrey, Clippings from Prarie land with a mix of weeds and grasses that accumulate minerals all will make great compost but also have the minerals needed to give you nutrient dense crop...making nutrient dense humans. Then you didn't have to buy fertilizer.....you have the microbes in the compost....but you amended with certain items in your pile that add back the minerals. That leaves and grass clippings and a few buckets of food scraps just don't provide.
The minerals should be in the sand, silt, clay but maybe some are not in your soil in your area....and if you've been farming the same plot of land for 10-20+ years.....you better be concerned about remineralization. You can actually have healthy looking plants, eat fresh from your garden and still have nutrient deficiencies.
Mineral rich Compost
Cover crops
Mulches
Worm castings
Is all you really need to build a mineral rich food forrest.
Have you read Nigel Palmer's book on Regernerative Gardening?
And the absolute BEST source for remineralization informations is Steve Solomon's book... The Intelligent Gardener.
Excellent info! Next, we need a video from YOU😂❤!!
I also follow Steve Solomon. The main minerals that determine soil tilth are calcium and magnesium. Steve tells the story of how he was unhealthy despite the soil being rich in hummus. His health improved when he moved to a place with volcanic soil. That's how he discovered the importance of minerals.
Trace minerals matter!
I love how this just keeps getting easier. You want "living" soil, put a plant in there. You want it to be more "living", put more plants in there.
It also lets us buy more plants :)
Actual life hacks
@Gardenfundamentals1 would molasses increase necromancer? So the sudden burst of micros gives a short term boost, followed by a longer term necromass boost afterward?
4⁴pppppppppllĺĺlĺlĺlĺĺĺlĺlllĺllĺĺllllllĺĺlĺlllĺĺĺlĺĺĺĺĺlllllllllllĺĺllllllllĺllĺĺlĺlĺlĺllĺĺĺlllĺllĺĺllllĺllllllllĺllllllĺllĺĺlĺlllĺĺllllllllĺlĺlĺlllĺĺĺlĺlĺllĺĺllllĺlĺllllllllllĺlllllĺlllllĺlĺlĺlĺlllllĺlllllllĺĺllllllllllllĺĺllllllĺlllĺlllĺlĺlĺĺllĺĺĺlĺĺlĺl@@zackeryshackelford3864
I agree. Im new to this channel and to gary. And watching this channel im finding things easier- not mote complicated. I came away from this clear-minded and not confused. Bea. Im going to do this. And see what gappy, And if i can leave the weeds, all the better.
I grew winter rye in a 4’x4’ raised bed I use for potatoes. Last spring I just cut it down to the ground. I did not till it in, I just laid the seed potatoes in it and covered with a bit of soil and leaf mulch. I had the best potato harvest ever from that bed.
I've heard the butter/margarine argument for and against tilling soil. The For being that you want to get the good plant matter into the lower layers of dirt. The Against argument being that it destroys mycelial nutrient highways.
@@TheQwuilleran mycelium is an incredibly robust organism. When you break it up it just grows back stronger from all the broken pieces. It's not destroyed by physical disturbance (tilling), just temporarily slowed while it rebuilds. How well it bounces back depends on the nutrition available in the growing medium.
@@roflpillbingo!
@@TheQwuilleran I prefer to do less heavy work, so no-dig is great in my opinion! 😅 My soil seems to do better with no dig than when I mix the compost and manure into the soil too. But if you like tilling I don't see the issue.
You method of teaching and the tone of your voice is so comforting. No background noise. Thank you for the time you invest in educating your rollers.
I so agree. Tired of people yelling at me, thinking that their faux enthusiasm is a replacement for content.
What is a roller?
where i live the soil is dead - clay and rock. lots of rock. i tried for years to dig out the rocks and improve the soil. Finally I got sick of the work and started just building the soil up with animal by products and compost. instead of digging down, I just build up. I dont use raised beds in the traditional sense, but concrete blocks to make it movable and durable. I plant, harvest, then cut off at the base and leave the root system untouched and untilled.
great advice here.
Sounds like Charles Dowding's system
Once you build up the organic matter the worms arrive and they keep mixing up the soil and digging tunnels down. Many people assume they need to keep digging and mixing the organic matter but nature does it through the worms as long as they have decaying matter to feed on.
perfect candidate for Back To Eden gardening action....your conditions sound like the same as Paul Gautschi's was (founder of BTE method). Arborist woodchips all day long will fix any problems you may still have.
