For spring 2022 we are testing the FDC in three ways: 1) using seeds for germination and growth tests 2) applying to a lawn, or top dressing a lawn 3) use with seedlings (already started plants) Each method has a few variations, but the processes are pretty straightforward. General rules when applying and testing FDC You need to do “twins” — for each plant variety or tree type or lawn area, try to select a roughly identical pair of plant and locations. Apply the Fungal-Dominant Compost (FDC) to only one of the two plants (trees, lawn areas); the second plant will be your reference. Both plants must be exposed to…
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Will soil regeneration improve plant nutrient density?
The study authors are asking for citizen scientists to help confirm these findings. Well, that’s what ONfungi is doing in 2022 already. So please. Join in. Make a real difference with science! One of the key experimental cycles for ONfungi in 2022 is looking at how ONfdc (fungal dominant compost) can work with other soil-building techniques — such as minimal plowing (no till), cover crops, and diverse crop planting — to improve plant nutrient density. In fact, we have been able to purchase a refractometer to measure plant nutrition thanks to our 2021 ONfungi citizen science supporters! In the article “Farms following soil-friendly practices grow heatlhier food” we see that…
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Technology improvement casts doubt on long term carbon sequestration
If you’ve read through ONfungi’s ruminations regarding carbon sequestration you’ll have noticed that we think its happening as we restore soils but we don’t think it works the way some folks were hoping. Pretty early on in our research we realized that for carbon sequestration in soil to work you needed to renew the soil on an ongoing basis. So things like cover cropping, no till, our ONfdc may be more than useful but actually essential to carbon sequestration in soil. Recently Biocycle.net’s Sally Brown looked at some of the new technology being applied to the issue and came to the same conclusion we did. If you want to store…
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Spring 2022 garden upgrades start now
New for spring 2022 are more, more and even more for gardeners and soil regeneration citizen scientists ONfungi will be opening 5 of Scott the wizard Hortop’s bioreactors (filled in the fall of 2020), a record for ONfungi, and an FDC (fungal dominant compost) bonanza allowing: Alberto Suarez of Nature’s Apprentice Farm will be doing multiple controlled trials of the FDC on selected vegetable plantings; as well as on small plots of wheat and oats. ONfungi will be working with Cliff Neudorf and the South Lanark Community Garden to supply FDC for garden and student experiments, as well as start their first bioreactor. Mark MacKenzie will be doing 5 lawn…
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Everything you need to know about soil health and biomass in one easy to read article
Food Web & Soil Health, a primer in soil regeneration by Elaine Ingham, noted researcher and soil regeneration expert.
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How To: Build your bioreactor
Full instructions for large bioreactors can also be found here: Due to file size limitations and bandwidth issues the video has been temporarily removed. https://www.csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture/bioreactor/bioreactor-instructions.shtml Why do we ask for money? We rely on volunteers for all our work. We're incorporating as a not-for-profit: But we are doing science! And, for our science to progress we need things like Microbiometers (to measure soil carbon and fungi:bacteria ratios), pallets, wire, BRIX refactors (which measure sugar in leaves which tells nutrition levels) and other groovy stuff. Your money pays for all of this. Which keeps our science going. Thank you! How to build your bioreactor will look at two methods: the Large…
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Latest ONfungi report highlights the benefits of FDC
Dec 22, 2021 — The Regenerative Effects of Fungal Dominant Compost: Pilot Study has been released. The report, prepared by Emma Roy, Scott Hortop and Hailee Turry, is part of our ONfungi citizen science project and research series. The work, done over the summer of 2021, continues to advance and expand the understanding of the utility of Fungal Dominant Compost (FDC). Download the 2021 report here. The report is a PDF of 1.34m in size. Our ONfungi compost is made primarily from fallen leaves high in cellulose and covered in fungal spores. After a lengthy two year composting period the leaves have been slowly digested; offering a higher fungi to…
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Fungi fruiting on ONfungi inoculated site
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ONfungi video demonstrates “Mix, Strain, Apply” the 2021/22 lawn experiment
In this video volunteer participant Janice Reid applies the biotic tea to an area of grass under a maple tree. Conditions noted included the poor health of the tree and the Microbiometer tests came in at 300 ug/g in the first area and 365 in the second. Both those results indicate "poor" soil and low carbon. Low carbon means few carbon lifeforms such as protozoa, nematodes, bacteria, or fungi. No wonder the tree is struggling. We look forward to our test results coming spring 2022. Special thanks to Janice Reid for her generosity of time and spirit. Kelvin Hodges for yet another video. Bensound for putting his jazz online. In…
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Volunteers build 8 new bioreactors for the ONfungi 2023 season
Nov 1, 2021 — Volunteers Pam Steele and Mike Pitcher pose by the bioreactors being started for the 2023 growing season. Along with Dave Bustard (not shown) the team has now filled 4 of 8 bioreactors (update: nov 2). Well done team! “I’m really impressed with their dedication. They started on a new bioreactor this morning and by finish time it was full,” said Scott the wizard Hortop. The new volunteers join the bioreactor crew of Scott Hortop, Mark MacKenzie, Kelvin Hodges and Emma Roy. “We have 8 new bioreactors prepping fungal dominant compost (FDC) in support of the 2023 growing season,” said Emma. “I’m looking forward to years of…
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Farm experiment: making large batch compost tea
In this video, Mark explains how to use an at home brewer to create organic compost tea from our very own ONfungi compost. Though Mark is displayed using a large agricultural sized brewer, a similar technique can be used using a much smaller brewer for home applications. The ingredients in this “tea” include: For a 200 Gallon Brewer: -¾ Cup of Seaweed -½ cup of oat flour -½ cup of spelt flour -¾ cup of humates -¾ cup of Fish Hydrolysate -2 cups of ONfungi compost in a mesh bag. Place a bubbler within the brewer to allow for oxygenation, add the ingredients in whichever order you prefer and allow…
