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WATER WISE

The beauty of soil

Soil is one of the most important resources on Earth. Healthy soil is a living ecosystem
filled with a variety of micro- and macro-organisms, which underpins food security
across the world. Without healthy, well-functioning soils, food availability is threatened,

as good quality food filled with nutrients can only come from healthy soils. Good quality
soil is also great for water conservation. Water Wise discusses why.

The formation of soil is dependant on the breakdown of the you need to do to improve it. A simple test to identify the soil type
parent rock, and the type of soil results from the type of rock, as is to add a very small amount of water to your soil, then take a
well as the size of the soil particles. For example, clay soil is made handful of soil in your hand and roll it into an oblong shape. Sandy
up of tiny particles that are tightly packed together, with little soil will break up
organic material. Clay soil becomes sticky and saturated when when it is rolled, loam can be rolled but will have some cracks, and
wet but holds few air pockets. Sandy soil, on the other hand, is clay will be able to be bent when rolled and have no cracks.
made up of much larger particles and contains large pockets of
air. Water drains through sandy soil very easily, which means it Soil type also has a great influence of the type and amount of
can dry out quickly. Loamy soil is a mix of clay and sandy soils, irrigation used in a landscape or garden. Sandy soils should be
and is a great substrate, as it holds water well while allowing air irrigated frequently with small amounts of water so that water
to circulate. It also contains organic matter and micro-organisms, does not infiltrate too deeply, but rather stays in the root zone
which makes it a very healthy soil. of the plant. For clay soils, irrigation should be applied on and off
over a longer period of time so that water is able to slowly seep
Any soil type can be improved by adding compost. Compost, into the soil. Loam soil is the easiest to irrigate, as water stays in
which is organic matter, improves the aeration of soil, as well as its long enough for the plants to use it but not so long that soil gets
water-holding capacity. Compost can easily be made using kitchen water logged.
scraps such as vegetable peels, newspaper and grass clippings
or leaves that have fallen in the garden. Compost also provides Soil erosion is a major environmental problem world-wide, as
food for soil organisms such as earthworms, and enriches soil healthy top soil full of nutrients and
with nutrients and minerals. Organic mulch like compost is great organisms is washed away. It can take
as it releases nutrients as it breaks down. By improving your soil 200 to 1 000 years to naturally form just
you are able to save money on fertilisers and your water bill, as 2.5 cm of new topsoil. It is essential to
healthy soil retains water for longer. conserve and protect our soils. Healthy
soils create a healthy world.
By identifying the type of soil that you have, you can decide what

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