Healthy v. Unhealthy Soil – Soil Quest (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between healthy soil and unhealthy soil? ›

Healthy soil is teeming with life and nutrients, while unhealthy soil is challenged by erosion, invasive species, and more.

In healthy soil, the water that falls on top of it is quickly absorbed and stored in air pockets. When all the air pockets are filled and the soil is fully saturated, the extra water is able to drain through the soil to other deeper pockets. The spongy feel of healthy soil is because of these air pockets.

Enhanced plant growth: Healthy soils provide an optimal environment for plants to grow. They have good structure and texture, allowing roots to penetrate easily and access water and nutrients. As a result, plants grow stronger, produce higher yields, and are more resistant to pests and diseases.

Unhealthy soil doesn't have the moisture and nutrients needed to thrive, which makes it dry, crumbling, and cracked. When you pick up the dirt, it might crumble quickly in your hands or be difficult to break apart. Proper watering and irrigation will improve the soil's condition in these instances.

Signs of healthy soil include plenty of underground animal and plant activity, such as earthworms and fungi. Soil that is rich in organic matter tends to be darker and crumbles off of the roots of plants you pull up. A healthy, spread-out root system is also a sign of good soil.

Healthy soil has an abundant and diverse biologic community, ranging from microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, to macro-organisms, such as insects and worms. Healthy soils have adequate cover on the surface from both dead and growing plants.

Earthworms perform several important functions in soil. They improve soil structure, water movement, nutrient cycling and plant growth. They are not the only indicators of healthy soil systems, but their presence is usually an indicator of a healthy system.

Presence of Biological Activity

Healthy soils are biologically active soils. The presence of biological activity can give you insight into the soil's state of health. Essentially, we are referring to the presence of earthworms, earthworm castings, dung beetles, etc., or evidence of their activity.

Soil color is also important to pay attention to. Generally speaking, colors that indicate good soil are dark brown, red and tan. Dark brown suggests that the soil has a good percentage of organic matter. Red reflects the oxidized iron content of the soil, while tan indicates a combination of organic matter and iron.

Bacteria, algae, microscopic insects, earthworms, beetles, ants, mites, and fungi are among them. According to the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service: Consider bacteria, the soil microbes with the highest numbers, for example: you can fit 40 million of them on the end of one pin.

What is the main factor to create healthy soil? ›

Key elements include carbon, calcium, manganese, nitrogen, sulfur, potassium, and phosphorous. These minerals work together to provide life and food for grass, trees, shrubs, and even the microorganisms that need to thrive.

Some characteristics of healthy soils include good soil tilth, good soil drainage, large population of microorganisms, sufficient (but not excessive) levels of essential nutrients, and low weed pressure. The key to soil health is organic matter.

Pale brown/yellow soil often indicates that organic matter and nutrients are low and this generally means poor fertility and structure. Pale soil needs plenty of organic matter and mulching. Red soil usually indicates extensive weathering and good drainage, but often needs nutrients and organic matter.

Good soil will have beneficial bacteria and critters, with just enough “bad” pests and predators to keep everything in check. In a perfect healthy soil ecosystem, everything self-regulates. The vast numbers of beneficial creepy-crawlies, fungi, and invisible bacteria are essential to healthy soil.

Healthy soil is dark and it binds together. It should look like chocolate cottage cheese with air pockets, worm holes, and plant materials bound together. If it sifts through your fingers, you are missing the structure provided by healthy fungi in the soil.

Poorly drained soils are often high in clay, in low-lying areas, or compacted. Soils have poor drainage when rainfall or irrigation water cannot easily enter (infiltrate) or move downward through the soil (percolation). Water displaces air in the soil pore spaces depriving roots of oxygen, leading to wilting.

Soil organism habitat degradation

When there is inadequate food, cover, space, shelter, air, or water for these organisms to thrive, soil health is negatively impacted and soil functions degrade, causing a large number of symptoms including erosion, plant health issues, and water and air quality problems.

Soil quality is defined by inherent soil properties such as soil texture and cation exchange capacity (CEC) that change little, if at all, with land use management practices. Soil health is dynamic and is characterized by properties such as tilth, aggregation and microbial activity which may be subjective to measure.

New growth is usually brighter than older growth, but will darken over time. Unhealthy plants will have an unhealthy look, growth that's spindly, not much growth at all, and prone to insect infestations. Healthy plants will grow unabashedly. Even if the growth is a little unruly, that's still ok.