Wednesday, June 20, 2012

In an effort to improve the health of the soil by removing harmful DDT, the Land Conservancy conducted a mycoremediation project on June 14th, 2012 at the Vincenti property. With the help of Peter Gray from Phillip's Mushroom farms, who delivered over nine tons of mushroom soil, 6 TLC interns and 4 Winterthur interns who worked tirelessly, the project was completed in just under 3 hours. The steps involved with the project were, spreading the soil, applying wood chips, dampening and applying small pieces of cardboard,  applying oyster mushroom spawn, and spraying water to provide adequate growing conditions for the mycelium. Thanks to everyone's effort, in three months to a year we will be able to plant fruits and vegetables that are fit for consumption and free of DDT. We can even consume the mushrooms because, instead of absorbing toxins, the mycelium excrete enzymes that chemically break down DDT.  Mycoremediation is a relatively simple and effective way to clean up soil, and has even been used to clean up areas effected by oil spills. Suffice it to say that our community, plants, and wildlife all benefit from a healthier ecosystem.




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