Discover the Life in your soil

William Edge is a certified Soil Food Web lab technician based in the Huon Valley ready to help you on your path to ecological soil health.

Request an assessment

Biological Soil Analysis

Increase the health and yield of your plants

Learn more about the life and potential in your soil

Begin transitioning away from chemical inputs

Some of the many benefits of creating a healthy soil food web on your property:

  • Plants can control what nutrients they need and when
  • Leading to better flavour and nutrition for humans and animals
  • Disease causing organisms are suppressed 
  • Plants have less pressure from weeds
  • Soil has greater water holding capacity due to better structure
  • The gradually building soil structure leads to greater root depth 
  • Nutrients are held in the soil rather than leaching out.

What we look for:

Using microscopy we look at the population levels and ratios of the main trophic groups (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes) to determine overall health as well as what kinds of plants are best suited to your soil, or what stage of succession its at (with weedy species at one end and old growth forests at the other) 

Once you know what’s actually present in your soil or compost you’ll have a clearer direction of what to start adding or what practises to move away from.

Bacteria

Fungi

Protozoa

Nematodes

The Testing Process

1. Get in touch

Use the form below or give Will a call to give us some more details on what you’d like to have tested and when. 

2. Collect, pack & send

We’ll send you an order form and some detailed instructions for collecting, packing and sending your samples.

3. We test your sample

Your samples will be tested as soon as possible after they are received by us. 

 

4. Results are emailed

Once payment has been received we’ll email you the reports which can be discussed in further depth.

William Edge

  • 2015 – Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Latrobe University 
  • 2021 – Certified with Soil Food Web as a lab technician
  • 2020 – Graduate of RCS farming and grazing for profit
  • 2021 – Attended an intensive short course on thermophilic compost and microscopy with the Australian arm of the Soil Foodweb Institute
  • 2011 – 2021 – Work on the family cattle farm in Southwest Victoria. Recent years involved timed rotational grazing with a mob of 400 steers leading to the regeneration of pasture and ecosystems in a particular area of the farm

Testing Options

Basic biological assessment

$60 per sample

  • A simple overview of microbial populations
  • Great for home gardeners
  • Check compost before brewing a compost tea
  • Discover if your soil is bacterial or fungal dominated, or what organism group may be lacking
  • Easy to read without lots of numbers

Complete quantitative biological analysis

$150 per sample

  • A full count of microbial populations
  • Great to accurately compare different growing areas or seasons
  • Identify and document the effects of changing management practices or inputs over time

Sample Collection Details

Get In Touch

We’d love to chat through any questions you may have – give Will a call or text on 0423579269 or fill out the form below.

Let us know If you’re ready to have some samples tested and we’ll email you the order form and sample collection/packing guidelines.

Once that’s all confirmed, make sure to send your samples via express post preferably earlier in the week to avoid delays.

Or if you’re local it may be possible to collect or deliver in person.

Look forward to helping you out!