That's what I did last season, I cut off all of my sunflowers stalks but left the roots along with some of the garden plants also.
One of the very few videos I’ve seen on RUclips that understands how microbes work. Once you understand this gardening becomes much easier.
I actually compose directly into my garden with great success.
@@Chris-kf3xd What exactly? Music? Sonnets?
I compost near a citrus tree and it bears plentiful of fruits and the ground in my garden is fertile. I mulch my garden with harvested leaves, twigs and all sorts of green waste too. There are endless ways to feed microbes.
I work as a gardener. The worms are always heaviest around the roots of a weed like dandelion. Some soils are chock full, but oftentimes they stay around the weeds.
A new way to look at weeds. They're actually helping. Until I find something native to put in their place, I'm going to leave them alone, and thank them for building my soil. I feel better for having watched this video. Besides I'm lazy. :-) EDIT: Buckthorn you are going to want to remove as soon as it shows up from my experience, probably a few others in your area. Learning to identify these plants in their early stages can be a bit of a challenge but it's all part of the fun. Enjoy folks. Nice to hear your success stories.
That sounds like a good strategy to me. :)
I read a book about doing exactly this. I've been embracing weeds ever since and it really has improved my soil. I've even purchased clover and dandelion seeds and planted them in my yard. I prefer them to some of the other weeds that were growing. I'm hoping to replace the spikey weeds so I can enjoy walking barefoot in my yard. That's my rule about weeds, if it hurts my feet, I pull it out.
Cover the areas with edible covercropping.
Dandelions pull calcium up from deeper.
That's what I did for my first garden. Not much grows in the desert, but I have noticed that there are spots in my backyard where the weeds grow vigorously. I chopped and dropped the weeds and planted a few crops in their place and have beautiful plants that have not needed any additional fertilizer or soil remediation.
OMG . . .
My Gardening just entered a new dimension,
all with Joy, Grace, and Ease.
I am so grateful.
Finally a gardener that talks some sense!!
This is why comfrey is so beneficial in the garden imo. Makes tons of free leaf mulch, doesn't bother other plants, and provides a ton of shade if you don't cut the leaves. Bees love them too!
So do DEER! 😡😡😡
I have many in my berry bed
@@paulhaynie7258It’s so high in protein and nutrients it used to a fodder plant for cattle; deer & elk love to make use of those fields too. Good thing the root pieces make it easy to plant more, a 2” pice here, and there- give it some of those deer droppings when planting and soon you’ll have more than they can feast on!.
Had to check to see if I posted this, I use comphrey bocking 14 for all the reasons plus food for chicken snacks
@TrickleCreekFarm There is no way I could out grow the rampaging deer. The ONLY thing that works is 8 ft tall barbed wire fencing around everything.
The findings here seem to be fully compatible with the concept of food forests where plants are observed to grow faster despite planted much more densely
Starts to get to the point around 8:48 and succeeds in getting to the point at 11:40. (For my time-constrained Brothers and Sisters😮). All-in-all, great video. Liked and Subbed!
Thanks for thinking about others Jesus said by doing two things you for fill ALL of Gods law Loving the lord god with all your heart soul mind and treating/loving others as your self anything more goes off the deep end into religion of man Theses nut jobs is who Jesus called serpents and spoke out against Loving God comes over time as you truly get to know him First thing to doing this is getting past all them lies we all have been told all our lives about God and the bible Thanks again my brother!
@@ambersmith6517 Aw Shucks. It weren’t nuthin. Still, always good to know I’m in compliance with God’s Law!
Watch at 1.5 speed as well. Thanks!
If you want to miss everything sure
@@lydiamclaughlin7100 1.75 speed.
What an absolute treasure! Thank you so much for teaching so well. I love how you debunk so many common gardening myths. Where I really started trusting your knowledge was when you talked about the myth of powdery mildew being caused by damp leaves. After watching your video on that, I did my own research and confirmed that you are right. Since then, I go to you for the scoop. God bless you Robert.
You are so welcome!
