Like most college campuses, Harvard Yard takes a beating every day.
[snip]
But the microbial activity beneath their feet has now aerated the soil. Tree roots can breathe because they are absorbing nutrients and water. Newly planted oaks outside Mass Hall, a few steps from Harvard Square, are thriving.
Soil tests show the presence not only of beneficial bacteria and fungi but also of the micro-organisms that feed on them, recycling nitrogen back into the soil. This dog-eat-dog world underground also retains moisture.
Thanks to these efforts, the university has reduced the use of irrigation by 30 percent, according to Mr. Carbone, thus saving two million gallons of water a year.
I know that everyone here is aware of composting & its benefits: but Anne Raver is an excellent writer and this is well worth reading. The online version also includes a sidebar on to how to compost for different plants:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09...
and to a Harvard page with links on getting started & how to make a compost-tea brewer:
http://www.uos.harvard.edu/fmo...
The results of this one-acre experiment were so strikingly excellent that Harvard hopes to use compost on all of its 80 acres within the next two years.
Again, I realize that all LVLians are aware that composting is superior: but the difference in the soil at Harvard in just one year surprised even me. Plus, Anne Raver is great: give her some clicks. |
