Lets face it, in Hawaii soil is hard to come by. With lava rock covering the majority of big island how can we cheaply and sustainably source soil for our gardens? At Kalani, we make it! Soil is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gasses, liquids, and microorganisms that support healthy plant growth. Using principles of permaculture, a little science, and a lot of love, we have been able to continue rebuilding existing soil using surrounding resources. Our volunteers continuously gather dead jungle matter from around the campus and paper products (carbon) and mix it with living plant matter (nitrogen).
By combining the two a chemical reaction forms creating one of the most abundant bonds in organic chemistry. When added to existing soil, the mixture begins to break down with the help of microorganisms, creating nutrient rich soil over time. We use this soil to nurture our ever growing garden hubs around the property. Looking at the featured picture above you can see our volunteers collecting carbon material to be used in our soil building hill (featured below) for the pollinator sanctuary where we hope to plant a variety of flowers for our bees to enjoy. To maintain soil nutrition, we can add more mulch material, composted food waste from our community kitchens, and worm juice from our vermiculture department.
Soil building is an important aspect of permaculture that we value at kalani. It mirrors the art of spiritual growth, making sure our soil is strong so that we may firmly root and blossom into our most authentic existence by using the resources we have. It takes teamwork, patience, and understanding that earth uses life to create more life in abundance through a constant cycle. “it is not the soil itself, but the life within the soil that is the most important element” -Geoff Lawton
