Soil Building
"The nation that destroys its soil
destroys itself" (Roosevelt 1937)
Outline
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Soil Conservation
Elements of Healthy Soil
Why and How We Lose Soil
Building Soil
Why do We Lose Soil?
Steps for Building New Soil
Cameron
Summery
What is Soil Conservation?
• Using techniques and
practices that prevent
the loss of soil.
• Using Techniques and
practices to promote
the creation of new
soil.i
What is Soil Conservation?
Why is soil conservation so important?
• “The most meaningful indicator for the health of
the land, and the long-term wealth of a nation, is
whether soil is being formed or lost.” - Christine
Jones
• Today the U.S.A.'s biggest export, in tons and
dollar value, is eroding topsoil
Elements of Healthy Soil
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Minerals
Air
Water
Living things
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Plant roots
Microorganisms
Insects
Worms
• Organic material produced by living things
Elements of Healthy Soil
• Interactions take place between all of these
elements.
• All elements are necessary.
• If any of these elements are missing then
healthy soil will be destroyed.
Building New Soil
• “In order for new soil to form, it must be
living. Life in the soil provides the structure
for more life, and the formation of more
soil.” - Christine Jones
Building New Soil
• Building new topsoil is much like building a
house (Bushby 2002).
– Must be comfortable for it’s occupants
– Requires
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Roof
Walls
Good plumbing
Airy rooms
Building New Soil
Roof
The roof of a healthy soil is the groundcover of
plants and plant litter
• Regulates temperature
• Improves water infiltration (intake)
• Reduces evaporation
• Protects living organisms from ultraviolet rays
(sun)
Building New Soil
Walls
The building materials for the walls are gums and
polysaccharides produced by soil microbes.
• Sticky material glue together minerals into
clumps called aggregates.
• The aggregates are glued together to form pods
(larger clumps)
• These pods create spaces, the rooms of the house,.
• allows the soil to breath
• Allows faster water absorbtion
• Healthy topsoil should be half solid material and
half space.
Building New Soil
Rooms
The walls form spacious structures that will:
• make it easier for plant roots to grow
• allow small soil invertebrates to move around.
• help soils retain the moisture necessary for
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microbial activity
nutrient cycling and
vigorous plant growth
reduce soil erosion.
Why do We Lose Soil?
“Unfortunately, soil structure is very fragile and soil
aggregates are continually being broken down
(Bushby 2001). An ongoing supply of energy in
the form of carbohydrates from actively growing
plant roots and decomposing plant litter is
required, so that soil organisms can flourish and
produce adequate amounts of the sticky secretions
required to maintain the 'house’” - Christine Jones
Why do We Lose Soil?
There are several ways soil
structure can be damaged.
These include:
• Over tilling
• Over use of chemicals
• Fertilizers
• Herbicides
• Pesticides
• Fungicides
• Overgrazing
Why do We Lose Soil?
• The breakdown of soil
structure can result in the
lose of nutrients, moisture
content, air, and living
organisms.
• The result is dead, dry,
unprotected soil
• This soil is then prone to
water and wind erosion
Steps to Building New Soil
• To build and maintain
healthy topsoil you need:
– Living soil
– Perennial (year round)l
ground cover.
• Ground cover
• Green manure
– Periodic disturbance of the
top layer.
• Conservation tillaing
• Grazing - high intensity
periodically
Steps to Building New Soil
Here is one process.
• 1. Seed the area with a suitable seed mix.
• 2. Feed livestock hay on the seeded area. They will eat
some of the hay and trample the rest into the ground along
with their manure, thus providing food for soil microbes.
• 3. Wait for plants to establish (grow)
• 4. Regraze periodically for short periods. Allow
adequate recovery periods between grazings.
• 5. Monitor the results and adjust your management as
needed.
Cameron
• Located in the lower Great
Plains
• Grasses are predominant
(main) vegetation
• Ranching is the chief
(main)agricultural product
(farming output)
Cameron
• Drought conditions
• Sandy soil being
blown away
Summery
“The building of new topsoil depends on us,
and our future depends on building new
topsoil. This is the greatest challenge facing
modern agriculture.” - Christine Jones
Resources
• http://managingwholes.com/newtopsoil.htm
Special thanks to Christine Jones and her article How to build new
topsoil