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Soil conditioners may be used to improve water retention in dry, coarse soils which are not holding water well. The addition of organic material for instance can greatly improve the water retention abilities of sandy soils and they can be added to adjust the pH of the soil to meet the needs of specific plants or to make highly acidic or ...
Vegetal detritus generally is not soluble in water and, therefore, is inaccessible to plants. It constitutes, nevertheless, the raw matter from which plant nutrients derive. Soil microbes decompose it through enzymatic biochemical processes, obtain the necessary energy from the same matter, and produce the mineral compounds that plant roots are ...
Soil quality reflects how well a soil performs the functions of maintaining biodiversity and productivity, partitioning water and solute flow, filtering and buffering, nutrient cycling, and providing support for plants and other structures. Soil management has a major impact on soil quality. Soil quality relates to soil functions. Unlike water ...
Some effects of agricultural lime on soil are: it increases the pH of acidic soil, reducing soil acidity and increasing alkalinity [1] it provides a source of calcium for plants; it improves water penetration for acidic soils; it improves the uptake of major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) of plants growing on acid soils. [2]
Soil is composed of organic matter (decomposing plants, animals, and microbes), biomass (living plants, animals, and microbes), water, air, minerals (sand, silt, and clay), and nutrients (nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus). [4] For optimal plant growth, a proper carbon to nitrogen ratio of 20–30:1 must be maintained. [3]
Oxygen is essential to the growth of plant roots and soil organisms while the release of carbon dioxide through respiration is an integral part of the global carbon cycling. Optimal water and air movement through soils not only provide essential elements to sustain life but are also fundamental to various soil processes such as nutrient cycling.
Air plants can be misted heavily, but it’s not always a foolproof method because it will need to be done daily until water runs off. Di Lallo prefers to dunk or soak the plants instead.
Soil health depends on soil biodiversity (with a robust soil biota), and it can be improved via soil management, especially by care to keep protective living covers on the soil and by natural (carbon-containing) soil amendments. Inorganic fertilizers do not necessarily damage soil health if they are not used in excess, and if they bring about a ...