Bury Your Briefs to Evaluate Soil Microbes with Cameron Ogilvie and Kari Dunfield

Soil microbes play an essential role in releasing nutrients from the soil in a form that our fruit trees and other plants can access. So, if your soil doesn't have a healthy and diverse microbe population, your fruit trees will not thrive. The problem is that microbes are so tiny that we can't see them with the human eye. How do we know if we have a good microbe population? According to the Soil Conservation Council of Canada all you have to do is bury a pair of 100% cotton underwear in the topsoil of your garden. Leave your undies in the ground for a couple of months. Then, when you dig them up see what they look like. If your soil microbes have been busy digesting and recycling organic matter, then all that will be left is the elastic waist band. To learn more about this process, I've invited two experts from the University of Guelph to talk about the "Bury Your Briefs Campaign" and about the role soil microbes play in keeping our fruit trees and other plants healthy. They are Cameron Ogilvie, Knowledge Mobilization Coordinator and Kari Dunfield, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Microbiology of Agro-ecosystems . The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website www.orchardpeople.com . Susan is the author of four books on fruit tree care. Learn more here: https://learn.orchardpeople.com/books She is also the creator of five-star rated premium online fruit tree care education at: https://learn.orchardpeople.com HOW TO TUNE IN TO OUR PODCAST The show airs on the last Tuesday of every month on RealityRadio101 at 1:00 PM ET! While it’s no longer live, you can still watch or listen anytime—and catch the recorded podcast anytime afterward. 📺 Video Podcast: Watch the recorded episode anytime on our YouTube Podcast Playlist . 🎧 Audio Podcast: Download the podcast and listen on your favorite app after it airs. 🌐 Article: Read the article linked to the show " Bringing Life to Your Soil: How to Improve Soil Quality Naturally " and find the video and podcast links there too! ✍️ Do you want to learn to grow organic fruit trees successfully? Sign up for OrchardPeople.com's free monthly newsletter at https://orchardpeople.com/sign-up/ For premium fruit tree care education visit: https://learn.orchardpeople.com/ . FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GROWING FRUIT TREES THAT THRIVE: ✂️ How to Prune Fruit Trees: https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-prune-and-train-fruit-trees/ 🪲 Fruit Tree Pests and Diseases: https://orchardpeople.com/protecting-fruit-trees-from-pests-and-diseases/ 🌳 How to Feed Fruit Trees: https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-feed-fruit-trees/ 🍎 The Best Fruit Trees to Grow: https://orchardpeople.com/best-fruit-trees-to-grow/ 🌱 How to Graft Fruit Trees: https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-graft-fruit-trees/ These show notes may contain affiliate links to products. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no cost to you. Thanks for your support! (00:00) - Introduction (00:58) - Meet the Experts (01:25) - Understanding Soil Microbes (04:03) - The Bury Your Briefs Campaign (07:13) - Microbial Activity and Soil Health (10:15) - Best Practices for Soil Health (15:13) - Bacteria in Soil (18:10) - Understanding the Importance of Consistent Testing (19:13) - The Role of Fungi in Soil Health (20:47) - Exploring Soil Organisms: Beyond Bacteria and Fungi (22:02) - The Fascinating World of Springtails (22:52) - Debating Soil Minerals and Rock Dust (25:21) - Actinomyces: The Source of Healthy Soil Smell (27:15) - Studying Soil Microbes in the Field (28:36) - Urban Agriculture and Soil Microbiology (31:02) - Bio Fertilizers: A Sustainable Alternative (34:34) - Nurturing Soil Microbial Populations (39:01) - The Importance of Soil Microbes (42:11) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts