The Soil Sponge Collective is the collaborative effort of volunteers belonging to various advocacy groups such as Woodshed Gardens, BirdHouse (shld we keep as is tho' now defunct?), SoCal350, Hollywood Orchard, and the Tongva and Chumash Ancestors. Together we are committed to serving the healing and regeneration of all life.

We engage in projects of varying scales that regenerate soil, restore village-minded consciousness, and respond to the deep calling of our time. The environmental, social and spiritual challenges before us require that we individually and collectively return to Nature — for healing, for sustenance and for clues to the way forward. The future will emerge out of our love for and responsibility to this planet.

At present, we primarily gather on the ancestral lands of the Tongva and Chumash. At times, we might find ourselves serving the homelands of other tribal nations, such as the Acjachemen, the Sierra Miwok, or the Dine. 

This region was once one of the most fertile, abundant and biodiverse areas of flora and fauna on the planet (is this true?). By humbly listening, attending to and caring for the unseen, essential microbes in the soil, ecosystems that have long been degraded and neglected by humankind can be honored, restored, and revitalized. Dead dirt can once again become vibrant soil that supports life, biodiversity and the thriving of many species vs. the few. (we can restore the water cycle, etc.)

Our intent is to live in sacred reciprocity with the original Ancestors of the lands where we have settled or now live. Many if not most of us, are but visitors here. We tend to the Earth to respect and reconnect to the natural cycles and rhythms of life. By healing ourselves, we heal the world.

Contact us here or through social media!

A soil sponge refers to the organic, living matrix of carbon-rich soil. Its structure and fertility is created through relationships, particularly relationships between plant life and microorganisms such as bacteria and mycorrhizal funghi in the soil. The soil sponge is the place where sunlight, plants, microbes, minerals and animals engage and share with one another to create life. 

A soil sponge is largely: space. Think of a sponge or a piece of brea. The holes you see mimic the pore spaces of healthy soil, wherein water, air and plant roots can move. These pore spaces are created as plants and microbes exchange nutrients with one another. 

Healthy soil can cool the climate, increase fertility, hold water as a living reservoir, and reverse the impacts of floods, droughts and wildifres caused by climate change and human negligence. Heavy tilling in conventional, industrial and monocrop farming, pesticides, biocides and chemical fertilizers as well as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have led to desertification and degradation of soil and the destruction of microbes. Soil becomes infertile and  lifeless when stripped of microbial life underground, Understanding how life creates life is key to creating ecological resilience, abundance and thriving for all beings living above and below ground. 

A soil sponge is a living system and the foundation for life. It provides an array of tangible and intangible benefits — abundant clean water; a longer green growing season; more nutrient-dense foods; healthier people, plants, and animals; localized cooling through transpiration; habitat for biologically diverse species; and reduction of flooding, drought, erosion, algae blooms, and wildfires. And it offers us solace, connectedness, and healing. 

Through porosity and structural integrity, the soil sponge increases the ability of a landscape to capture, store, and filter water for all life on land. We are indebted to all life, especially the unseen microbes who have made life for humanity possible upon land. 

What is its function?

The purpose of a soil sponge is to feed life above and below ground. It is the foundation of life which fosters fertility and biodiversity. Living, carbon-rich soil sponges allow plants and microbes to communicate and exchange nutrients with one another. Through the interchanges between plant roots and microbes, pore spaces are created that allow for the movement of water, air, and plant roots which ultimately feed the soil food web below ground, and provide food and habitat for life above ground.

Why is it necessary now?

Much of land globally is degraded or rapidly being desertified, to the point it can no longer sustain life. Numerous situations contribute to the degeneration of soil health including: erosion, compaction, nutrient imbalance, pollution, and acidification. Additionally, destruction of microbial diversity and increasing salinity are further impacting soils worldwide. Topsoil on Turtle Island has been eroding ever since heavy tilling was introduced roughly 160 years ago. However, all of these are not fixed or dead-end situations. The conditions of dirt and soil can be transformed, one into the other. It is a choice. Healthy soil requires a change in human behavior, skillfulness in action, heartfelt nurturance and genuine connection. How we care for soil, water and the microbes now will determine our future.

Biodynamics emerged through the work and passions of Austrian philosopher and scientist Dr. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). It began with his infamous lectures in 1924 which inspired farmers to a new yet ancient way of integrating scientific understanding with a recognition of spirit in Nature. These lectures were a direct response to European farmers concerned about diminishing quality and crop yields incurred by modern industrial agriculture and its practices. 

According to the Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics (JPI): 

Biodynamic agriculture is the oldest sustainable agricultural movement in the world, formally established in 1928 with the launching of Demeter, the international certification program for sustainable agriculture. 

In biodynamic agriculture, preparations are of significant importance because they are “bio (life) – dynamic (energizing)” formulations.

Working in harmony with lunar, solar, and cosmic rhythms, the nine biodynamic preparations are made from fermented herbs, minerals, and cow manures.

Biodynamic preparations sit at the heart of biodynamic agriculture. They are also at the center of JPI’s mission, and are how we work to heal the earth and restore the health of our soil against negative environmental influences.

The principles and practices of biodynamics are alive and well, thriving in thousands of gardens, farms, vineyards, ranches, and orchards across the globe. Biodynamics is accessible to anyone and its wisdom and guiding principles can be applied wherever food is grown, by thoughtfully adapting to scale, landscape, climate, and culture. Akin to the views of Indigenous peoples worldwide, biodynamics reminds us that science and the spiritual aspects of Nature are not mutually exclusive, but rather part of a holistic cosmological view.

The soil food web is the complex, interconnected system of organisms in soil that interact and feed on each other, recycling nutrients, and contributing to soil health. It includes a diverse range of organisms, from microscopic bacteria and fungi to larger creatures like earthworms and insects, all of which play specific roles in breaking down organic matter and releasing nutrients that plants can use.

Here’s a simplified breakdown of how it works:

1. Primary Producers: Plants are the main primary producers, as they use sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce energy through photosynthesis. They also release organic compounds into the soil through their roots, feeding microorganisms.

2. Decomposers: Bacteria and fungi break down dead organic matter, such as fallen leaves and dead organisms, turning it into simpler compounds and making nutrients available for plants.

3. Primary Consumers: Organisms like protozoa, nematodes, and small insects feed on bacteria and fungi. By doing this, they help keep populations of microbes in check and release nutrients back into the soil in a form plants can use.

4. Secondary and Tertiary Consumers: Larger organisms, including predatory nematodes, mites, and arthropods, feed on the primary consumers. Earthworms, for instance, consume organic matter and produce nutrient-rich waste, improving soil structure.

5. Top Predators: Larger soil animals, such as centipedes and spiders, prey on other soil organisms, maintaining balance within the soil ecosystem.

Each layer of the soil food web is interconnected, so healthy interactions among these organisms improve soil fertility, water retention, and plant health.

Creating or supporting a soil sponge first requires considering context. What is the condition of the land? Is it sandy, silty, clay-like? Does the land hold water or does it run off the land? Are there plant roots in the ground? Is the soil hard and compacted or prone to erosion and flooding (both can be true)? What is the typical amount of rainfall on the land? Are there any issues of toxicity that require specific remediation? Context determines the approach. It often requires aerating soil, the addition of bio-complete or biodynamic compost, compost extracts, cover crop seeds and an iincrease of organic matter or biomass on the land and covering any bare soil with mulch or Alfalfa. Soil does not transform from inert dirt overnight, but requires attention and actions over time. What is inspiring and empowering is knowing that we can align with Nature to reverse the impacts of climate change, and transform degraded and deserted lands back into fertile places reflecting Nature’s bounty and biodiversity.

• Keep living roots in the ground as much of the year as possible. Much of soil life is fed by liquid carbon compounds produced by plant photosynthesis, exuded through plant roots.

