The Crescive approach to living soil

Biology, mineral testing, compost and observation.

Scott and Sara Skamnes of Crescive Soil are central influences on Living Soil Supplies.

Their approach brings microbial assessment, mineral testing, composting and ongoing observation together.

Manage the whole living system

Scott and Sara teach microbial management and mineral balancing as parts of the same soil system.

The aim is to understand what the soil needs before choosing an input.

Their Advanced Training covers soil food web principles, nutritional management, troubleshooting and case studies.

Look at the biology as well as the numbers

Crescive uses direct microscopy based on Dr. Elaine Ingham's work to assess soil and compost biology.

Its bioassay reports describe bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and organisms it treats as indicators of anaerobic conditions.

Sara's microscope class teaches sampling, identification and a practical scoring method so growers can follow changes over time.

Use mineral tests to plan additions

Crescive describes its mineral approach as combining base cation saturation ratios with sufficient nutrient levels.

Our calculator keeps Mehlich 3 and saturated paste results separate, shows reference ratios and counts the known nutrients supplied by selected amendments.

A calculated addition does not predict the next laboratory result, so later decisions need fresh testing and observation.

Build and assess the compost

Crescive's BioBox is its approach to making biologically diverse compost with a no-turn method.

Sara's Composting Masterclass covers ingredients, starting inoculum, scaling and variables to monitor.

The class includes compost logs and bioassays so the finished material can be assessed rather than judged by appearance alone.

Compost extracts and their instructions

Compost extract is a way to move material from compost into water for a liquid application.

Crescive sells compost inoculum with its own use instructions and an extract bag for preparing liquid extracts.

Follow the instructions supplied with the inoculum for compost quantity, water, preparation and application.

The public pages checked here do not give a complete extraction recipe, so we link to Crescive instead of filling in missing steps.

Soil Symbiotics in a feeding program

CGG Distro lists Soil Symbiotics products for soil, foliar and biological support uses.

These products stay outside our mineral-balancing amendment choices.

The examples below describe the seller's published directions, rather than doses calculated from your soil test.

CGG recommends laboratory analysis of the finished feed solution on its ProVita, Kelpzyme and Keystone pages.

Published product directions

Check the current product label and the instructions for your crop, water and application method before choosing a rate.

A concentration per gallon does not specify how much mixture to apply or how often to apply it.

These pages do not identify whether their gallon is US or Imperial, so no litre conversion is supplied.

ProVita

CGG describes this fermentation-derived product as support for soil microorganisms and mineral nutrition.

  • Compost extract: 5 mL per gallon.
  • Soil: Up to 40 mL per gallon.
  • Foliar: 10 to 30 mL per gallon.

The extract rate is one product addition, not a complete compost extract recipe.

Kelpzyme

CGG describes Kelpzyme as a digested kelp product.

  • Soil: 4 to 30 mL per gallon.
  • Foliar: 5 to 10 mL per gallon.

The product page does not give a separate compost extract rate.

Micro 5-5 Plus

A micronutrient blend listed as a supplement to a feeding program informed by soil and tissue analysis.

  • Seller's general product directions: 0.25 to 0.5 g per gallon.

The page does not state a fixed repeat interval.

Keystone 75

CGG describes this as a mineral and humate blend for soil or foliar use.

  • Soil: 1 to 3 g per gallon.
  • Foliar: 0.2 to 0.5 g per gallon.

Confirm these published directions against the label on your current product before use.

Cal Mag 3/1

The seller lists calcium, magnesium and nitrogen in this liquid product.

  • Soil: 3 to 5 mL per gallon.
  • Foliar: 1 to 2 mL per gallon.

Use the current product label for application details. The page does not give a fixed repeat interval.

Cal Boron 11/2

The seller lists 11% calcium and 0.2% boron. The product name does not mean 2% boron.

  • Soil: 0.5 to 1 mL per gallon.
  • Foliar: 0.2 to 0.3 mL per gallon.

Use the current product label for application details. The page does not give a fixed repeat interval.

Silicik 2.0

A silicon product sold for soil and foliar applications.

  • Soil or foliage: 1 to 2 mL per gallon.

Use the current product label for application details. The page does not give a fixed repeat interval.

K30

CGG describes K30 as a potassium formulation complexed with organic acids.

  • Seller's general product directions: 0.25 to 1 mL per gallon.

The published rate does not specify soil or foliar application.

Phos Pro

CGG describes Phos Pro as a formulation complexed with organic acids.

  • Seller's general product directions: 1 mL per gallon.

The published rate does not specify soil or foliar application.

Keep the tests, plan and follow-up together

Use the calculator to organize your soil results and compare documented amendments.

Use Water tests to review what your source water already contributes before planning a liquid feed.

For a Crescive program, learn directly from Scott and Sara or ask their team to review the soil, biology and water together.

Sources and attribution

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