#Living earth soil how to#

It adds to the organic content in the topsoil. Also, trees hold together soil elements during water run-off. It happens naturally where tree-leaves and other forest waste are decomposed naturally by billions of micro-organisms and form part of the soil. Trees/forests play a very crucial role as they work as natural laboratories where soil is added with humus, organic-material and other nutrients. It has serious effects on fertility and productivity of the planet as well as well-being of all life forms.Īfforestation: The best way to conserve soil is to increase the area under forests. Biological degradation of soil means there is a lack of organic content in the soil. Chemical erosion of soil means there is salinity, change in the composition from alkaline to acidic or desertification of the soil. For example, there is an erosion of soil due to run-off during floods or high speed winds. Physical degradation of soil means there is soil erosion or less soil is being formed naturally. There is decline in the quantity and quality of the soil. Soil degradation is a physical, biological and chemical decay of soil. Why soil parenting is critical for preservation of planet earthĭue to mindless exploitation of nature and its resources, the soil of the planet earth has started degrading. Opinion | Why this is the right time to follow green economy in India

#Living earth soil how to#

It should also be free from any chemicals, pesticides and hazardous waste.Įarth and soul | Why organic farming is the future of India’s agricultureĮarth and soul | A beginner’s guide on how to look after houseplants if you are a ‘plant parent’Įarth and Soul | What world can learn from Indian environmental ethos Also, soil should be free from pebbles, rocks and boulders. Ideal soil should be conducive enough for a plant or tree to grow, should provide nutrients on a regular basis and should hold the nascent plant till it gets strength of its own. It acts as a water filter, provides habitat for billions of micro-organisms, contributing to biodiversity and supplies most of the antibiotics used to fight diseases. Soil supplies nutrients for plants, grasses and trees. The health and well-being of the whole plant depends on the fertility, productivity and strength of the soil. Saplings (embryo) are seeded in the earth-womb. It is equated with a mother who is going to deliver a baby (plant). As per one estimate, one human fist of soil contains microbes’ more than the whole human population!Īs per Vrikshayurveda, the ancient Indian treatise on plants, soil is a live universe and is micro-cosmos. This topsoil is where billions of microbes, insects and other creatures work unnoticed to give life-force to the mother earth. It is composed of organic matter and micro-organisms.

Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, usually the top 5-10 inches (13-25 cm). When we talk of soil, we talk about topsoil where various life forms are manifested. Soil is a mixture of broken rocks and minerals, living organisms, and decaying organic matter called humus. Ideally, a soil component is made up of the topsoil, subsoil and parent material which is the bedrock of that soil.

By nourishing soil, we can nourish mother earth. It is a medium over which plants, animals, humans and other life-forms take birth and finally decay and merge. The manifested form of the earth is soil. Earth is one of the basic elements of the panch-tatva. As per the ancient Indian knowledge, everything living or non-living in the universe is made up of five basic elements, known as panch-tatva: Water, air, space, fire and earth (soil).