• Allow the structure of the soil sponge to grow deeper and stronger by minimizing soil disturbance.Soil life is hard at work building underground structures that form a porous, strong “soil sponge,” the foundation of life on land.

• Keep soil covered year-round (preferably with living plants, dead plant litter, or mulch.)Soil life needs protection from heat, pounding rain, and wind.

• Increase the diversity of plants growing together, to provide food and habitat for diverse soil microorganisms, beneficial insects, birds, and other species. A diverse system is more resilient than a monoculture.

• Minimize chemical, physical, and biological stresses. Like any other living system, soil ecology will succumb to overwhelming stresses (such as excessive use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, compaction, undergrazing, overgrazing, etc.)

• Plan, monitor, and adapt your management with the whole water cycle in mind. A healthy landscape soaks up, stores and filters water, cools the surrounding atmosphere, creates mist and clouds, and is more resilient to flooding and drought. Natural communities involving all kingdoms of life are responsible for the water cycle on land.

• Find ways to integrate and welcome a diversity of animals, birds, and insects into the system. Nature never farms without animals. Animals move nutrients, create small and large pores in soil, manage flows of water, pollinate crops, balance predator/ prey relationships, and replenish soil microbes.

• Get to know the context of the land.Every place has a history, and unique strengths and vulnerabilities.

Source Info Here

Some people estimate that over 7 billion+ microbes exist in one small poon of living compost!

This is paraphrased from Catalyst BioAmendments.

Vermicomposting is the use of worms as a composting method to produce vermicompost. Vermiculture is worm farming for the production of worms. In recent years, worm farming has been practiced on both a small and large scale with three complementary goals in mind: waste diversion, vermicomposting, and vermiculture.

Topsoil comes from the top five or so inches of soil. It is the part of the soil that has the most organic material. Its organic material and structure make it an ideal growing environment.

Compost is not the same as soil. They might look similar but soil also contains minerals and infrastructure that only exists in living soil. Living plant roots are a critical component of soil.

Compost is generally considered a soil “amendment,” something that can enrich and promote soil fertility and structure. It is made up of decomposed organic matter that is rich in microorganisms and nutrients. It can increase the drainage capacity of soils and also support the growth of healthy root systems in plant and aid in the plant’s resiliency to pests and disease. There are various methods of composting, including hot or cold/static compost, biodynamic compost, Catalyst BioAmendments or the Soil Food Web approach, bioreactors, Bokashi, etc. Some systems include food scraps and others do not; some are aerobic processes and others are anaerobic (without air); some are completed in a matter of a couple weeks and others may sit for 6 months to one year before completion. The best is to try various methods and monitor the results yourself! Access to a microscope and someone knowledgeable in soil microbiology can help you see experientially what is living and thriving in your compost.

Vermicompost is created by earthworms. Earthworms, micro- and macroorganisms digest organic matter through aerobic decomposition, thereby creating a rich, diverse and nutritious soil amendment, full of beneficial microbes, It is a beneficial way to transform ordinary food waste into something nutrient-dense to feed both plants and soil.

Dirt: Just Mineral Component:

• Sand

• Silt

• Clay

• Rocks

• Pebbles

• Parent Material

Soil: Mineral component AND Organic matter AND (Aerobic) organisms

Everyone is welcome regardless of experience or existing knowledge. We humbly and joyfully come together to learn, grow and tend to the Earth for the benefit of all life. Sponging events are an excellent place to return to Nature and learn as you go!

It can be empowering to start regenerating the lands where you live. Others may be inspired to join you in creating a similar transformation. Every big action was born of small actions. Start where you are and move the land at home in the direction of vibrancy, healthy soil and greater biodiversity. Engage with others who share similar interest in restoration and regeneration. Join us on the sponge or visit our resources page for more links to other organizations who also hold volunteer events, trainings and webinars. Watch and learn through instructional videos online. And most importantly, start where you are on this journey with Nature. We are a community that happily nurtures and supports one another as we tend to the Earth.