We all know plants grow better in well-structured soil, but what exactly are structured soils? We know that poorly structured soils don’t allow water or air to penetrate – this is often due to compaction or over-working the soil, especially when it’s wet and waterlogged – you just end up with a sticky mess. In essence, well-structured soil is a soil where, by volume, about half is what people call soil (clay, sand and silt), and the remaining volume should be for air and water spaces, along with organic material, soil bacteria and fungi. Microbes play a huge role in producing and maintaining structured soils. . Many people think that adding organic matter to the soil will instantly give them a more structured soil, but this is not actually true. It is not until the microbes, and to some degree other soil animals such as earthworms, have delved through the…

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