@@Gardenfundamentals1 a link to the powdery mildew video would be most welcome
Jeez that's such a confusing topic. I read that dryness actually causes it but 99% of gardening websites still operate under the assumption of it being too moist. I'll have to watch that video and hopefully find some actual science before trying to educate people 😅
21:19 @@Gardenfundamentals1 I just subscribed. You turned off the option to leave my own comment.
As someone who did brewing, follow me on this a moment. Brewing is about making the best environment for yeast. If the yeast starts with everything it needs and the colony is coaxed to be strong, one set if flavors us created. If it is left to fend for itself, another set is created. So the talk of microbe tending us fascinating.
I was wondering if something like nutritional yeast has been used? Its just dead yeast that is ysed to feed a new or existing colony. Sounds like it could be used to bump some microbe food dource
Here from India, been watching your videos and I am amazed with the treasure of information you have and share it with us all for free.
Thank You.
Go check out Andrew Millison's channel. He has a bunch of inspiring videos about large-scale regenerative projects happening in India. I read The Vision of Natural Farming about Bhaskar Save some years ago and was deeply saddened by the huge negative impact the "Green Revolution" of mechanized chemfarming had on India's soil. India used to have a super advanced sustainable farming system and in a few short decades lost trillions of dollars worth of top soil to erosion. Hitting such a low has created a massive grassroots response, so many villages are digging earthworks and installing underground tanks and slowing\sinking the water and all sorts of other stuff. Had me in tears of hope pretty often.
This guy is a great teacher! I think adding perennials to my property is going to be step one!
Anne of all trades has a good homesteading channel and bases everything with her soil after how the forest works her garden is amazing
Nobody cares about her. This is ROBERTS channel. Now put some SPECT on his name!
Microbes are important, but don’t forget fungi. Fungi are really good at breaking down lignin. That’s why i’m also a big fan of wood chip mulch on the soil. Don’t dig them in; then you do run into the problem you mentioned with microbes working hard to break it down and using nitrogen to do do. It’s kind of a cliche that “wood chips evaporate”. That’s because those fungi are breaking them down, and a good layer of chips helps maintain the moisture that supports that action.
And you can have wood chip mulch and low growing plants that grow over it.
Where am I with my single flowerbed? :)
I didn't expect it's so complicated! It's like a healthy body, you don't wanna know where your heart, lever, or kidneys are. But when there are problems, you learn!
Great presentation and great comments here! Thank you!
Best gardening tutorial I have watched. Thank you so much Robert. You’ve saved me so much work, time and money. Can’t wait for rain to stop and put your advice into practice 🇦🇺
Hear, hear 👏👏👏👏
Got galoshes? ❤🎉
Companion planting is great just learn what plants are allelopathic
This is a great concept - plant plant plant --something I never thought about .. thanks ..
I am doing a good job of having plants always growing everywhere in my garden. I do this because I am so lazy. Quack grass and tangle weed is always growing everywhere in my garden and they sure have a lot of roots.
I have noticed the phenomenon of having lots of cover crops to help improve your main crop!
I discovered Garden Fundamentals this year, and instantly knew that this series was the best tutor available to me. Many thanks. Please post lots advice on cover crops? I'm you will, I am merely anxious to learn.
As someone who lives in Australia, I find cover crop extremely important for soil temperature. I find air temp can be insanely high and no problems as long as the ground is cool
I am so glad I went the regenerative route when creating my food forest. My mistake was not planting more support plant species and with these new soil science, I am trying to accelerate planting those support plants. Thanks for the video.
All the crazy people with overgrown yards, and chaos gardens will rejoice after watching this video.
That's me!🤣
Yep I'm definitely a little bit of crazy,you have to be in this world these days..It's good to be able to laugh at our selves aswell..
Great video,i don't believe in using all this specialised soil..
I am learning how to make my own compost,we done some,took about 2 years & it is brilliant..
Also i took all the soil out my pots & added veg ,tea bags & oak tree leaves & that is brilliant,my courgette plant has gone mad i wish i could show you a picture..i put it in a big raised bed,its flowing over the side onto the ground & growing aling the ground now,its going mental..
They say your soil is the most important thing..
Thankyou for the great video,appreciate it ✌🏼☮✌🏼☮
Now, can somebody please get my HOA to watch it?😅
My garden would look like chaos to most people, but I actually spent a lot of time and effort planning it to be how it is. I am actually crazy, but that's an unrelated matter.
