Soil Foodweb Sustainable Studies Institute Workshops Dr. Elaine Ingham…

Soil Foodweb Sustainable Studies Institute Workshops
Dr. Elaine Ingham has developed three in-depth workshops at her Soil Foodweb, Inc.
Laboratory. Now taught through the Sustainable Studies Institute in Corvallis, Oregon,
the courses include classroom instruction, hands-on lab work, and field demonstrations.
   Introduction to the Soil Foodweb ­ 2 days
   Compost Technology ­ 1 day
   Compost Tea Technology ­ 1 day
Introduction to the Soil Foodweb Elaine Ingham, PhD
                                Two Days (8:00 am to 5:00 pm)
What is Biological Farming? Examples
Soil Foodweb Principles
   Productivity versus Foodweb Complexity
   Methods
   How-to-do-it Example
   Biology, Chemistry, Compost, Compost Tea
The Soil Foodweb: Myths, Roots, Compaction, Calcium
Energy
Disease Suppression
Nutrient Retention including C:N
Foodweb Picture
Nutrient Cycling
   N Cycle
   What form of nutrient do plants need?
   How much N, P, K, Mg, S, B do plants need?
Soil Structure ­ Who builds which parts?
Complexity revisited
Succession
Disturbance
Microscope Demonstrations
System-by-System Approaches
   Grasslands
   Crops
   Vines
   Orchards
Sampling
Data Needed to fix things biologically

Compost Technology
Prerequisite: Introduction to Soil Foodweb Workshop or Equivalent
                                  One Day (8:00 am to 5:00 pm)
Review of Important Soil Foodweb Concepts
  The right organisms for the plant desired
  The right food for the plant desired
Making Thermal Compost: Important Parameters
  Starting materials, temperature, aeration, turning and particle size
  Commercial recipes approach
  Small scale approach
Soil Foodweb Sustainable Studies Institute Workshops
   Home owner approach
The Important Parameters in Making:
   Worm Compost
   In-Vessel Composting
   Static Composting
Definition of Good Compost
   Immature versus mature compost
   Stability
   Compost standards
How to Determine Whether Soil Needs Compost
   Rates of decomposition, smell, color
   When to do organism assays and which assays to run
   Does your soil have the right organisms in the right numbers?
Field Approach: Vegetables, Lawns, Orchards, Vineyards
Field Approach: Thermal and Worm Compost Farms
Compost Tea Technology
Prerequisites: Introduction to Soil Foodweb Workshop; Compost Technology Workshop
                                      One Day (8:00 am to 5:00 pm)
Definition of Good Tea
    Maturity, stability, E. Coli, Standards
    Aerated Compost Tea versus Not-Aerated Tea
    Plant Tea, etc.
Making Compost Tea: Essential Components
    The brewing cycle, the right compost, extraction, aeration, water source, recipes, growing fungi, E. coli
issues
    Recipes
The Important Parameters in Testing Compost Tea
Determining Whether Plants Need Compost Tea
    Rates of decomposition, smell, color
    When to do organism assays, which assays to run
    Does your foliage have enough of the right organisms?
Altering the Foodweb in Soil & on Plant Surfaces
    The right organisms for the plant desired
    Bacterial or fungal dominated tea?
    The right foods for the plant desired
    Commercial products
How to Use Compost Tea in a Successful Program
    Turf
    Landscape
    Orchard
    Row Crops/Vegetables
Microscope Demonstration of Different Teas