Want to check the quality of the soil in your yard? Bury 2 White Underwear in the Garden, and the results might surprise you!
While there are many scientific ways and gadgets to determine your soil quality, they can either be a little time-consuming or expensive. But one quick and straightforward way to do this is to Bury 2 White Underwear in the Garden. Confused? Read more below!
Here are some easy soil tests you can perform at home
Why Bury 2 White Underwear in the Garden?
The study on this was first started by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Canada, where the cotton test was performed by a soil management specialist as ‘food’ for soil organisms. In soils with higher biological activity, the cotton underwear was more disintegrated as the organisms feed on it, indicating they were active in the soil.
The University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Research Institute are also researching and investigating the biodiversity in soil by burying a pair of underwear into the ground and promoting it as a do-it-yourself test, so private gardeners and farmers can examine and understand their soil health.
What Happens When You Bury Them?
The test is quite simple to do and understand. A cotton underpants is buried into the soil for 2 months. After the time period, it is taken out and examined for its condition. If it is badly degraded, this indicates a high number of microbial activity, showing the soil is rich and healthy, which is excellent for gardening and agriculture.
If the underwear is not degraded or found slightly ‘damaged,’ it indicates that there is not much biological activity in the soil, and it is not that rich.
Usually, the soil should be diverse–beneficial fungi, bacteria worms, and other helpful microorganisms should be present. The more they are, the more will be their activity in the soil, ensuring it is rich and healthy. When you bury white cotton underwear in the ground, these beings feed on the material. By going through the level of decomposition of the fabric, you can determine how healthy and nourished your soil is.
How Can You Try This?
You can bury a couple of cotton underwear in your garden at different spots–deep enough to cover by soil and dig them out after 2 months to analyze their condition. The more degraded they are, the better soil you have in your yard. Similarly, if you have a big planter at home, you can bury a small cotton handkerchief to test the quality of the soil of your small garden.
