Utilisateur:AlyssaBaddeley1

Have you ever looked at the soil in your garden and considered it as anything more than soil? If not you should because there is much more there than meets the eye. It performs many functions that you might not be aware of and have good quality soil in your garden is essential for your plants. Functions of Soil. The function of soil is a medium to support vegetation. It provides support both physically and biologically. Support is provided by allowing the plant to grow its roots throughout the soil to hold itself in place. Biological support is provided with its ability to hold nutrients and water the plant needs. It also supports other types of life also. Microorganisms and insects live in the soil and they in turn help vegetation by helping to corrosion organic material and adding structure to the soil. What's Soil Made of? The four major components of soil are mineral matter, organic matter (humus), water and air. Cosmetic thing refers to the inorganic components in the dirt e.g. stones, gravel and constitutes up to 40%-60% of its volume. Kinds of Soil Texture. Texture is described as the size distribution of different mineral particles. Clay soil feels to the touch and contains a high percentage of clay particles. The small size of the clay particles means that they clump together quite readily and there is room for air spaces.

Consequently, clay soils have poor drainage and do not hold nutrients very well. Silty Soil feels smooth to the touch and comprises a high proportion of silt particles. This soil is a soil due to the size of the particles allowing space for water to permeate. Nutrients are held by this soil more easily than clay soil as a result of spaces. It's easy to cultivate but may be compacted. Sandy soil contains a high percentage of sand particles and feels gritty to the touch, Allows for quite a lot of space in between particles and because of this is very free draining. This has its disadvantages as it doesn't hold water and nutrients that are essential can get washed away. Loamy soil is the best type of soil texture you can have in your garden. This is soil whose properties are controlled equally by the percentages of silt clay and sand particles. It's well drained but doesn't lose water too easily as is the case with sandy and sometimes silty soils. What Makes a Soil Healthy? Soil must be fertile and have a structure. For a soil to be fertile it must have a pH value at a recommended level for the plants which will reside in it and nutrients. Are the essential nutrients nitrogen and phosphorous for health.

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