Are they crazy or those people who want a "clean" garden?
Kinda like the No-Till approach to gardening. Leaving the roots behind to decompose in the soil naturally.
And not disturbing the fungal systems.
Exactly. This totally reinforces the no till method.
I moved to a piece of land that's now used as a semipermanent campground, where the landowner scoffed at me for not building raised beds and instead just doing a few no-till beds where I just mixed a bunch of compost and biochar with the soil (actually closer to dirt at that point) I dug out of my pathways, and have not taken a shovel to since and only layered amendments on top. What was once rocky red clay with zero vegetation is, after three years, a thriving, loamy garden with, yes, several weeds, but also many native wildflowers and grasses, all of which return to the soil as mulch at some point, their roots intact and pushing into the layer below where I started. The only roots that get removed are the ones I eat 😊
Thank you for the fantastic explanation on exudates. And the rhizosphere....the hidden world we have had no idea about.....such an AHA moment....and it makes so much sense...natures intelligence...cycling and recycling....just beautiful....
I love how you over-complicate the problem then simplify the solution.
Complex problem, just makes sure plants are growing all the time in all the soil.
For those wondering why not just dump milk and molasses on the soil to produce the necromass, I’m pretty sure the answer is that plants produce way more sugar via root exudates than you would ever want to buy yourself (especially C4 plants like corn, which can process more sunlight than other plants). In general, the amount of carbon the plant sends into the soil will vary drastically based on the health of that plant. Very healthy plants basically develop a surplus of sugar from photosynthesis and they send a larger portion of it to the roots. And very healthy plants require balanced micronutrients, which is a whole other rabbit hole.
I admire how you put technical terms so simple that everyone can understand.
Man it just seems so obvious given that rainforests have such a plethora of fauna that grows and dies and how healthy it all is.
This is awesome since I just love growing and admiring plants.
Copy nature and you won't go wrong.
Grow plants that are dynamic accumulators and compost activators, spread them over your soil. I use dandelion greens, comfrey, bull thistle greens, sawtooth sunflower stalks, and elder berry stalks. These will all feed the microscopic life.
Oh my goodness! Thanks so much for this one Robert! This may be one of the best gardening vids I have ever seen!
Great information, thank you very much. I'm a small farmer and try to learn to grow food occasionally for my family. I wish you the best
Thank you so much 🙏 this information is gold. I have a balcony garden and issues with soil are much more obvious when you have containers. I tested everything you said and I agree 100%. All the compost tea and stuff like that only works for a moment but then it's all about the food that microbes get. I always add fermented foods and alfalfa pellets to my soil, and also use those pellets as a mulch. and my plants feel amazing, soil is fluffy and rich. Thank you for information about healthy soil
Regarding living mulch, loss of water from the soil is due to transpiration by leaves of the weeds. Keep the weeds mowed and leave the roots alone. I've seen planted seeds germinate next to a weed seedling, but not in bare soil.
Great informative and very educational discussion. I live in northern Arizona. I have a 10 acre propeery. Its a high desert climate with a lot of pinion and Juniper trees. My goal for the property is to build up the sandy soil, use swales to help capture more water to build the water rable and introduce a lot more variety of trees, grasses and also do home gardening. I have access to a lot of cow and horse Manure as well as woodchips from local Landscapers. The problem is we have very little moisture. We only get around 14" of rain per year. The piles of woodchips and manure sit dry for long periods. Would the microbes all die in this case. To help speed up the composting process, would it be helpful to take some of the soil from around the pinion trees that have the exudates and add it to the manure and woodchip piles and of course supplement water? Thank you. ❤
Thanks so much for sharing this knowledge. Learning about exudates has answered life-long puzzlements for me and now I understand why the long-rooted Buffalo grass that I seeded in 2021 does better and better with each year, and why the soil beneath it continues to improve without amendments.
I'm now so excited that the lawn I planted to save water means so much more: Richer soil, Carbon sequestering, Keystone plant for some native moths, food for rabbits and more birds, the return of worms to my desert soil, my dogs love it and it is pretty whether green or dormant.
My compost bays are packed solid with bacteria & fungi.
Every year, I give my soil a 2.5-3cm surface dressing of that compost.
