Creating a healthy soil profile provides better water holding capacity.
Building humus (active carbon) in the soil by just 1% results in 4 litres of water holding capacity per cubic m2. It is critical for healthy soil conditions.
Humus is like a sponge in the soil, it can hold up to 90% of its weight in water and holds onto important plant nutrients, preventing rain from washing them away and nutrient leaching. Because of this, it acts as a kind of natural slow-release fertiliser.
Humus is also responsible for good soil aggregation (loose and friable soil), so it improves soil structure and makes it easier for plant roots to grow by providing them better access to nutrients, water and oxygen.
Humus differs from Soil Organic Matter (SOM) in that it is the result after bacteria have digested or composted the organic matter. Its active carbon, biologically beneficial to soil micro-organisms, assists in the building of soil life.
For more in-depth information search the internet for:
- What is Soil Organic Matter?
- Why is humus beneficial in soil?
