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Soil Health

 

Soil Group Worksheets for Agricultural Assesments

 

The Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District provides Soil Group Worksheets for Agricultural Assesments at the price of $50 per parcel. To apply for a soil group worksheet please contact dbetts@nassauswcd.org with your name, address, and a copy of your tax bill.


For more information about qualifying for Agricultural Tax credits, please call the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance hotline at 518-457-5149.

Soil Health Resources and Databases 

Tips for Healthy Soils 

Click the links below to view guides from the Urban Soils Institute.

Interested in testing your soil at home or in the garden? NCSWCD will be hosting a soil testing event where Nassau County residents can recieve free testing on 1 - 3 saples. Next event date: August 18th, 2024

piping plover

Principles of Soil Health. source: nrcs.gov

What is Healthy Soil?

Healthy Soil is represented in many aspects, physical structure, chemical components and biological material. Soil structure should be loose enough to have spaces to allow water, air, and plant roots to enter the soil while also draining easily and holding enough moisture to maintain healthy plant growth. Sufficient levels of essential nutrients like Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium are required for plant growth but lack of or excess nutrients can be a problem. Healthy soil should always have a layer of organic matter which can improve the soils physical, chemical and biological health. Organic material also helps soils capacity to hold water, inhibits nutrient mineralization and increases biodiversity. 

Soil Fun Facts

 

  • Soil makes up a remarkable thin layer of Earth's crust (Only about 25 miles deep, which is 1% of Earth's total mass). This thin layer is vital to human survival and contains all known life in the unverse. 
     
  • Simple tests can be preformed to indicate soil health. Look for the presence of earthworms or mycorrhizal fungi to indicate the overall health of the soil ecosystem.
     
  • Soil is not an inert, dead substance. A handful of healthy soil can contain more living organisms than human beings that have ever lived on earth. According to researchers at OSU, a single gram of healthy garden soil can contain a billion bacteria, several yards of fungal hyphae as well as protozoa and nematodes!
     
  • Soil purifies polluted water as it infiltrates into the ground. The biological, chemical, and physical filtering processes in a healthy soil protect the quality of drinking water in the aquefors below Long Island, filtering from heavy metals and chemicals.  
Picture of man holding soil

Source: usda.gov

Major nutrients in the soil

Nitrogen (N)

Nitrogen is a key element in plant growth, it is found in all plant cells. Nitrogen makes up about 78% of earths atmosphere (N2). However most living things cannot use (N2) and rely on broken down nitrogen compounds such as nitrates (NO3) and nitrites (NO2). Some plants such as legumes can fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2) by converting it into ammonium compounds and then into (NO2)/(NO3) using bacteria that live in their roots, this process is called nitrogen fixation. Lastly, the bacteria break down nitrates releasing nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere through a process called denitrification. 

Phosphorus (P)

Phosphorus helps with the transfer of energy from sunlight to plants and stimulates plant growth and root development.

Potassium (K)

Potassium helps form and move sugars and starches throughout the plant. Additionally potassium can increase a plants resistance to disease as well as improve the plants strength and fruit quality. 

The Nutrient Cycle

Plants absorb nutrients

Plants take up nutrients from the soil and atmosphere. For example, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into glucose and other organic compounds through photosynthesis. These compounds are stored in the soil when plants and animals die and leave behind residue.

Microorganisms break down matter

Microorganisms in the soil, such as fungi and bacteria, break down organic matter and waste products from dead organisms. This process makes nutrients available again in mineral form so plants can use them. For example, nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, which nitrifying bacteria then convert into nitrate that plants can use.

Organisms consume nutrients

Animals and humans eat plants that have absorbed nutrients from the soil. When organisms die or excrete waste, nutrients are released back into the environment.

American Witchazel - Hamamelis virginiana L.

American Witchazel - Hamamelis virginiana L.