My soil supports exactly the amount of bacteria & fungi which can be supported by the food available (decomposed organic matter).
In seven years of working this plot, the first three needed additional fertiliser & the next three saw me reduce this but the harvest increased.
This year, I added no fertiliser, yet still have an abundance of vegetables, so I guess I've reached the point where sufficient nutrients are now becoming accessible from all this compost.
I also do all I can to _always_ have something growing in my beds by successional planting - even my asparagus bed hosts lettuce & spinach over winter (I'm zone 8/9 so mild winters).
Good to know about asparagus. Zone 9 here👍
@@sistergoldenhair2231 Just don't dig deep for planting the seedlings.
I had asparagus spears coming through in between Grenoble Red lettuce & Medania spinach last spring, with no apparent detriment to either.
What form of fertilizer did you apply? Do you think there aren now sufficint nutrients in the compost you have applied or is it that perhaps there are now sufficient fungi and bacteria to mine the nutrients from the insoluble particles in the soil.
@@markharris5544 I was using Growmore, a 10:10:10 artificial fertiliser but switched to blood, fish & bonemeal in 2020.
I think there's now sufficient organic material for the soil organisms to break down allowing plant roots to access what they need, plus the soil structure is _much_ better. I'm sure 'no dig/no till' has played a part on the latter.
@@markharris5544 worm compost
This has been so enlightening, cannot thank you enough.
This learning will be crucial not just now but in future days.
Well done, Bert in Oz.
Dr. Ingham 1st introduced me to the importance of living roots in the soil 12 months out of the year. Several years ago started thyme and oregano in my garden beds now have added things like yarrow, sage and bee balm.
Trying to figure out a living mulch for onion, carrots, garlic and potatoes in my zone 5a garden, right now just cover cropping.
Red cover
I planted potatoes where i put rye down as cover crop. I took shovel and tilled where i planted the potatoes. I kept the rye mowed/cut around the potatoes. And started them under a row cover in April. I harvested potatoes directly under the roots of the rye. The soil was poor too. As was a new garden.
@@mddoit interesting!
Planted a mix cover crop of hairy vetch, daikon radish and buckwheat where I harvested my potatoes. Have an additional problem here with Asian jumping worms, the JW's remove all the soil aggregates creating a soil that can not hold onto moisture. Think I will give the rye a shot in the spring.
Stay Well!!!
@@jennobrien3590 I had planted red clover the pervious fall, but I terminated it before planting the tomatoes. I have some beans and cucumbers going in my onion bed, think I will throw some clover seeds in there today. Thanks for the advice. Stay Well!!!
@@jennobrien3590 Red Clover ?
Im using tons of woodchips, mesquute, palo verde, moringa, castor bean, cucumbers, pumpkins, watetmelon, sunflowers, rye/wheat. And of course i chop and drop EVERYTHING plus compost.
I like letting a few vegetables go to seed from every planting. They feed the pollinators when in flower, and keep the microbes going too which help when i plant the next plants around them.
Once the seeding vegetables are done, the tops are chopped up and used as mulch and the roots are left in to keep the microbes going.
Plus i love using annual and perennial flowers and herbs among the vegetables. They act as a living mulch, feed the pollinators and microbes, and attract beneficial insects. Plus perennials like salvias provide a lot of growth to harvest for mulch in our hot dry summers.
Great info, I've been using some of these ideas in my Garden! I've done several videos of what I've been adding to my soil
Great advice! So many people bring home a new plant and immediately repot it. Much better to wait!! One thing to think about when repotting is for when the roots are circled at the bottom. Before putting in the new pot, doing a little gentle work to pull the roots out of circling can be helpful.
If I have a pot bound plant I usually slice off the bottom half of the root ball before planting or re-potting. Works best for me
It doesn't harm the plant?
@@jonnyappleseed190 Not so far, they'll grow more new roots bedding themselves into their new garden spot
This makes sense. When I dig up soil that has been grown with plants or weeds, that soil is better, richer, more crumbly than that patch that has laid bare.
Exactly.
Wha? You have naked yard ? You got to throw some seeds out there🛒
Thank you for your excellent video ! I have a theory that soil quality is only important for small plants and that trees and large bushes don't require it . If you study aerial pictures of land around my place you will notice that all the Oak trees line up with each other and form in a pattern of straight parallel lines or curved lines or concentric circles . Same thing with pine trees and large bushes like Manzanita . It's more important for big plants to take root on energy vortexes coming out of the ground than having good topsoil . Topsoil only goes down a few inches in most places and then it's just mineral soil lower than that .
