Understanding about soil is not everyone’s idea of a good time, but for the gardener, it is essential. Below are five things you possibly don’t already know about soil.

One: It is a known fact that an estimated 25 per cent of all the world’s soil is being degraded through intensive agricultural practices such as tilling and poor crop rotation.

2. Whilst human-beings don’t tend to live in soil, other animal life does do and can reach the density of up to 10 tons per acre.

Thirdly, it is estimated that food is grown on about 10% of the world’s land in order to provide food for both human-beings and animals.

Four: The roots of plants can move through soil at the astonishing rate of half an inch a day in order to find moisture.

Fifthly, it is amazing to think that a simple earthworm is able to digest about 36 tons of soil before recycling it back into the soil layer making it rich and nutritious.

Six: In one acre of open grassland, there is the potential for at least one million earthworms living in the soil.

Seven: Bizarre as this might sound, a single spade of soil has the potential to contain more living organism species than in the entire Amazon rain forest above ground.

Eight: Animals that hide seeds and nuts in soil such as squirrels, are contributing to the soils richness because they decompose over time releasing nutrients and fibrous material..

Nineth, all the men women and children in the world wouldn’t add up to more than the number of clay particles that could be counted in one handful of clay.

Tenth, soil is made up from minerals, air, water and organic matter at 45 percent, 25 percent, 25 percent and 5 percent respectively.

Soil is clearly a massive subject and to know everything about it could take you some time. However, most people don’t have that much spare time to learn about soil, and so this list points out the most interesting.

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