RENOVATING A PROBLEM SOIL

Garden Organic's research manager Anton Rosenfeld advises on how to assess the well-being of your soil to troubleshoot problems

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Under ideal circumstances, soil should both drain well and retain moisture, allow plants to access nutrients, and provide support that allows roots to grow unhindered. It's when it can no longer do these things that we run into problems.

A diverse range of biological life is key to maintaining a healthy soil. This includes bacteria, fungi, protozoa (single-celled creatures), nematodes (microscopic worms), a range of segmented creatures such as springtails and, of course, worms.

All this life helps to maintain soil structure by tunnelling to create pores, then secreting glues to ensure soil particles are retained as porous crumbs. They also ensure that the plants are well supplied with nutrients by breaking down organic matter into forms they can take up. A soil without life is a lonely place where the structure soon collapses, and the plants go hungry.

Often, when we inherit soil, it might not be in tiptop condition. Here are some of the common problems to look out for:

COMPACTION