A Sense of Humus (2)

During lockdown in Term 3 the students each ‘soiled’ (buried in 8cm of topsoil) a pair of white cotton undies in the paddocks or gardens. After eight weeks it was time to dig them up again and see the results. We were hoping to see most of the cotton parts gone through decomposition due to the microbes in the soil. Ideally, all that should remain is the elastic, a synthetic. 

Results are now in and here are some of the pics:

Declan’s undies show some decomposition from being buried in the garden. Declan reported that the soil was still moist when the undies were extracted. The result shows there is some microbiology working in his garden.

Mark’s undies had one hole that was visible and were comparatively clean. They had been buried in a paddock and Mark reported that the soil had dried out when he dug them up. The lack of moisture would have affected the microbial activity.

Mrs. Drinnan’s undies were in a delicate state, with only the elastic remaining aside from a few shreds and some of the gusset. These undies were buried in a paddock containing a lot of phalaris grass and the soil was moist. It had also been grazed by a pony during the 8 weeks. Microbial activity seems to be strong in that paddock.

Charlotte Drinnan

Teacher - A Sense of Humus