THE BEST EXPLANATION OF SOIL HEALTH PRACTICES EVER.
Brilliantly explained
This has been the most interesting video I have seen in a long time. I most of it is true. It makes sense by how you explain it. However I don’t understand putting or knowing weeds around your plants. Don’t they steal all the water that plants need. Most average gardeners don’t have irrigation in their gardens. Help me balance this factor of weeds stealing water because I have never noticed that plants surrounded by weeds are healthier and bigger.
I just learned that human consumerism continues even into packaging and selling microbes. Stunning..thanks for the video,
Well this was great and i have recently acquired land that was allowed to grow ‘weeds’ all summer… my neighbor suggested I get goats to take care of it.. and that’s a good idea… but I knew to leave the roots in. And I’ve started to chop some and am utilizing the plant material.
If you can, avoid the goats for awhile. My understanding is that roots are largely associated with the above ground bits. When the above ground bits go, the plants tend to slough off the associated roots. The deeper the roots are allowed to grow, the better the more water infiltration, the more soil microbes, the faster the soil growth. We did massive earthworks and scraped away a lot of our top soil when we bought our property. 4 years (of largely leaving the land to heal itself) later and we've got at least 6 inches of top soil from the combination of our practices (leave it all alone except where we're specifically gardening) and our ideal climate.
Such great information in this video. Thanks so much for your time and knowledge in sharing this video. 🙏🏼
Thanks, you make a lot of sense as usual, and clearly explained. Id just like to add that from a biodiversity perspective, we do need to leave some bare patches too, especially south facing banks. Many solitary (mining) bees need bare soil for nesting. Annual wild flowers need bare soil for their seeds to germinate. But yes, for growing crops it makes sense to have something growing all the time
A very well thought out and put together video, thankyou.
Grass clippings dry out and make a nice covering between plants, keeps the water in the soil longer since it is like insulation from the heat and sun.
Fantastic video. Straightforward. Clear. Science based. Thank you so much.
Liked and subscribed!
Yes for sure! Growing things - any thing can help that soil.
“Just like nature.” My best gardening mentor would say this all the time. I finally get it.
@6:50 I'd argue there is no downside to having lignans and cellulose as a big part of your soil organic material. Lignan and cellulose are the target food for fungi in addition to root exudates. They give fungi a food source to thrive on as seasonal changes impact activity of living root exudates, a buffer. And the bacteria and other microfauna are as dependent on thriving fungi in the off season or between any new plant growth as they are on living plants. Soil that is low in fungi specific food creates a more challenging environment for fungi to thrive. This is why Hügelkultur has enjoyed a reputation as trouble free way of agriculture, long before there was a deep understanding of the power of mycorrhizae. Sure, too much reserve fungal food could in theory create a "fungal dominant" soil, but although all studies have determined that forests are fungal dominant and plains are bacteria dominant, there are no studies showing that plants under or over perform in various ratios, as long as both are in abundance. As with most of nature, the fungi and bacteria balance themselves especially if you stop never remove your soil nutrients offsite (ie green waste trash cans to the local bio-digester). The science of microbial/plant interdependence shows that a vast majority of plants DO partner directly with fungi. Don't fear too much use of compost and better yet, chop and drop green manure to help the rotifers live in-situ, instead of focusing on composting as a separate step.
I'd like to point out that there are some situations where both mulch and living mulch can be used simultaneously. There are trailing types of groundcover and other shade loving/tolerant low-growing plants that will sprawl on top of mulch as an understory plant to taller crops. I allowed the ground ivy to grow in between rows of corn years ago and I liked the way it worked so well I do it for as many kinds of plants as often as it will spread itself. And it will root down or shoot up through mulch if it isn't too deep. You only need 2 or 3 inches of mulch anyway so it can easily be done. I just used the ground ivy because it comes up everywhere and it's probably in most people's lawns as a ''weed'' so you don't have to bother planting it. I encourage everyone to observe what's growing already in the area where they live and study how the plants fit into their gardens, the weeds and things, some maybe native, some not. In the short term it doesn't matter that much as you can always replace it with something more native to your area when you find it.
