Hayinhere - 12/10/2011 00:10

I would say to define a healthy soil, there has to be steady energy being supplied to the soil, and energy being consumed by it. 

To supply energy to the soil it needs 1. water 2. Sun. 3. Plants photosynthisizing sunlight, sending it [energy-sugars] down through their roots. 

To consume energy the soil needs oxygen.  That requires 1. not too much water 2. not too much compaction  3. biological organisms aggregating or tunneling through soil.


Now obviously some of these things cannot happen without certain nutrients in the soil - but once the soil is supplied with the right nutrients, and everything else is in place, the soil should start to heal itself.