Learn how to plan and do soil tests that will enable you to do a quick evaluation of the health of your soil, and measure the impact of your practices over time. The tests do not require specialist soil testing equipment or laboratories, and can be done by anyone.
The course covers five indicators and five tests for monitoring soil health.
– Soil structure and aggregate stability
– Soil texture
– Earthworm count
– Soil color
– Soil water infiltration
For each, you will find step by step instructions for for planning and doing the test, guidelines for interpreting your test results and improving your soil accordingly. PLUS handy printable worksheets, for use in the field, with equipment list, test method and data recording form.
This course was developed with Elodie da Silva, Chief Scientist in The Soil Lab, at the Mud Valley Institute in Portugal.
Course Features
- Lectures 46
- Quiz 0
- Duration 10 weeks
- Skill level All levels
- Language English
- Students 1
- Certificate No
- Assessments Yes
- 10 Sections
- 46 Lessons
- 10 Weeks
- Introduction5
- Indicators for testing soil1
- What to measure: when and how?4
- Soil structure and aggregate stability6
- Soil texture6
- Earthworm count6
- Soil color6
- Soil water infiltration6
- Conclusions: soil health impact and communication outcomes4
- Resources and Next Steps2
