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Anonymous
Soil Your Undies experiment a Canadian hit 2017-08-14 04:30:18 Post No. 168091
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Soil Your Undies experiment a Canadian hit 2017-08-14 04:30:18 Post No. 168091
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Ah, soil. So dull. So boring.
Or so it seems. Even madly keen gardeners tend to nod off if you start nattering about soil during a presentation to a hort society. (I speak from experience.) Yet surprisingly perhaps, farming organizations encounter the same level of interest. That is, virtually nil.
“Our national soil conservation week is usually a boring, quiet affair,” Kier Miller, eastern Canada director of the Soil Conservation Council admitted in a CBC interview last spring. “No one pays much attention.”
But that was back in April. Boy, have things changed. This summer lots of Canadian farmers and gardeners suddenly got interested in the state of their soil (the CBC came calling, too) as a result of a clever experiment that the council dreamed up.
It’s called the Soil Your Undies test — and if the topic of soil bored the pants off you until now, there’s still time to dig it.
Just go out and buy some new, undyed white cotton briefs (male or female, doesn’t matter), and bury them somewhere in the garden. Stick in a little flag to mark the spot. Leave them undisturbed for two months. Then dig the underpants up. If the cotton has mostly been eaten away — leaving only the elastic waistband — congratulations. It means your soil is in good shape, with plenty of organic matter.
Why? Earthworms and other, smaller invisible critters inhabiting the soil need organic matter to survive — and when there are plenty of them around, they’ll eat the cotton, which is, of course, also an organic material.
“It’s like a steak to them,” explains Kier Miller.
https://www.thestar.com/life/2017/08/12/soil-your-undies-experiment-a-canadian-hit.html
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But if those buried briefs come out of the soil largely intact, well, black mark. It signals that you’d better get busy adding compost and other good stuff, because there aren’t enough nutrients down there for those biologically important helpers to survive — or for plants to flourish.
Soil Your Undies sounds kind of simplistic and bizarre, at first hearing. Yet it is a scientifically recognized test that’s been embraced by several organizations including OMAFRA (Ontario Ministry of Agricultue, Food and Rural Affairs.)
In fact, several OMAFRA staff got down on their knees to soil some undies this year — and were gratified by the outcome.
“Soiled underwear has taken on a whole new meaning in my world, “reports research technician Claire Coombs who buried seven pairs of men’s briefs in various experimental plots, mostly on the Ridgetown campus of the University of Guelph.
Her tests resulted in revealing information about the state of the soil for crops like soybeans.
She’s also all in favour of the council dreaming up a gimmick to draw people in.
“Soil biology can be a difficult concept to study, measure and teach,” she says, pointing out that scientists have long used squares of cotton material to conduct such tests.
“Replace those cotton squares with briefs, and you immediately have everyone’s attention, including mine.”
For sure. Everyone loves a novelty. Thus many media outlets picked up this story. Canada’s classic underwear manufacturer — Stanfields — even got into the act, posting instructions for Soiling Your Undies on its website.
I confess to being late at joining in. I only got a spade out last weekend, because armies of militant mosquitoes have taken over my garden this squelchy summer — making it impossible to stay out of doors for long.
But now my fingers are crossed for those brand new white ladies’ panties acquired from Walmart. May they be totally gobbled up by October.
Stay tuned.
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>>168092
>the mosquitoes were too terrible for me to dig a 3" deep hole to bury a pair of panties
Jesus Christ, what a whiny bitch.
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For a second I thought pissing yourself was becoming a trend.
Kind of dissapointing tbqh
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>>168135
Welcome to Canada. Remember the mosquitoes are big enough to take the spade away and hit you with it.
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Not nearly as popular as last years "Shit Your Panties!!!" campaign.
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>>168173
I used to go camping in the Minnesota Northwoods. Even there the mosquitoes didn't stop us from hiking, let alone digging a tiny hole.
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Earthworms ate my underwear.
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>>168091
>Just go out and buy some new, undyed white cotton briefs
I'd think worn and dirty underwear would be even more effective.
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>>168177
topkek
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