Blog

What is a good level of soil microbial biomass?

We are often asked what is a good level of microbial biomass (MB). There is no one answer. The level of MB you can reach is dependent on soil organic matter (SOM.) Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a large part of soil organic matter but SOM is a mixture of

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Soil Testing Worm Castings with microBIOMETER®

Green Country Worms is a small worm farm located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Their main focus is producing high quality worm castings. They started vermicomposting in 2008 when they received their first pound of compost worms. 12 years later they still love composting with worms and are fascinated with the worm

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microBIOMETER® Spends the Day on the Farm in Brazil

Sítio Escola Portão Grande hosted students from the Mentoring and Language Acquisition Program (MLAB) for a full day immersion at the farm in Brazil which featured soil testing with microBIOMETER®. MLAB is a mentoring and language acquisition program for Harvard students and Brazilian high school students, with low income and high performance.

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What is the role of fungal spores in plant health?

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal (AMF) are dependent on the plant for their food, therefore, they die when the plant dies. Lucky for us before they die they form spores that can live a long time in the soil. When we have looked at the soil from vineyards in winter it is

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Fungi helping farmers cut back on chemical fertilizers

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are fungi that live inside and on the roots of most plants. The plant feeds the fungi and the fungi sends out its root- like hypha collecting water and nutrients such as phosphate, potassium and nitrate from the soil and transfers them to the plant.

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Fungal to Bacterial Ratio test now available!

To help celebrate the release of Fantastic Fungi, we have some fantastic fungal news! Our eagerly anticipated Fungal to Bacterial Ratio test is officially here! Whether you currently own a microBIOMETER® or purchase a new test kit from us, you will automatically be granted access to this important data to further assist you

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microBIOMETER helping increase soil health in Brazil

Chiapeta Empresa Agrícola is a family agrobusiness in Rio Grande do Sul, a temperate climate. They have started using microBIOMETER® in their soil management and were excited to share their story. This 4th generation farm in Brazil grows corn and soybeans as well as raises cattle.

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Does microBIOMETER® measure dead microbes?

We receive this question often and the answer is NO. How do we know this? microBIOMETER® shows that soil removed from the earth and plants loses microbial biomass every day which we have confirmed with microscopic studies. The literature also confirms this.

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