Notes on Soil: Go to Ground. What Lies Beneath Our Feet? And Why Should We Care?
We know less about the ground under our feet than we know about the heavens above. Yet the soil is infinitely more fascinating, intricate, relevant and powerful.
I have seen “Kiss The Ground” once. I’m referring to what may be the most important and relevant movie of our time. The sequel “Common Ground” is touring theaters now.
Here is the trailer, with the lyrics of The Who figuring prominently: “Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals.”
And here is the playlist to the YouTube channel of “Common Ground.”
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjjEFvrA7_9t9bsRMbFQeox2lxOumHYV9&si=dH-XEmMyCC98oNnY
I have read the book “Kiss The Ground” multiple times. I am also a student of Gabe Brown, who is featured in “Kiss the Ground,” and also featured in “Cows Save the Planet,” by Judith Schwartz.
In the last three years, the single topic I have talked about with the most regularity is the Five Principles of Soil Health, which I learned from Dirt to Soil, by Gabe Brown.
Why has this been my number one topic? Too many reasons to count, but here is a start.
- Everyone has some soil. So it’s relevant to almost everyone.
- Good soil absorbs water.
- Good soil absorbs carbon.
- Carbon-rich and water-rich soil is great for plant health. Healthy plants are resilient and —if you eat them—nutritious. If you grow tomatoes and want the maximum health benefits, then grow your tomatoes in healthy soil.
The principles of soil health are easy to understand and apply:
- Avoid tillage (plowing).
- Avoid chemical fertilizers.
- Avoid chemical pesticides, such as Roundup.
- Avoid bare ground. Cover the ground with something, whether organic matter, such as mulch, or living plants.
- Always keep living roots in the ground. Nothing is better for soil that living roots in the ground. The reason for this is that plant roots jump start the soil food web. Great soil is a living ecosystem. It starts when plants take carbon out of the air, turn it into sugars and exude about 1/3 of those sugars out of their roots. These sugars are the food that jump starts the soil food web, the intricate complex of food chains that characterize great soil.
- As you are keeping living roots in the ground, try to make it a diversity of living roots. The latest science shows that plant diversity builds soil carbon quicker than a monoculture.
Resources:
- Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown. Learn and apply the Five Principles of Soil Health.
- The book Kiss The Ground, by Josh Tickell. Great for policymakers and public intellectuals.
- Cows Save The Planet, by Judith Schwartz. If you are limited to one environmental book, this is it. And the focus is on soil, with a transformational chapter on why water may be the key to addressing climate change.
Graphics for the soil food web:
Here is Matt Powers’ depiction of the soil food web.
If you want a graphic that is more likely in the public domain, here is the USDA depiction of the soil food web.
Conclusion:
For anyone who wants to make a difference in the world, there is abundant opportunity to nurture the ground underneath our feet. Apply the principles of soil health. Nurture the soil. Grow healthy plants. Grow healthy food.