You have changed my mind after this video. I have been focusing on making compost for my small garden, now I should concentrate on planting. The only problem is now enough lights since my vines , like beans and squash completely covered the tops of my beds. I will try low lights required plants
Thank you very much
I'm a believer! What might you recommend as a living ground cover for a home orchard area of 20+ trees. Chips and bark mulch works great for access, maintenence and weed control but alas, you've demonstrated the benefit of a living mulch. Suggestions?
Diversity is the key concept. Different plants have different root systems and will attract not only diverse microbes but diverse insects as well. The problem with monocropping is that if you have an orchard of just apple trees, for example, you're going to support primarily a disproportionate number of pests that feed on apple trees. And where are their natural predators? They can't survive in the environment created. With more diverse plantlife, the area supports more diverse insect life as well (and microbes 🙃).
That being said, the books I've read still say to leave the fungal duff of the tree (below the canopy) relatively weed free. And to compost leaves, trimmings, etc. in place.
Sounds pretty logical to me, I'm going to give this a go this season
Creek Willow, has a growth hormone in it that expands root systems exponentially. I soak cuttings for a couple of days and spray it all over my plants and their roots. Makes the root system massive! Adding phosphorus from ash helps even more.
Hi, thanks for your videos, I was wondering if I can fill half whisky barrels with straight compost I made 2 years ago, I have more compost than I can use I thought I could fill some barrels with compost and plant some tulip bulbs , you were saying in one of your videos to only dress with 1-2 inches of compost. Thanks martin
I have a big ole gully behind my house, I have been tossing the old last years potatoes, extra seeds in there for a couple of years now.
So what are like the top 5 perennial plants to grow as a cover crop in your garden. bonus points for plants that need low amount of water as i use a targeted irrigation system to water my vegtables meaning i dont water the whole raised bed, just sections of it.
Wow this information is amazing and it makes so much sense. If we grow cover crops. The soil is always much better. We dont remove the entire plant. I cover the cover crops until it breaks down and then we just plant on top of that. The soil has turned into dark rich soil that stays moist for longer. Also adding grass on top of the soil makes a huge difference to my soil. So i totally agree with this and it logically makes so much sense
Become a Garden Necromancer, got it, gonna start tomorrow in the front yard, hope the neighbors dont mind
As a gardener it is 100% of what you explain that we do. Yet we did not know the science before hearing your Excellent Video. Thznk you :)
I took an old weed bed in the yard and started planting vegetables in it. I dont till, I dont weed, and I dont worry about the bugs. I almost never have to water it which makes it truly a lazy garden. My vegetable harvest is far better than the veggies I used to grow the "modern" way. The only thing I do is add my overwintered compost to the area and plant my seeds. Then I just let it go wild until harvest.
Thank you Robert. That video was so refreshing. I really liked your book but then I got put off by a couple of your recent videos. One was about inorganic salts not affecting microbe populations and one seemed to want to find fault with Dr Elaine’s methods. I’m not saying she preaches the “true” gospel by any means but she has started many, including myself to go down a path of gardening more compatible with Nature than our dominant conventional Ag with all its destructive practices and chemicals. Between her and Michael Philips book Mycorrhizal Planet I have evolved from Conventional Ag 12 years ago to a system very much in line with all that you described in this video including being somewhat at peach with so called “weeds” and their role in my 1 acre food forest or jungle as I like to call it. At this point I’m happy with how it is working but I’m totally open to new information as we start to learn more about the extremely complex interactions going on in our gardens that we are just starting to skim the surface of. Again, thank you for this very positive and instructive video. I actually had to force myself to watch it after my first cringe response based on the two videos I already mentioned. I’m glad I did and I’m looking forward to learning more from you in future videos. I am after all a skeptic but at least I’m an open minded skeptic. Keep up the good work. I just subscribed🤪
Smaller garden plots can use interplanting and companion planting instead of cover crops to increase necromass. I plant tomatoes, etc in between the early spring garlic, for example.
Fantastic explanation of complex subject
Thanks for the tips mate! Will definitely work on improving the soil in my yard!
Just grow more plants to improve soil - luv it! Thx 😊
I have a fish pond and as the hyacinth dies off every winter I throw it up in the potato patch. As i change the water it runs off into a little patch of trees/strawberries.
