A phone conversation at the end of March 2019 with a well-known agriculture expert, Professor Tualar Simamarmata from the University of Padjajaran Bandung concluded with a very encouraging yet challenging remark: It just has to work!
It does matter whether the soil consists of lavish numbers and kinds of microbes. It does matter that the inputs piled into the compost bins fall under a precise composition of Carbon to Nitrogen ratio. However, when you are dealing with scarce resources, you just need to be as principled-pragmatic as possible.
The situation we were facing was pretty challenging. Water is scarce, but thankfully, what is still available is ground/un-treated water. Other usual inputs such as food waste, clean chopped wood, are also available but in tiny quantities. But what the Client has continuously is fresh manures from various kinds of farm animals – and these are exactly what we used.
We introduced our Natural Soil Vitamin (Tribiotics TM) to six piles of sub-soils treated differently. We divided the land into three areas of around 2 x 3m2. We gathered cow’s manures from the stable then put approximately 5kg in the center of each of these areas. Then we put the soil vitamin in each of these piles. But we left Area A only with manures.
Last December we kindly asked the Client to try the mixture in their compost pile. The report came positive with sightings of much greener leaves besides composting time that was cut by half to 45 days – from the usual 90 days.
The next morning (Monday 18 March 2019), our Client did the sprinkled each pile with water to make it like hummus (the food) when the weather is too hot. However, they did not put the water too much because, in the end, we expected a spongy, crumbly yet damp (not sodden) structure of end-product.
A few days after that, I left Doha, Qatar, to do proper laboratory tests for the Tribiotics. The test was done by Sucofindo, a certified testing company (www.sucofindo.co.id). The report says that it contains a very high level of vitamin A, calcium and sodium.
The 45 designated days that have passed since the day the 2 piles of manures were set-up in an open space. The Client has done what they were asked for, i.e., watering and covering them with the fine mesh (to protect them from birds). They then planted seeds of different kinds of summer plants – all without undergoing nursery. A week after that, I was so happy to see that they were thriving! The celery plants that grew beside the experiment area were also growing profusely and looking so green.
This proves that the theory of ‘Communicating Plants’ works in our case. The theory, which is initiated by Dr. Suzane Simard of the University of British Columbia, basically says that plants, not only they communicate among each other but they also help each other through nutrients transfers. A fact-based view that is very far from Darwin’s projection of ‘Survival of the fittest’ in the natural world. We were more than convinced that her theory works the second time, when the plants in Pile A, which were introduced with manure and seeds much later also started to grow profusely as the movies for each site show below:
I am positive that the natural substrate that we put on the manure can flawlessly aid the composting process. From what I learned about the jobs of the microbes, among other thing is to synthesize B12 that are necessary for root’s health, especially during the nursery. Apparently, this particular vitamin A has helped them to do the job better and faster.
Plants in Area A were planted much later than but placed near the others treated with the natural soil vitamin and they grew faster! Plants indeed can
communicate and transfer positive energy!
Adding another well-known compost material doesn’t necessarily add more value. Use whatever good you have in your land.
The Okra tree can grow fruits now, even during summer’s heat and with a very little water!
Overall, we are beyond happy that the natural soil vitamin produces a good compost as a medium for plants to grow; plants that are not only greener, i.e., has necessary nutrients and holds more water, but also resilient to weather change and diseases, and most importantly: it can improve the surrounding environment to be better!
