Essay
Blocked soil, stuck man
For a whole year I tried to conquer that land. Only when everything collapsed did I sit down and listen to it.
Dead soil can come back.
Thirty months, one abandoned patch of acid sulfate land, and a question: if this ground could be unblocked, could I be too?
Writing and podcast
Latest
Thirty months
Four stages
There was no breakthrough moment. Just four stages back to back, each one solving exactly the problem the last one left behind.
Stage 1 · Dec 2023 – Feb 2024
Infrastructure and subsoil remediation
Core infrastructure in place. Localised waterlogging dropped noticeably and the subsoil began to stabilise.
Stage 2 · Mar–Dec 2024
Biomass growth and organic matter build-up
Soil turned darker, looser and better at holding moisture. Beneficial microorganisms began to appear.
Stage 3 · Jan–Dec 2025
Stabilising the soil ecosystem
Almost a total loss, with only the first batch of green papaya sold in time. But earthworms and beneficial insects had increased markedly, and the infrastructure held where it mattered: no bank collapse, no bed erosion. Once the water drained, planting could start again without rebuilding anything.
Stage 4 · Jan–Jun 2026
Validating production capability
Harvested 2,750 kg of produce — the first profitable crop since remediation began.
The work of shepherding soil
The work of shepherding soil
Acid soil is not dead. It is obstructed. Force it and you ruin it — you open it up slowly, in the right order, and then you wait. People are the same.
Follow the journey
Whenever there is a new piece, a new podcast episode, or a failure worth reporting from the field, I write it down. No advertising, and the list is never sold.