Pore Space and Tilth
For years you have heard us talk about 3 Pillars of Regenerative Farming:
Manage air and water in the soil
Manage crop residues
Manage crop fertility
Top down or bottom up, these principles work together and provide amazing differences in building healthy soil. Resulting pore space from bio-active soil is a game changer….Tilth!
Stable pore space is the result of bio-active soil forming aggregates. Biologically created aggregates are the desired effect of a community of soil organisms. If we have a tight compacted block of solid soil, we have a soil that is very difficult to farm. If we manage that compacted soil we can flocculate the clays and aggregate the soil into a tilthy friendly soil to work with.
In an aggregated soil that has crumb structure, the surface area of the soil aggregates has been measured as high as 9 square miles per square yard of soil surface! Clumping/aggregating the soil into a tilthy root media really does amazing things!
Providing proper fertility is necessary to give your crop proper nutrition for growth which in turn provides carbonaceous root exudates to feed microbial life at the rhizosphere(root) interface to degrade residues and enhance nutrient cycling. The microbial life causes aggregation of the soil which increases air and water in your soil; this will increase your aerobic zone for your crops to thrive!
What are the benefits of an aggregated soil with pore space?
Drains better
Reduce irrigation needs
Holds water better (Yes, you really can drain better and hold more moisture due to microaggregates and micropores with their water holding characteristics.)
Keeps the crop cooler during summer heat
Reduce water and wind erosion
Allows gases such as carbon dioxide & air to move in and out of the soil
Increases the community of microorganisms
Reduces bulk density; resulting in less compaction
How can I improve pore space in my soils?
Recycling residue, adding carbon, trace minerals, and live microbials to your fertility programs will make a significant difference.
