Bill Robertson, a soil scientist at the University of Arkansas, developed a simple and reliable way to test if the soil is healthy or not. And it is very affordable! All it takes is 2 men’s 100% cotton underwear.
He explains that “Soil creatures — bacteria, fungi and nematodes — eat cellulose, and those briefs are basically cellulose,” You will need to bury the undies for five weeks. If your soil is healthy, your undies will fall apart when you dig them out.
Although this test is fun to do, the article addresses a serious subject: the importance of healthy soil and its impacts on our health. "Soil microbes help regulate our emotions and immune response. And they also play a key role in determining the nutrient content of our food," writes Daphne Miller, M.D.
This is an excerpt of "Uncovering how microbes in the soil influence our health and our food," an article by Daphne Miller, M.D , published in The Washington Post.