This year my living soil is potting soil- compost- steer manure and worm castings- 444 organic fertilizer- extra perlite-kelp meal - neem meal and some langenite then i let it set for 2 months to cure so far its working like intended i cant add nutes or i get burn so its just a little hot plants seem to love it so far huge growth in 2 months. Im going to be checking my soil with a microscope soon I want to see how its doing thats unseen. Im using cover crop outside this year and will use it after i get my crop out of pots this winter for next winter grow, seasoning the soil .
For 5 years I've been planting sunflowers close to plants. Besides being a pollinator and food source for birds I cut them off at the base and leave the root mass. The trees or bushes branch line usually hit that the following year.
I am saving this because I have a feeling I need to watch this video time and time again to mulch (pun intended) all the information out. Thank you so much for sharing this sir!
I had great success using Biochar, mixing it with white flour, and adding mychorrizal fungi, covering it up for a few months.... The soil held moisture really well... I didn't have any predation....that was strange...But there were a lot of hornets and wasps this last year....
I just turned (plowed) a smaller hay field that I haven't used in 20 years, used to grow tobacco in it, and I'm getting ready to sow winter rye for a cover crop for next years garden to get more nutrients in the soil. One small plot in another field I just did the same to sow turnip greens for the same, plus deer eat them too. I live in rural Tennessee and I'm excited to see how it comes up next year
This was a fantastic explanation. Thank you😊
Awesome video and appreciate the science. Surface area + organic matter + water + air = soil building . 100% on the uselessness of purchased inoculants... HOWEVER work with native plants at joshua tree national park by scientists and students from UC Davis found that they could inoculate waste site souls by planting with area appropriate annuals allowed to progress through their life cycle, they then tracked success of native perennial planting in the inoculated and control and found that some annuals quite significantly increased survival and vigor success of natiive perennials propagated and planted in the annual innoculated soil. Tracks well if we look at how nature responds to disturbance. I love your videos! Thank you for consolidating and sharing this valuable knowledge!
I’m curious as to how this is best employed for those in colder climates- given that several months are in sub freezing temperatures when nothing can grow. Thoughts? Thanks for the informative video.
I second this question. As a WI gardener, what kind of cover crop can I grow in the winter months that is not so invasive that it will make planting in the spring difficult? 🤔
What are the best cover crops to interplant between vegetables?
Good for you to get up dated on what is happening in the world of regenerative agriculture.
This is just yt content creator click bait bullshit, they generally contradict themselves, either prior or post this vid. And he has a few times
BRAVO ! i partially knew the knowledge of exudates from famous Dr Elaine Ingram but you Robert explain it thoroughly for everyone to realize don t kill the weeds;; perhaps keep them low height ; OMG ! this changes the entire agricultural preconceptions ; BRAVO again ! WOOHOO !!!
Compost everything. Nothing recently living leaves my yard. I also make 'biochar' from burn piles to add to compost piles.
Some excellent info here, well done Sir, as usual. Exudates added to my vocabulary.
Thanks for geeat video. Always more to learn. My small foodforest is full of biodiversity and very healthy. Even happy ❤❤❤
Plant material added regularly seems to help my garden immensely. I've also found small amounts of fresh cow manure helps put composting bacteria into the soil.
Thanks for answering my question below. I have another question. You say a downside of compost is the lignin and other hard to decompose material that breaks down slowly and takes a lot of microbial energy. My understanding is that these material are decomposed by fungi. As you know fungi are a very important soil component especially for perennials because they tie together soil particles creating soil aggregation and also mychorizzal fungi form symbiotic relationships with the plants greatly extending the reach of plant nutrient gathering, It appears from observation that even though it has yet to decompose composted lignin is more easily assimilated into the soil ecology than uncomposted carbon source such as wood chips.
You are right. This is the only part in the video where he is a little off.
Hi, nice info.
I wouldn't put compost tea in the same bracket as molasses, if you are making good compost tea then you are adding a diverse array of beneficial microbes and not just microbe food. You also haven't talked about difference of fungi and bacteria foods.
Also, you've talked about beneficial microbes but nothing about unbeneficial microbes, what promotes their condition etc.
Very thorough explanation, great job :)