How Is Topsoil Formed?
Soil is rock in its final state of decay. The best indicator of the health of a piece of land no matter what the size is whether soil is being formed or lost. If soil is being lost, so is the foundation of production and conservation. Whether the topic is an individual's garden, a farm or a whole state, if soil is being lost instead of formed, economic production and ecological conservation is halted. In order for new topsoil to form, the soil must be living. Does this Spark an idea?
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Life in the soil.
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Life in the soil provides the structures for more life. Topsoil is formed out of life in the existing soil. Healthy soil has ground-cover from plants and plant litter, which slow down evaporation and improve water infiltration so that after rainfall the soil remains moist for longer. Essential ingredients for the formation of topsoil are soil microbes, which produce polysaccharides that in turn enable soil minerals to be glued together into lumps. This process is the creation of topsoil from the main soil bed. The spaces between the lumps of soil allows soil to breath and absorb moisture quickly.
Essential Ingredients
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Healthy topsoil consists of minerals, water and living creatures. There are certain factors necessary for the upkeep of soil microbes in the soil and the production of new topsoil. Essential elements required for the formation of topsoil are minerals, air and water; regimes of soil disturbance; and living things—plants and animals, along with their byproducts—in the soil and on the soil. These ingredients are interacting. Animals disturb the soil, for example, and introduce air and minerals to it.
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Monitoring progress
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High levels of biological activity are required for the production of topsoil and this must be monitored. The effects of any drenches, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers should be taken into account as any reduction of biological activity is disastrous for the soil production process. It is the energy of plant and animal activity that drives soil formation. Biological activity can be monitored by smell. A compost-like odor indicates high levels of activity. The soil level should rise and the surface soil should feel light and springy. If you can easily push a screwdriver into the ground up to the handle you have successfully produced a good level of topsoil. A good top soil has particles ranging in size from 0.02 inch to 0.09 inch.
Livestock
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Livestock can be used to improve topsoil formation. Intense grazing followed by adequate recovery can be used as a tool to prune grass roots, improve soil surface conditions, increase biomass and improve biological diversity above and below the ground. Sometimes animal feed can be drilled into the soil so the animals have to sufficiently disturb the soil to get to the feed. This technique improves aeration, moisture infiltration and mineralization.
The Keyline System
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In agriculture it is possible, using the right techniques, to produce good levels of topsoil even on land which is weathered and bare of plants. The Keyline system is a set of agricultural theories and practices designed to substantially increase the fertility of soil. Emphasis is placed on producing an environment that accelerates the biological activity of soil. In Australia, P.A Yeomans, developer of the Keyline system of land management, was able to produce nearly four inches of good quality, black topsoil within three years on what was previously bare shale. Yeomans realized that the prosperity of his entire farm depended on vibrant topsoil.
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References
- Photo Credit closeup of dried out brown soil image by Victor B from Fotolia.com
