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Deep Down & Dirty: The Science of Soil - on TV BBC4 @ 12:50am

Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
in The potting shed
I saw this a couple of years ago and thought it was fascinating.
Well worth recording.

SUMMARY

For billions of years our planet was devoid of life, but something transformed it into a vibrant, living planet. That something was soil. It's a much-misunderstood substance, often dismissed as 'dirt', something to be avoided. Yet the crops we eat, the animals we rely on, the very oxygen we breathe, all depend on the existence of the plant life that bursts from the soil every year.In this film, gardening expert Chris Beardshaw explores where soil comes from, what it's made of and what makes it so essential to life. Using specialist microphotography, he reveals it as we've never seen it before - an intricate microscopic landscape, teeming with strange and wonderful life forms.It's a world where the chaos of life meets the permanence of rock, the two interacting with each other to make a living system of staggering complexity that sustains all life on Earth. Chris explores how man is challenging this most precious resource on our planet and how new science is seeking to preserve it.


Billericay - Essex

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Thanks @Pete.8.   All the better for being presented by the wonderful Chris Beardshaw.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • clematisdorsetclematisdorset Posts: 1,348
    Thanks, @Pete.8 I intend to watch it!
    Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b040y925/deep-down-dirty-the-science-of-soil

  • clematisdorsetclematisdorset Posts: 1,348
    I really enjoyed it. The programme clearly and memorably demonstrated how soil is formed and discussed the issues germane to the topic. Thanks @Pete.8

    It is great it is on  i- player as well,  for about a month from yesterday, thanks, @Fire. Beardshaw does look a bit younger - I think it first aired in 2014 but I did not see it then.
    Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited November 2023
    @Pete8 Thankyou I have also enjoyed watching it too.
    Years ago Chris Beardshaw spoke at our Garden Club. Some members thought it was more of a lecture than a talk. I loved it, his knowlege of all things gardening is on a different level. I would love to see him back on TV.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    I must catch this.  I, too, like Chris B and soil is a fascinating topic. 
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I watched the first 5 minutes or so and then realised that I'd seen it before, and dozed off! Might watch again when I'm less tired and can pay attention better.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited November 2023
    The comment at the farmer towards the end was striking - he said that soil preservation techniques would become standard practice for farmers in ten years time. They would have to. That show went out in 2014 and now we are seeing no till/low till/cover crop farming becoming much more standard. It's not so niche anymore to see soil as the bottom line, a vital resource.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I must watch it again - I can't remember much other than I found it very interesting.

    As you say @fire it's good to watch again nearly a decade since it was originally aired and how practices have changed to help the soil more

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    You could plot a graph of 'presenter hair loss' against 'UK regenerative farming projects'.




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