992: How Microbes Feed Healthy Plants w/ Landen Schaelling

In this Episode we have Landen Schaelling, founder of Sacred Soil Solutions, sharing how healthy soil biology transforms plant health from the ground up. Drawing on years of homesteading, regenerative soil research, and microscopy, he explains why bacteria, fungi, and other microbes are the true engine behind thriving gardens and farms. The conversation explores the science of rhizophagy, microbial ferments, compost quality, and practical strategies that gardeners and farmers can immediately implement to build healthier, more resilient soil. Landen also discusses how understanding living soil can reduce fertilizer inputs, improve plant immunity, and restore natural ecological balance.

Our Guest: Landen Schaelling is the founder of Sacred Soil Solutions. He is focused on bringing optimal and approachable microbial inputs to gardeners and homesteaders, while also teaching farmers in the American West how to implement soil-building solutions at scale. Landen has been homesteading through a permaculture lens in Northern Arizona for over a decade. In the last couple of years, he has devoted his focus to restoring holistic soil microbiology and using practical microscope work to verify and guide that process.

Key Topics

• Living soil biology
• Soil microbiome
• Rhizophagy (plant root feeding)
• Compost quality and fungal dominance
• Soil microscopy
• Symbiotic Antioxidative Microbes (SAM)
• Microbial ferments
• Compost extracts vs. compost teas
• Soil pH and alkalinity
• Water retention in arid climates
• Plant Health Pyramid
• Complete protein synthesis in plants
• Regenerative agriculture
• Homesteading and permaculture

Key Questions Answered

What makes soil truly healthy?

Healthy soil contains a balance of minerals, water, air space, organic matter, and abundant biological life. Understanding each site's history helps determine the best path toward regeneration.

Why are microbes so important?

Microbes drive nutrient cycling, improve plant nutrition, build soil structure, support water retention, and create resilient ecosystems that naturally suppress disease and pests.

What is rhizophagy?

Rhizophagy is the process by which plant roots actively absorb bacteria and yeast through root tips, consume them, and gain proteins, micronutrients, and growth-promoting compounds directly from living microbes.

Why does compost sometimes perform better than fertilizer?

High-quality compost delivers living biology rather than simply nutrients. Plants respond rapidly when beneficial microbes become available through compost or microbial ferments.

What's the difference between compost tea and microbial ferments?

Compost tea extracts microbes already living in compost, while microbial ferments grow stable populations of beneficial microbes that can be applied as foliar sprays or soil drenches.

Why is soil history important?

Past management practices—including flood irrigation, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and previous crops—continue to influence soil biology, fertility, and plant performance years later.

How can gardeners encourage healthier soil biology?

Build mature compost, reduce unnecessary disturbance, increase carbon-rich materials, apply microbial ferments, mulch consistently, and maintain proper moisture.

Can healthier soil reduce pests and diseases?

Healthy plants with complete protein synthesis become naturally less attractive to many insect pests while beneficial microbes improve plant immune function against common diseases.

How does soil microscopy help?

Microscopy allows growers to directly observe microbial populations, assess compost quality, diagnose biological deficiencies, and monitor progress during soil restoration.

What common mistake delayed Landen's success?

Using feedlot cattle manure overloaded his soil with nitrates, producing vigorous foliage but poo