The Process outlined below will work best for you if you are following the steps in the Kōanga Growing Nutrient Dense Food Workshop, or Growing Nutrient Dense Food Booklet, which relate to air, moisture, humus, minerals, microbes, and then seeds. Basically you need air in the soil, moisture levels optimal, rising humus levels, balanced and high mineral levels and balanced , high levels of microbes, and heritage, open pollinated seeds, and especially if you are making compost following our recipes in The Art of Composting Booklet which addresses mineral levels and balances. If you are on this journey then over time you will be building your own Terra Preta soil, and following the testing steps will be validation for your progress and will offer you insights to point you in the right direction along the way, to speed up the process. If you are a beginner in the field of biological agriculture, or beginning a garden following our Kōanga Gardening Masterclass or our Beginner Gardener Booklet then our document titled Beginner Gardener’s Process to Growing Nutrient Dense Food will be a great process to begin your testing, once understanding the following instructions/process.
| Step | Action | Response / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Overview: This process works best when following Kōanga’s Growing Nutrient Dense Food Workshop or Booklet. It assumes your soil has air, moisture, rising humus levels, balanced minerals, high microbe levels, and heritage seeds. Compost made using The Art of Composting is ideal. If you’re a beginner, see our Beginner Gardener’s Process to Growing Nutrient Dense Food. | ||
| Step 1 | Do several BRIX tests over a few weeks or days. Record averages using the provided chart. | If BRIX line is Sharp → go to Step 1A If BRIX line is Fuzzy → go to Step 2 |
| Step 1A | Add 100g lime flour, calcium carbonate, or bone ash per m². Water in. Retest BRIX after 1 hour. Repeat weekly until line is fuzzy. | Once line is fuzzy, continue weekly refractometer tests during growing season if following Kōanga nutrient-dense methods. |
| Step 2 | Do a sap pH test. If unavailable, skip to Step 3. | pH < 6.4 → Step 2A pH > 6.4 → Step 2B |
| Step 2A | If sap pH is < 6.4, likely deficiencies in Ca, Mg, K, or Na. High risk of fungal attack (100% at pH 4.5). | Apply 22g magnesium sulphate per m². Retest sap pH and BRIX after 1 hour in midday sun. If results improve, apply another 22g, then 44g to all beds. If ineffective, try wood ash (high in potash). Long-term: amend compost with magnesium or wood ash. |
| Step 2B | If sap pH > 6.4, likely low nitrogen, phosphate, or sulfur. Insect risk is high at pH 8. | Apply liquid fish hydrolysate (20:1 dilution). Retest in 1 hour. If needed, apply diluted cow or chicken manure or liquid comfrey. Continue monitoring BRIX and pH. |
| Step 3 | Do a soil conductivity (EC) test. Start crops at ~200 EC; aim for ~600 during fruiting. | Low EC = not enough “electricity” in soil. May need more fish hydrolysate, compost, or Biofert foliar spray. Ideal EC range is 100–1000 S/cm. |
| Step 4 | Do a microBiOMETER test to assess microbial levels and balance. | Follow the full nutrient-dense soil-building process. Avoid fertilisers unless clearly needed — most will unbalance the soil or damage microbe networks. |
| Step 5 | Plant compost crops (e.g., Kōanga Soil Builder) after harvesting food crops. | Roots and fungi keep the soil web alive and balanced for the next season. |
| Step 6 | Follow Kōanga compost recipes carefully to ensure mineral balance. | Prevents imbalances and ensures ongoing input of phosphate and potash in harmony with soil needs. |
| Kōanga Best Practice Testing |
| BRIX |
| We do BRIX testing weekly on a monday at 1:00 |
| Any fert applications applied to 1 bed |
| BRIX testing 1 hour later |
| Then apply foliar or soil drench if test was positive |
| microBIOMETER TESTING |
| Microbiometer test every Autumn when seed crops come out March April and every Spring when most carbon crops are out September October .. always test entire garden at once |
| Conductivity |
| Test each bed as it is about to be planted after bed prep is done for seed crops only |
| acqua pH |
| Test Sap and soil pH when other tests are low to help decide what to do. |