Mycorrhizal Planet: How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility By Michael Phillips Published by Chelsea Green Publishing, 2017 Soil Biology is Nature’s healthcare…
Soil Health
The Science of Soil Biology during Drought: ELA Conference Takeaways
Session review by K. Miho Connolly The year 2016 was characterized by precipitation amounts well below average, coupled with record high temperatures. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 54% of…
The Soil We Grow In
by Bruce Fulford For most of my first two decades, I grew in rich farm soils in southeastern Pennsylvania. The gently sloping hills and flood plains were potassium rich-soils of…
Feed the Soil; Feed the Plants
by Mike Murray We all have to eat. In a forest, leaves fall and enrich the undisturbed soil. Bacteria and fungi decompose the litter and provide nutrients to the trees….
Start with the Soil
by Steve Phillips As members and supporters of the Ecological Landscape Alliance, we likely have an awareness of the importance of ecology. But do we truly have an understanding of…
Soil as a Living System
by Leslie Jones Sauer Soil wears its problems on the surface. Where trampling or high rates of decomposition prevail, the litter layer and topsoil are entirely absent. Until recently, the…
Ground Rules: Soil Health in the Urban Landscape
by Chuck Sherzi, Jr. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nature never hurries….” The same, I might add, holds true for the soil. Since I can remember, I have always been…
Mulch Composition and Potential Benefits
by David Ropes What more can be said about the benefits of mulch in the developed landscape? In her wonderful 2007 article “Impacts of Mulches on Landscape Plants and the…
Practical Applications of Biochar in the Landscape
by Dr. Hugh McLaughlin and Keegan Pyle There’s a lot of buzz about biochar these days. And for good reason. Incorporating quality biochar into soil increases the abundance of soil…
Get the Dirt! Grow Food and Soil with a Food Forest
by Jonathan Bates After ten years of learning from and collaborating with a mega-diverse, globally inspired, edible forest garden, new wonders are under foot. Paradise Lot, here in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA,…
Update on the Hugelkulture (HK) Beds at Woody End Farm
by M.L. Altobelli It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since we built our first HK bed in the greenhouse field at the farm. The goal then was…
Report from Soil Biology School
by John Rice One of the things I love about winter is that I get to meet with scientists, professors, and researchers and learn more about the ever-changing landscaping world….
