Soil erosion is when soil particles are washed away from the soil's surface by rainfall or irrigation. It's happening across the country and can lead to big problems.
The good news is that you can do a lot to prevent soil erosion. Keeping your garden soil from washing away is essential; without the right pH balance and enough nutrients, your garden plants won't be able to grow.
You can lower the pH of your soil by adding lime (especially if you have acidic soil) and add nutrients by using organic materials, such as compost and manure.
(Many experts recommend making your own compost from food scraps—or at least keeping a small bin of leaves, twigs, grass clippings, and vegetable scraps to add to the garden soil.)
Plant a cover crop. Protect the land from traffic, be it cars or foot traffic, by sowing grass or a temporary planting between rows of vegetables.
Plant fragrant varieties or plant a border of fragrant flowers, such as dill or lavender, to mask odors. Plant flowers between vegetables. Plant in strips rather than rows.
Select low-growing varieties that are suitable to the space. Plant in the proper location.
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A soil profile is the ordered arrangement of natural materials that make up soils. It includes layers of mineral and organic matter, air, water, living organisms, and rock.
These materials are arranged in layers. The top layer of the soil is known as the A horizon. This is the layer that contains the most organic matter. The next layer of the soil is called the B horizon.
The B horizon has a thin layer with organic matter and also has some rock. A phenomenon in which the upper layer of the soil is removed by the action of wind, water, ice, or gravity.
This is mainly due to the water erosion, this process is called sheet erosion. The process of the wind erosion is called edaphic deflation and is related to the saltation and the impact of the wind.
The process of the ice erosion is called cryogenic erosion and depends on the contraction of the ice and the capacity of the soil to hold the water.
Soil erosion is caused by a variety of natural and man-made factors. The most common causes are water or wind erosion.
As the name implies, water erosion is caused by running or flowing water, and wind erosion occurs when strong winds move loose soil from one place to another.
No matter what your gardening expertise or experience, there is one issue that faces all gardeners. Grass and weeds grow in even the most well-maintained garden.
That's where edging comes in. Edging is a way to keep grass and weeds from growing into your garden beds and flower gardens. There are several different materials that can be used as edging.
The best way to keep your garden soil from washing away is to use a retaining wall. But, you don't need to spend money on a fancy retaining wall: you can just build one out of old tires.
Before you start, you'll need to clear an area where you want to build the tire wall, and pick up a few tire (you know, those things that go around cars.)
We tend to think of soil as an inanimate object that's a mix of sand, silt and clay. But it's actually a complex community of living organisms—a biological system that's connected to the air, water and life around it.
This is why it's so important to protect soil from erosion, overuse and pollution. If we don't, all the organisms living in the soil—along with the plants and animals they support—are at risk of being destroyed.
How can we protect the soil? Well, if you have a lawn, it’s time to start thinking about protecting the soil underneath it.
During winter, the soil freezes and becomes hard and dry. This causes the blades of grass to become brittle, and it can also cause the grass to turn brown and die in patches. To prevent this, it’s very important to water the soil in the winter and to do this, you should use a soaker hose.
We know that the answer is a resounding "yes"! So, while it may be muddy, rain is still rain, right? Not quite. While rain is good for the plants in your garden, it can also wash away some of the topsoil.
The soil in your garden tends to have a certain amount of clay and sand in it. When it rains, this clay and sand often gets washed down to the bottom of the garden or yard.
This makes the soil a bit heavier, and it makes it harder for plants to grow. Water is essential for life. Without it, we would have no plants, and neither would most of the animals that depend on those plants for food.
We rely on rain to keep our topsoil healthy. The problem is that when water falls on soil, it doesn't all sink right down to the earth. Part of it runs off, carrying with it valuable topsoil.
The rest seeps into the ground, where it can be taken up by plants and transported elsewhere. When the water evaporates, it takes with it valuable nutrients.
Acidic soil has a low pH. Adding lime to soil raises the pH, it does not lower it. Alkaline soils with a high pH require sulphur to lower the pH.